Question
Hi, James,

I've been reading over the internet that I can creat an area for planting in an area where grass (or grass and weeds I should say) is currently growing by laying wet newspaper (about 12 sheets thick) over the grass and then adding top soil. For some reason, I can't seem to find any info on how deep the layer of top soil should be. Might you know?

Also, is it true that I can plant immediately? I'd like to put down ground covering (not sure what yet, but probably pachysandra and some other covering). Would this method of creating a planting area be good for planting ground covering? Are their certain ground coverings that wouldn't root well in shallow soil (assuming that the top soil I put down should be 2-3 inches deep)?

Thanks for your time.

Erika

Answer
Hi Erika,  I'd avoid layers of soil.  I think Pachysandra would need a minimum of 6-8" of soil.  A better solution would be cover the area with black plastic to kill the grass and weeds.  Once dead, remove the plastic, add 3-4" of topsoil or compost and till the entire area 8-10" deep.  The weeds will be additional organic matter to help separate your soil.  You will need loose soil for Pachysandra to spread quickly.
Should you decide to try the newspaper with 2-3" of soil, I'd stick to Sedums, Lysimachia nummalaria, Pratia, creeping thyme or Mazus.
These are all very shallow rooted but you'll need to monitor their moisture needs carefully.  A thin layer of soil, full of roots, dries quickly.  Jim