Yeah, IÂm going to do a lot of researching and I plan to really give my lawn a good workout in the fall. The front lawn is obviously a mess right now, but as far as my back yard goes for just moving in thereÂs really not a whole lot that I can complain about. ItÂs relatively thick and dark green, and there appears to be very few weeds, although IÂm not familiar if that remains to be seen as the season progresses. All that being said, as Âdecent as the yard currently is, I feel thereÂs a lot more potential in there. The previous owner of the house was an older gentleman, and the neighbor took care of the yard for him. I gather from conversations with the neighbor that it was cared for, in a half-assed sort of way meaning that while it was occasionally seeded and fertilized, it was also mowed low, clippings were always bagged (for the neighbors own personal compost heap), and weeds were Âtaken care of by dumping spot-shot type chemicals. He definitely seems the nosey type, so heÂll probably be critical of every damn thing I do to it now that I own it, whatever. But anyway, just not knowing exactly how the lawn was maintained, IÂm curious as to how it would look after a few weeks of work. A few things I have in mind are core aeration and overseeding with a cool-season blend in the fall. ThereÂs a blend on there right now, which really doesnÂt bother me IÂm not particular about mis-matching grass, other than a few spots of fine fescue that look out of place in open areas. IÂm also very interested in learning more about and incorporating organic lawn care rather than being a slave to Scotts. Furthermore, I plan to get a soil sample tested by the extension office to see what exactly IÂm working with. As for now, IÂm just trying to get my feet wet by at least mowing down to only 3 1/8" and of course, trying to make my front yard look somewhat presentable! Thanks again guys, I can tell I have a lot to learn, but IÂm really eager to! Just so excited I finally have a lawn to take care of, haha

For low spots you need something like soil or sand which has permanent volume. Compost and manure are organic and will completely disappear in a year or so leaving zero residual volume. Bare spots don't necessarily need soil unless they are low and hold standing water after a rain. It is best to determine why the area is bare and work on, or with, those conditions. For compost on a lawn 1 cubic yard, not 2 cubic feet, is normal. A bag is 40 pounds. A cubic yard is 700 pounds.

T. Plicata 'Green Giants' grow taller in a manner where after each growth they have shot up a 4 inch or up to 3 feet tall main leader stem that is not very filled out. I do not suggest that stem should be cut off. Some people do it, but it's my opinion that the tree takes on a better growing form if that top slender main leader trunk is allowed to continue to develop. I have noticed that the tree along with its skinny top main leader will fill out much better if the tree is given some slow release food, during each spring and fall, high growth spurt. The non burning 3 or 6 month, slow release Osmokote fertilizer works well for my Green Giants. In addition, if yours are planted in clay soil, try to keep the soil only slightly moist. Otherwise the roots will struggle if the clay is allowed to remain too soggy. Such a conditon will drastically slow down the tree's growth and will even cause it to suffer more if once the soil gets dry and hard. On the other hand, if your soil where they are planted is quite sandy and drains rapidly, you will need to water your trees very often, and also often put down and mix into the soil lots of well processed, compost.

When I moved to texas, I asked someone on this forum about whether I could bring bearded iris bulbs. Well, they said yes, and they were right. With help from this forum, making the bed was really easy. I recently wrote a poem about this for our HOA newsletter. Iris beds grows easily, and by the time you need to break-up the bulbs (about two years), it should be time to replant a tree...and maybe leave some iris' behind. Here's my poem. The Iris Bed The Iris sits up from his bed, a purple beard on stately head, His needs to grow are very slight, not too much water and lots of light, So plant him in a sunny spot, and worry not if it gets hot, HeÂll bring with him sea of green, and rise in Spring just to be seen. An easy way to build an iris bed is the abbreviated Lasagna MethodÂshave away the Bermuda sod, create a raised border, line the bed with cardboard, put in 4 inches of Landscape Mix (low nitrogen), and set the bulbs very shallow, exposing their" backs".