This lawned area has turned into soil and moss.
All lawns - even those labelled as shade-tolerant - struggle if they don't get enough light.
Instead of fighting fading grass take a look at my three options for a solution...
Idea 1.
Keep a small section of grass and surround it with shade-loving plants, or give up the grass and select shade-loving groundcovers.
Sweet woodruff is the perfect groundcover for adding fragrance. It isn't prone to invasiveness and tends to form well-mannered clumps.
Other options are Lamium, with pinky flowers through the summer, and a great silver-marked foliage that brightens up shady corners.
Idea 2.
Remove the grass and add a gravel or soft-core mix over a weed-suppressing membrane.
Then add shade-loving feature plants such as these grasses which work beautifully and don't cost the earth. It's also not hard to do which is a bonus!
Idea 3.
A fern area is a lovely addition to the garden. They are low-maintenance and really bring some green zing to your garden.
Be creative with them too. Add contrast plants as in this example below. Or when you're out walking, bring an unusual shaped stick back with you to incorporate within the ferns. The wood shows the fern leaves off to perfection.
