Enjoy the Lawn. Skip the Grass.

At SafeLawns.org, we are always getting questions about why grass won't grow well in certain areas. In tightly packed neighborhoods, the property between two houses is often particularly difficult because that strip of soil doesn't get enough sun. Likewise, the strip of soil next to the driveway is usually a tough place to grow grass because the soil is always being compacted by foot or tire traffic, or scraped back in the winter by the snowplow.

The answer, in many cases, is to avoid growing grass and instead plant an alternative ground cover. Some plants love full shade; others will do OK in compacted soils. And many times your visitors will be less inclined to walk in certain areas where plants other than grass are growing. Several American companies now specialize in alternative ground cover plants. Here are two of the best: jeeperscreepers.info and stepables.com. (Many alternatives are also available at amazon.com.)