Does grass grow under trees?

[KatyMac]

We are creating a shady area under a Walnut Tree in our nursery garden

It is fenced in to keep the children in the shade & we have children pretty much from birth/4 months

So what do we put on the ground?

Grass or moss or chalomile (sp?)?

Bark or gravel/pebbles would be a bit foolish

Paving slabs/concrete would be easy but a bit sad/boring

Rubber mats are expensive

What have I missed???

Bump

No-one?

You can buy grass seed for Shady areas. Would that work?

I don't know - I'll have a google........

Hmm no - I don't think so - there are warnings of dryness & dead grass

Yes the grass for shady areas DOES grow well you just have to water it in till it grows. Chamomile needs full sun. Ivy would cover the ground ok cyclamen as well (I think).

Really ppeatfruit?

If we planted it in August & watered all winter could we use it next year?

Would we need to water it next year too?

I'm considering astroturf at this stage

Some types of walnut tree give out a toxin that kills other plants growing under it, so even the shady area type of grass may not do well - though apparently Kentucky bluegrass is ok under a walnut tree.

Goodness, astroturf starts to look good; I just don't like the idea

I wish you could DIY that rubber for playgrounds

I have recently solved my decking problem. I could never let the children out barefoot on the deck owing to splinters. But this weekend I found this which is so much cheaper that than the £760 we were looking at previously

Now I just need to sort out under the tree

My DS1's grave is under a big tree and we can't get grass to grow there for love nor money. I've lost count of how much money i've spent on different grass seeds, and absolutely nothing works. In the end we've had to put small pebbles on it. Not what i wanted, but it's the best we can get.

Aw Demented

I don't know what to say

Oh sorry - i hadn't meant to kill your thread - only sympathise with your lack of grass

S'OK - you need for grass is (way more)every bit as important as my need for grass

But I don't think astroturf is the look you want either

No, Astroturf would be a bit naff...

Just had a thought... would it be possible for you to maybe put those little pebbles around the tree and then get larger ones that the nursery children could decorate? Might help them feel involved? What would be really nice is if you could get each child to put their handprint on a big pebble, and then put their name and age on it - would be a lovely reeminder of the children in years to come.

Or maybe i'm thinking about it too much?

Reminder, obviously...

It's a nice idea - but I'd be worried about the babies eating the little stones

I thought about pouring concrete slabs & decorating them with alphabet/handprints etc; but it's a very hard surface for them to play on

I bought the mats for the deck

Now I just need to decide about the outdoor area