Maybe it's my architectural training coming into play but I think there is a unnecessary association with symmetry and formality. Just because a house presents a somewhat symmetrical facade does not automatically mean it is "formal" in its architectural style. Symmetry does not dictate formality - it only provides a suitable setting if formality is desired. Lisa's home is a modified Cape Cod and this is not a formal architectural style. These started as not much more than seaside cottages with very humble and very non-formal origins. The symmetry of the plan spoke only to the ease and economy of construction as well as the ability of the home to be readily heated in winter. And there is also the consideration of the neighborhood character. Formal architectural styles tend be most often found in very urban settings and more rural/suburban locations - as this appears to be - and especially in newer neighborhoods, generally offer a mix of architectural styles with more formalized approaches being a thing of the past. Current lifestyles also lean to a more casual, informal approach and there are many good reasons a landscape should reflect the owner's lifestyle in at least as equal a measure as they do the architecture. If Lisa's style leans to the more casual or informal, then there is no need to adhere to the home's 'semi-symmetry' (the garage and drive, a totally modern day adjunct, throws any sense of symmetry to the winds, anyway) as a basis for a formal landscape. The two are not necessarily co-joined and in this case, they seem to be at definite odds. A very regular, geometric shape to the lawn is therefore not necessary, nor is a central walkway bisecting the property. If the homeowners and visitors tend to enter from the drive rather than the road, then the primary access should be from that location. I do agree that the walkway is not substantial enough to provide the feeling of welcome and entry it should evoke. Nor is it wide/substantial enough to call attention to the entry and be obvious. A redesign with a larger, solid walk called out by plantings or even a lightpost or low pillars would address that. But there's no reason it can't offer a gentle curve - in fact, a curving pathway is much more appropriate to the style Lisa hopes to engender than one that is a straight arrow or with abrupt 90 degree turns. I would not be inclined to move the Japanese maple (unless you wish to do so) but I would rethink the placement of the walkway when you do get around to replacing it with a more generously sized and solid one by pulling it out further to provide free clearance when the tree matures. Whether the walkway remains inside of the planting bed or along the edge is up to you - either way would work, but you will reduce some of the edging maintenance the lawn requires if the walkway borders the bed. I don't think widening the beds will serve to 'isolate' the house - the plantings will provide sufficient anchorage and tie it together - but you should have a good reason in mind to do so. Finally, the shape of the lawn should be determined by what you do along the far side and along the street. If you choose to add plants, a long, rectangular bed with straight edges will offer a contrast to the loosely curved beds in front of the house. To my aesthetic, this contrast would be somewhat glaring and not in context and I'd likely go with loose curves on these areas as well. The lawn would then be a bit of a free-form shape but somewhat longer than wide (depending on how deep you make the beds) and still offer adequate play area and some needed negative space. And would better fit the character of the rest of the more informal landscape elements.

Snow, I hope you're still here with us. Sorry it took so long for anyone to respond. I, for one, normally try to avoid questions from the southern folks because I don't know much about those types of lawn grasses. In reading your questions, I see I could have tried to answer yesterday. It's possible several other cool season folks also avoid warm season questions waiting for those more knowledgeable. I'm glad davidandkasie tried to help you out and hope you didn't lose patience with us. As mentioned, the types of weeds you have determine the treatment. You can post pictures for us to try to identify, but the best idea is to take samples to your nearest cooperative extension service for positive identification. Or, you can try to identify them yourself here or here. You must be careful of the herbicide you use. There are some that will damage St. Augustine, and there are some labeled for certain varieties of St. Augustine. You'll have to carefully read the labels and will have to know what variety of St. Augustine you have. The above sounds like a damaging amount of water, I must say. Store-bought molasses will take care of the fire ants. Just a bottle off the market shelf (unsulfered, the kind you eat) applied with a hose end sprayer.

Texas-Weed wrote: > You can lay the sod now, just not the optimum time to do it... But you have raised a huge RED FLAG. You are in DFW and want to replace Bermuda lawn with Saint Augustine? Why? You just as well go to the Middle East and promote the USA and Christ as that will be easier, take less time, and more rewarding. ======== Texas-Weed wrote the above in a different thread but I thought I'd reply in this one. I'm an atheist, although I still enjoy attending Christmas services. I guess I just read too many science books in high school. I should have said ZZ-chromosome male frogs, not XY male frogs in my post above. Regading not seeding improved varieties of common bermuda into a vegetatively produced hybrid bermuda lawn, I imagine the bermuda experts may say the hybrid bermuda is a much higher quality lawn; it looks a lot better than a seeded bermua lawn, or so I'll guess that's what they'll say. I'm not an expert on bermuda though. I know zoysia much better since that's what I grow. Zoysia looks sooo good and it's much less work than bermuda. For example, you don't need to cut zoysia as low or as often as bermuda to keep zoysia looking good. You can even cut zoysia as high as 2 inches, just once a week, or even less frequently in times of drought. During this last drought, I only needed to cut my zoysia after 5 weeks! Zoysia doesn't grow vertically as fast as bermuda. Bermuda grows tall like a weed :-)

Here in northern Utah there has become a push to get people to remove some existing lawn and replace it with hardscape and more planting areas that include shrubs and perennials that are good drought tolerant choices for this area. We do not get a lot of rain and the population is steadily increasing. Water is becoming more expensive all the time and yet there are still people who insist on having the big green lawn and then complain that their water bill is huge in the summer. We have to irrigate whatever is planted or most likely it will not survive here in the hot summer. Localscapes.com showcases an idea that includes having lawn only in a central open space to be used for recreation by people and pets and then landscaping the yard to include lots of seating areas, patios, trampoline areas and planting beds that are mulched with drip irrigation to save water. The idea is that lawn should not be the default groundcover. I have noticed over the past few years that more people are trying to incorporate more of these ideas into their own yards, such as flipping the strip and removing grass in the side yard. Some new homes are being landscaped using this method which is great! I have been slowly making changes every year and plan on doing more this year. I think eventually most people will be forced into making some changes or will just have to have a brown lawn in the summer since the water rates keep going up. The state of Utah implemented a tiered water rate change to try and keep people from using too much water but of course those who don't mind paying $$$ every month will continue to have their big green lawns.