Question
I AM BUYING A HOME WITH A LARGE YARD IN NEW JERSEY. I AM NOT ABLE TO MOW THE LAWN AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW  WHAT TO DO WHEN I HAVE THE LAWN RIPPED OUT. WHAT MAINTENANCE FREE GROUND COVER CAN I PLANT THAT WILL FILL IN  AND KEEP LOW TO THE GROUND, AND BE MAINTENANCE FREE. I APPRECIATE YOUR ADVICE. THX,   JAN

Answer
You really have more choices than you think.
I have asian Jasmine on the shady part of my lawn, that doesn't get enough sun to grow grass. where Asian Jasmine gets sun, it spreads faster. some varieties have pretty, sweet smelling blooms on it, in the spring.
I live in north Texas, and our winters are much milder here. Since it is so much colder in the winter where your are, I am not sure if it would be evergreen there.It is a beautiful dark waxy green leaved evergreen here. The leaves are not tiny, but they are small. there are many varieties and species of ground covers that are low growing, and one variety of ground cover has tiny waxy leaves. Mine is growing up the trunk of a big tree in my front yard.It has been growing up that tree for about 8 to 10 years, and has not covered the trunk to the extent that it could choke out the tree. You could put up a trellis where it would add interest, and train some of the ground cover,if it is a vine, like asian Jasmine, up the trellis.
You could combine ground covers, one kind in an area, and another in another part of the yard, or as a border around the one kind, for a variety of color and texture.
My Asian Jasmine sends out runners along the ground, keeps to about 8-10 inches high.If you walk in it, be careful. Your feet can get tangled in the runners, and trip you.
I never try to walk through mine without my cane. My grandchildren scamper and play in it, but it is a little harder for me to walk, so I have to watch closer.
Go to these sites and look at ground covers. there should be a site map on each site, so you can see from the map, what is suited for your area.
If the ground cover gets out of bounds, or thickens up too much, hire a teenager to run a mower across it, maybe early in the spring.
Having it mowed when it is newly put in and just starting to spread, will  make it spread faster, and you will get quicker, more thorough coverage.
I am trying to get my husband to let ours spread and take over the whole yard, and put stepping stone walks through it, so we don't have to mow. I can no longer do it, and he is not a spring chicken. It will be harder for him to maintain a yard in a few years.
You could mark off a curved area across the front of your house, have them put a retainer wall about 2 ft.high, and have evergreen spreaders put in, if there is good sun there, and on the ground below the retainer wall, plant the ground cover. Get several textures and colors of green in your landscape plan. Make an artisi's project out of it. Do it yourself, if you are good at design, or enlist a landscaow archetect to help. Look in gardening magazines.
Go to stores like Home Depot, Lowe's etc, and look at all those how-to books they have. Look at the ones on landscaping. The stores in your area should have magazines and how-to books with plants that will grow in your area.
You can find pictures of beautiful lawns. Look at the areas where there are landscape shrubs, and the way they swoop and swirl around to set off the design of the house. then look at what evergreen spreaders etc are good for your area. some of them grow to 6 to 8 ft.tall, and some stay at a height of 6 to 8 inches, so you have a wide choice.Start with some taller ones, that will grow no higher than say, the window sills, and end with shorter ones. then a pretty brick or stone wass, about 1 to 2 ft. and wgere grass would be below that, your ground cover.
LOL. I have your lawn in my mind's eye now.LOL Got carried away there.
Check out these sites for plant information, for your area.

www.nationalgardening.com
  This one I order from quite a bit. You can find out what the plants look like. they have beautiful photos, and information on zones the plants will do well in. I really go to this site a lot.I hope this makes sense. I added some things in among sentences I wrote before.
Also look at these magazines for ideas. Better Homes and Gardens, Southern Living, there is a gardening magazine thatI read all the time, but my mind is blank. I think the name of it is simply Gardening. It may be American gardens. Anyway, it is full of garden ideas.

www.gardenweb.com

www.pallensmith.com

www.monrovia.com

If there is anything else I can help you with, please flle free to write anytime.
Charlotte