football proof plants / lawn substitutes

 Hi

Grateful for advice / experiences.

I'm helping someone refresh their garden and am putting together a
list of shrubs / plants that will withstand football impact from
football playing children. Also wondering if there's a viable
substitute to a lawn, which has taken a real hammering with the
football practice (actually there are about 4 blades of grass left).

It's a typical terrace house garden:
north facing with the sunnier part of the garden the main play area -
this part is 9 metres long by 5 wide (theres a patio area too reserved
for parents)
clayey soil
not sure of soil pH
walls / fence down each side of garden - so some dry soil
boundary at bottom of garden dry and shady

was thinking of aucuba, cotoneaster, choisya...any other thoughts...?
Will any herbaceous plants survive? All shrubs might be a bit dull,
and dumplingy in appearance.

many thanks

Jez

 
Avoid thorny plants. We've lost innumerable footballs to a hawthorn
hedge.


Artificial grass? ;-)

Otherwise, if you can spare enough time from the football season to re-
seed, you could go for one of the mixtures that are designed for sports
fields. But they are pretty muddy. Just accept that it'll all be over
in about 10 years ;-)

--
Kay
       "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"
                                        

 

I would say this depends on whether the footballers belong in your garden,
or are like the little basdarlings we had treating our front garden as an
extension of the communal area. we now grow only tough as old boots
perennials out the front. Naturally these include berberis, pyracantha, a
spikey quince etc. It helped with the cat problem too.

Steve