Lawn suggestions in alaska

Hello,
I am looking for some suggestions in creating a new lawn. We are building a house and are finally done digging things up (foundation, well, septic) so it’s time to get some roots in the ground to a) keep things from eroding away, b) start the beautification process.

There is a fair bit of area that we’d like to have as grass that is thick and soft enough for barefoot walking (we are tenderfoots). Then there is an area up the hill (our whole lot is sloped) that’s kind of a grove with more trees. I was thinking of doing more of a crawling ground cover up there that need not be mowed or tended too much, but can withstand some foot traffic. A friend said her parents used wooly thyme and brass buttons in Idaho. I’m thinking they could work but don’t know much about them. The pictures I’ve seen look more like rocky/dry soils. Ours is more loamy, and we get a lot of rain. Especially compared to Idaho. We are zone 4a/b but we have cool summers- 70 is a hot day here. I have also thought about just spreading some wild flour seeds- lupine, fireweed, yarrow etc. and letting it be. But having shorter ground cover will help keep the mosquitos under control.

Does anyone have suggestions for a hardy creeping ground cover? If it’s edible all the better but not necessary.

Thanks!

Eloise

Hi Eloise,

For your grass I would definitely go with a kentucky bluegrass/fine fescue blend. If you can get it on the ground soon then you can catch the cool spring window and the rainfall do most of the work.

I wouldn't do wildflowers unless you want a really wild/taller look. Maybe do them in a an area where you wont mind that so much.

Sweet woodruff is a ground cover that loves moist loam, and some people eat it I think lol. You could mix in other ground covers in sunny spots, like brass buttons.

Thanks Thomas!
I did get to thinking that the wild flowers would be a bit much. Plus we have plenty of them other places. And the bluegrass and fescue is what’s in most of the grass mixes around here so it’s great to have confirmation that that’s a good choice.

I’m starting to think about using lower crawling herbs on top the hill? Maybe lemon balm, mints, thyme etc. I’m also going to try to transplant some low bush cranberry from other areas and see if I can encourage them to spread.