HippoKat, not sure as to your climate zone, though would have thought ground cover conifers such as Juniperus horizontalis Glauca & other prostrate conifers would be suitable.
Especially if you added some course sand to the soil to get the plants started?
allan

I'm currently experimenting with replacing some of my turf with Veronica prostrata. It's dense, beautiful and evergreen. I wouldn't play football on it, but I think it would hold up under mild traffic.