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They say after its bottled that wine improves and changes with time. Its flavor deepens and enhances, and that vintage becomes more valuable.

The same could be said for a landscape. Soon after the instant it’s designed and installed and the image of perfection, it begins to grow and change. Sunlight, rain and soil provide the nourishment plants need to grow more lush and vibrant and to enhance each season with color and life.

But as things change, maintenance is required to ensure plants continue to receive those same nutrients for growth. And as plants grow, areas that were once in full sun may now be in full shade. This is especially true for turf areas since they are the lowest growing areas of the landscape. In these instances, updates are necessary to keep the landscape thriving.

One way to update turf that is thrust into a less than suitable growing condition is to replace it with something more suitable to those new conditions. But how much does it cost to replace grass with groundcover? Let’s dig deeper.

What Groundcovers Make Good Replacements For Turf?

In Atlanta, big blue liriope, pachysandra and acorus make great groundcovers. Here’s a closer look why:

Big blue liriope is low-maintenance groundcover good for replacing turf

Big Blue Liriope

Big blue liriope is a low-maintenance groundcover that thrives in a wide range of conditions from dry shade to full sun. Its humidity and foot-traffic tolerant, as well as deer resistant. This hardy evergreen has attractive, arching, grass-like foliage and abundant blue flower spikes.

Pachysandra is a low-maintenance evergreen groundcover great for replacing grass

Pachysandra

Pachysandra is a low-maintenance evergreen groundcover that is very shade tolerant, so it’s a great choice for underneath trees. Its leaves are a lighter shade of green than most evergreens, and it blooms with subtle white flowers in early spring. It’s also very hardy and drought-resistant.

Golden sweet flag is one of the most striking of the acorus

Acorus

Golden sweet flag is one of the most striking of the acorus with its tufts of tiny, golden, grass-like, evergreen foliage. It’s a deer-resistant dwarf groundcover that can thrive in moist conditions. Its bright color highlights wooded spaces.

Timing Is Everything

There are quite a few steps involved in replacing turf with groundcover. Depending on the type of turf being removed, usually a landscape professional will have to spray or cut out the turf, prep and amend the soil or even add new soil to the space, and then plant the groundcovers and mulch the plants.

If the turf being removed is warm-season turf, it’s best to do this work in spring and summer. If it’s not, then fall is also an option. Winter can be a good time for performing this work as well, but if the winter is very cold, this can damage newly planted 4-inch groundcovers, so spring and fall remain the best times.

How Much Does It Cost To Replace Grass With Groundcover?

The turf being removed not only impacts project timing, but also cost. Other factors that can influence the cost to replace grass with groundcover include groundcover type, spacing and size of the space. Taking all of those things into consideration, usually this work will range from $3.50 per square foot to $12.50 per square foot.

Is Your Landscape Changing? We Can Help!

As your landscape grows and changes, you may notice some areas of turf aren’t performing as well as they once were, especially if they are in high-traffic areas or areas thrust into shady conditions that were once sunny.

HighGrove’s landscape experts can review these changes on your property and provide you with some solutions to ensure a practical landscape that also continues to be aesthetically pleasing. Give us a call at 678-298-0550 or use our simple contact form and we’d be happy to answer all of your questions.

Last modified: June 3, 2021

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