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TURF
In the north, a lush green lawn can often be a liability. A lawn that remains green up to freeze-up is not properly hardened off for winter and will be susceptible to winter damage. Merion Bluegrass is a cultivar that tends to stay lush too long and should be avoided in northern lawns. Merion is also subject to cold injury and numerous diseases. Choose you grass seed mixture according to the care and use your lawn will receive. If you can provide irrigation, Kentucky Bluegrass cultivars such as Nugget, Banff, Dormie and Park are recommended. They are hardy and resistent to snow mold. For shady areas use Dawson or Boreal Fescue. For dry areas where irrigation is not possible, use deep rooted and drought tolerant grasses such as Crested Wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum) or Russian Wild Ryegrass (Elymus junceus). The cultivar of Crested Wheatgrass that is recommended is `Fairway'. The recommended cultivars of Russian Wild Ryegrass are `Sawki', `Mayak', `Swift', `Cabree'.Many of the diseases of turf grasses common to moister and warmer climates are rarely a problem in the north, but those that do occur occasionally become severe enough to cause extensive damage to the turf. There are many publications on diseases and insects of the lawn, so I will not discuss that here.
The main cause of winterkill in the northern lawn is physical damage. This is caused by foot traffic, snowmobiles, cars etc. Always keep traffic off the turf. Avoid building skating rinks on turf areas unless you are willing to accept any winter kill that results. It only takes one pass of a snowmobile to pack the snow down and reduce its insulation value. It is the insulation provided by the snow that enables most plants to survive the winter.
GROUND COVERS
Ground covers are used where grass will not grow or would be impossible to mow, to provide a unifying effect to the landscape, to reduce weed problems, among other reasons. The main prerequisite for a ground cover is that it be capable of providing the desired effect in two growing seasons. Ground covers range from perennials of a few inches in height to shrubs of several feet. Many ground covers that become weed problems in the south can be safely used in the north where little else will survive. In zone 0, Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea) is used for a ground cover. Other hardy ground covers include: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Aegopodium podograria variegata, Vinca herbacea, cerastium tomentosa, Dianthus deltoide, Phlox borealis, Thymus serphyllum, and the creeping and common Junipers. Vinca minor is usually not considered hardy enough for the north, but I have grown it for over 10 years in zone 2b with no winter kill and very little damage. The first site is on the west side of a mobile home where the plants are exposed to the south-west sun in winter but protected from the summer sun by deciduous shrubs and rarely have snow cover due to the sun reflected off the metal covering of the home. The second site is to the north of this same home where snow cover is often melted by the heat of a dryer exhaust. In both locations the Periwinkle thrives despite the adverse conditions.
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This page by Pat
updated August 18, 2000
