I am working on a site where the residents would like part of the plot to be usable as a “Lawn”. Basically, an area where they can throw a blanket down and have a picnic. This area is currently bare; the forest was scraped down the hill, and this area was cleared for the septic field. So we’re starting from scratch.
There is another area with a steeper grade that experiences significant erosion, but it also serves as an access road, so it must remain usable and walkable.
Everywhere else, I’ll be planting native grasses/wildflowers to establish some meadows that will have walkways through them.
The problem is that I can’t find anything native that will serve as low “lawn” ground cover. Most native grasses will grow quite tall and don’t take kindly to frequent mowing. The non-native options, such as red fescue, bluegrass, and clovers, will do quite nicely, but I’m concerned they will require a lot of management to prevent them from overtaking the native grass and flowers. And require a lot of water and fertilizer to achieve the intended picnic-perfect effect.
Right now, I’m leaning toward a heavier seeding of Organic Perennial Ryegrass. From what I’ve read, it is a solid option for erosion control and takes well to chopping (which will give us some biomass, which is nice). It might require more reseeding, but I’m hoping it will be easier to manage in the long run.
So my questions are:
- What would you do in this situation?
- Are there some permaculture options I’m missing that can provide adequate ground cover?
- And what is your experience with using Perennial Rye?
P.S. The plot is in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, growing zone 7a. Let me know if I can provide more info!
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