Our backyard is shaded by two huge maple trees. When it is rainy I can't really take my daycare kids out there lest they come home caked mud. During drought of summer--it is so dusty--then we just deal and go out. Last summer, everyone needed a waste down bath after playtime! Any ideas for either a type of grass or ground cover that will do well in shade and tolerate foot traffic? I'd like to avoid having to mulch the entire backyard for the expense and maintenance of it, plus I like that the kids can poke around and see what is growing, happening under their feet. Ideas please to avoid another muddy spring/fall and dusty summer?
thin out the branches to let some more light in then you can put some sod down... issue solved :)
You can put bark chips down, crushed rock pathways or stepstones but one cheap fix is a bale of Hay spread around. It keeps the shoes clean and gives bounce if they fall...
We have a yard just like this. I'm anxious to see your answers... We don't have the dust problem, but we do have the mud problem and end up not using the backyard (we have a nice side paved side yard and park close-bby) just seeding the heck out of it all winter so we'll have some grass in the summer. But history has dictated that by the end of the summer, the grass is unhappy again.
Have you thought about bricking in part of it?
I had a friend that did daycare out of a rental house and had a horrible backyard that the landlord wouldn't do anything with. He ended up putting in a big sandbox, lots of play structures and using astroturf for the rest. It wasn't ideal, but it was a fix for that particular problem, and the kids didn't care.
What about a load of dirt to raise the middle of the yard causing the water to drain to the sides. You could then plant your moss or grass under the trees. I too would recommend having the trees thined out.
To bad we all don't live in Calf where yard crashers is located at. :( I sure could use them too!
have you considered moss? seems to grow where its shady naturally.
