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Landscape Design

new at lawn care and question about mulch bed design

17 years ago

I am in desparate need of gardening help!!! We recently bought our first single family home with a sloping lawn and a great back yard set on a cliff that would make for a fantastic garden. However I can barely mow my lawn successfully. My main problem is how do I take care of the lawn besides mowing? How do I fix many of the bare areas I have with no grass? Also, I would like to create mulch beds along the driveway because it is difficult to mow since the lawn slopes down at that point. The lawn also slopes to the street and the edge of the lawn by the street looks terrible, any suggestions for that area? I know there are a lot of questions but any help would be most appreciated!!

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Comments (3)

marymd7
17 years ago
There's a lawn care forum here at GW. You might want to pose your lawn questions there. I assume you mean some kind of garden or shrub bed along the driveway, not mulch per se. Construction of a bed itself isn't all that big a deal (remove sod, test soil, amend with organic matter, plant then mulch to conserve water and reduce weeds), but to select plants you'll need to consider the soil type and sun exposure. In NH, presumably you'll also need to consider snow removal and possibly salt tolerance along a driveway which might make some shrubs not particularly good choices. Perhaps a no-mow groundcover other than grass would be a better choice than a mixed perennial or shrub border. Again, think about the practicalities and decide what might work better for you.
jk_garden
17 years ago
I second the fact of not using mulch on a slope. I've been there and done that and it does not work and created a bigger mess. A ground cover on a slope with a bush or two to add color, etc worked a million times better for me. Many groundcovers are hardy some even add winter attraction. A friend who had a small area between a retaining wall and road added colored rocks heavy enough they did not wash away, but colorful enough to add attraction.
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dsumma
17 years ago
Barnes and Noble Univ. has a free course on Lawn Care.

http://educate.barnesandnoble.com/educate/bn/home/catalog/overview.jsp?productId=18964&z=y&nhid=bn

Here is a link that might be useful: B&N Lawn Care Course

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