Get rid of ALL of it to bare dirt! Get some lawn paint and mark out any paths you need or want then gather all the (unwaxed) cardboard you can. Put the cardboard down in the areas that aren't paths then cover it all with 4 inches of mulch of some kind. I like the eucalyptus (melaluca) mulch that's manufactured down in FT Meyers. You can get it by the truckload. That's just my personal choice.
THEN I would hit every plant swap in the area, post any plants you'd like to have on the "exchange list" and haunt the local nurseries and big box stores for specials and bargains.
We have a super landscape designer right here on this forum who will probably nix evrything I've just written, LOL! but I've lived in Tampa and dealt with your problem. . . which is why I'm in favor of a quick, merciful death for such "lawns". cora

I like your thinking cora !
And don't forget stone paths , water features , outdoor furniture and yard art .

Turf takes too much work and water!
I agree forget the lawn...build gardens...become a plant collector! Gardens are much more rewarding.

I too am opposed to lawns and am in the process of turning my whole yard into garden. If you put down the cardboard or newspaper, in most cases you won't have to do anything else to get rid of the stuff growing underneath it. If you can't get hold of that much paper, you can also use landscape cloth from the garden center. Put it where you want paths, too unless you want to keep little swaths of grass to walk on. I cringe to think what the people in the lawn forum are saying. :0)

Thanks everyone for the input! So I have 4 that say nuke the lawn and go w/ garden/plants, etc. Anyone out there in the pro-lawn camp?

I am actually looking for a good mix of both. I want to increase the size of my beds and add some groundcover, but also have some lawn space. Is my best bet for the lawn part to cover it w/ the cardboard/landscape cloth and a bunch of mulch on top? How long does this process take typically, and what kind of prep does it entail prior to throwing sod? Thanks again for all of your help!

Well, when we moved into our place the front was a sandy mess. It has since filled with volunteer grass of all sorts. It does not get watered unless it rains and doesn't seem to mind drying out. It looks wonderful after a good rain and a tractor runaround. Also, it's kept that area from eroding away after heavy rains.

HOWEVER, the rest of our place is plants, paths and patio areas. We've used all our leaf litter to cover the areas where we do not desire grass and used the rest for compost. We've filled as many areas as possible with native/drought tolerant plants, and rescues from the box store sale racks. It works beautifully, looks lush and doesn't waste our water.

Bottom line for me, hubby liked the grass and it cooperated. We've kept it from most places, but I enjoy the look of the small area we have. I guess I'd say I'm in the 'if you can have it with minor care it's ok' club ;)

While I would not describe myself as "pro lawn" I have nothing against lawn if one goes about it in the right way. I use a mix of lawn and flower beds in my garden. I like the look. I think lawn can tie the landscape together nicely. It gives visual relief between flowers. Lawn makes a good path. A little lawn also helps to tie the garden to the surrounding neighborhood, which is mostly lawn.

And if you use the "Freedom Lawn" approach, lawn is environmentally friendly too. The lawn in the pictures below has not been fertilized or irrigated or sprayed or otherwise treated in over five years. I don't rake up the clippings. I don't even bother raking leaves. Because I mow high the leaves and clippings work their way down into the turf and eventually feed the grass.

Yes, if you look up close, there are weeds, and several types of grasses mixed up, though it's mainly bahia. But from a distance, it looks neat, neat enough for me anyhow.

Having a blend of grasses and weeds prevents bare patches. If one thing dies, another fills in.

The trick to the "freedom lawn" approach is mowing. You want to mow frequently, every four days or so during a rainy summer. You want to set the mower as high as possible, at least 4 inches. You want to keep your blade sharp. You want to edge. Yes, it's a lot of work, but no more than most parts of my garden require, and a lot less than some. (And my garden has lots of native and Florida friendly plants).

In your place, if I wanted to keep some lawn, I would overseed with bahia (Argentine is best for most of Florida). Follow the instructions on the bag or bucket. Give it one feeding to help it get established, and keep it mowed. Now's a good time to do it, with all the rain.

I wouldn't bother with much weeding. I'd tear out only the biggest and ugliest ones and mow the rest.

I would replace the lawn in areas that don't get enough sun, or where it's difficult to mow, or where foot traffic is just too heavy, or where you just want something else.

I would avoid tearing out or smothering huge areas of lawn at once, which can be overwhelming.

Bill

I agree with Bill . There are many advantages to keeping some sections of lawn .
Turf acts as a cooling system as well as aiding in erosion control .
tamparookie - your grass does not look that bad at all. I've seen much worse !
Try a mix of keeping turf and improving the best areas and also creating flower beds where the weeds are the worst .
The link below can be very useful when tackling weeds . Try searching the site for other lawn renovation help .

Here is a link that might be useful: Weed Management in Home Lawns

I'm not going against the no grass group but one thing I see is your letting your grass grow to high. If you cut your grass and keep the weed seeds from growing your yard would look better. Me, I like not having to mow.

I think it is called mimosa??It has a cool lollipop looking pink flower that comes up all along it. I bought one pot and it has spread incredibly quickly,keeps going and considering I have all mulch(pulled all grass up last year) I am going to get another pot and start it at the other edge of front yard. It grows right on top of the mulch(a piece has even come up on the cement,though can't imagine that will last long! If you don't like where it comes up, very easy to pull up.

Unless you use your grass for playing with kids( and nowadays so many chemicals are required I wouldn't even let my kids roll around in that grass!) I'd kill it all and get your local city to drop a truckload of mulch and then just add your plants/groundcover whenever you want.

teeka

teeka

I have lots of plants,too.

Great info everyone, keep it coming!!!

Bill, I really like the idea of overseeding the lawn. Sounds like it's some work, but definitely not as much as covering the entire yard and throwing new sod. I like the looks of your yard and would probably incorporate the same mix of beds and lawn that you have.

If I do overseed w/ Bahia, will it overtake the current patches of fine grass that I have or just live amongst it, and if it is the latter, will it look ok?

Thanks again for everyone's input!

How it will look is a matter of taste. My lawn looks okay from the road, but if you lean over and look at any one spot up close you will see a mix of weeds and grasses. I rarely bother looking at the grass up close, and even when I do, I like the informal look, so it doesn't bother me. You will probably have a neater look, especially the first year or two, if you kill the existing grass and plant all bahia, but in the end this sort of lawn always winds up being a blend anyway. Again the key is mowing it high--at least four inches--and mowing frequently, with a sharp blade, so that it looks neater than it is.

In my experience, bahia tends to dominate in the long run, but never completely.

Bill

Great advice Bill. I'm thinking that this may be the way to go. Thanks!