I have an area between two houses that has for years lost a lot of soil due to water runoff from the front roof. That runoff is now resolved via gutters and a drainage pipe to the back, so now the struggle is what to do in building the terrain back up flat, best cover plants, etc.
The first thought is to just throw down some top soil to build it back up level and then grass seed, but I’m betting that’s the wrong way to approach it, especially since it’s now cooler and heading into winter. I could just wait until next year, but I’d like to repair what I can beyond just putting dirt down (which could still erode and be a mess).
The area had lost probably a few inches of top soil and grass from original construction, down to the clay substrate. There is some tree coverage as well, so it’s partial shade which I know is problematic for good grass growth. I’m open to other cover plants, but it does have semi-regular foot traffic with landscapers, kids, pets, etc.
Is there a reasonably quick fix to do something?
Where are you? Country? Rough location/climate zone.
Central North Carolina in the US.
How about some native planting? Can look great and helps the environment https://ncwildflower.org/handouts/Native_Grnd_Covers_1.pdf
Sticking with native is a great point, and there’s a few there I’d be fine with if they can handle the path traffic. Thyme, mondo grass, or clover are some others I’ve thought about as alternatives to the typical store grasses. But is this a bad time to try and establish anything? And if so, is there something I can do temporarily to at least put back some soil without potentially losing it due to lack of anything rooting yet? I’ve thought about a mulch, but I’d end up having to remove it later and that sounds like a pain.
I’m in London UK, so what I know about N. Carolina climate is this big * < — —
But yes, now is a good time to plant bare root shrubs and trees - and potentially spring flowering bulbs but I can’t imagine it is going to be good for anything like ground cover. Maybe put down some topsoil and put over some weed suppressing membrane? It would minimise any erosion, keep things neat and you could walk on it. Take it up next March, give it a rake and see if there’s a good supplier of wild flower seed for you to scatter.
Thanks for the idea. I’ll ponder over it until the next opportunity to get back to the project. I may loosely spread a bag or two of soil before a rain just to test how much stays and how much of a mess it makes when wet.
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