Groundcover for sand, deer resistant, and some foot traffic

[dwdanby]

Hello! I live near the beach, and my back yard (1200 sq ft) is solid sand. Bringing in soil would be too much $$ for us. We don't want a lawn that needs mowing, so we are looking for groundcover. We have many deer so we need deer-resistant. And there will soon be a miniature poodle running around, so something ok with foot traffic. We are on the WA coast, zone 9? All suggestions gratefully accepted.

I just looked at prices - holy cow. Maybe I should be looking for a different approach? the groundcovers I looked up would cost thousands.

 

[lifegardener]

Lived by the beach for several years, and was fortunate enough to already have a good layer of soil/clay (sitting over sand) to work with from the start. Can you afford to bring in clay, enough to make a difference to the existing sand, where you can start planting - at least - sage, rosemary, ice plant (Mediterranean type vegetation) ?

If so, I would recommend doing that - it will open up a world of new growing opportunities.

What ground covers are you wanting, and can that feasibly be broadcast over the fall, or early spring?

 

[lifegardener]

Hello! I live near the beach, and my back yard (1200 sq ft) is solid sand. Bringing in soil would be too much $$ for us. We don't want a lawn that needs mowing, so we are looking for groundcover. We have many deer so we need deer-resistant. And there will soon be a miniature poodle running around, so something ok with foot traffic. We are on the WA coast, zone 9? All suggestions gratefully accepted.

I just looked at prices - holy cow. Maybe I should be looking for a different approach? the groundcovers I looked up would cost thousands.

Any Progress?