Hi all! Sorry for chiming in late. I am a hobbyist on a learning curve and yes, Vue is great for experimenting with multiple ways of doing things. The "decay near foreign objects" method works with trial and error but is not my favorite. In the "Stone Court" image I used the boolean method mentioned above (but in 3ds Max) to  create geometry in between but not under the stones. It is fun to paint the grass on with a large brush radius and watch it magically appear in the right places. I have yet to try the distribution map method (nice demonstration  gillbrooks). As for single blade Solid Growth plants, they would be very helpful. I will keep experimenting!