Low-maintenance lawn edging
Ontario_Canada5a_USDA4b
7 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (22)
dchall_san_antonio
7 years agoOntario_Canada5a_USDA4b
7 years agoRelated Discussions
low maintenance low water landscaping - please help!
Comments (11)Pam - along the side of the house there is a 5-8 foot wide flat walkway of old bark, and next to it, covering the slope are some junipers that have been well-trimmed through the years. Since they are doing their job of erosion control, and I really don't have to look at or maintain them short of an annual trim, I will leave the ones along the side of the house (and throw in a couple arborvitae or similar to screen off the dead wood on the end) but as soon as we get into the actual yard, the bushy scary eating the yard ones will come out. Thanks for your input karinl. I am becoming more keen on including conifers in the landscape. That has been something that I'm getting more and more used to. When I first moved it, I was so against anything non-broadleaf evergreen it was ridiculous. We were going to go with an alaskan weeping cedar (and still may) but at Flower World, we ran into something called a dwarf sequoia, which was SO interesting, and we will almost certainly be using it in the landscape. I've been unable to find anything online about them. It had a similar growth pattern in that it kind of looked Dr. Seuss-y, the branches hung almost straight down, but it was gorgeous. We have 5 HUGE fir trees, one on each corner of our yard, and they ALL belong to neighbors. The people across the street from us are hoping to open up their view a bit and have spoken about wanting to go in on taking down the one uphill of us, but the people that just bought that house are like the Seattle suburb wannabes of Jersey Shore so I do not expect that they will have any interest in spending any money on landscaping. I caught them thinning out a photinia that provided privacy screening between our back yards with a sawzall (.25" thick branches). The people downhill from us are renters and based on the state of various "wear items" around their house, like the fence, I have a feeling the landlord is uninterested in investing any money in the property that they don't have to. Cliffs: It's unlikely either of those huge fir trees are going anywhere. Thanks for the kind words on the back yard. I've spend the last 2.5 years trying to whip it into shape. We have put a huge deck between the 2 decks on either side, the raised veggie beds, defined garden beds around the decks and elsewhere have gone in, I've taken out about 1/2 of the lawn, we put in a fire pit and gravel "patio" in front of the other deck to address the ongoing lawn moss and crappiness issues, and torn out about 1000 sq feet of vinca minor and 3 overgrown rhododendrons. It has been quite a project, and I feel that I've gotten far enough with it that I'm ready to start tackling the front so it doesn't look like meth addicts live here. I'm not particularly tied to nandinas, and after spending $50 today on ONE dwarf variety for vignette #1, I have been seriously rethinking my position. I have a couple more plants to move from the back yard to the front tomorrow morning, but I will post photos tomorrow once I get everything "completed." It looks FANTASTIC....See MoreCool season lawn reno with pics and lawn maintenance schedule
Comments (9)thanks to everyone for the comments. i posted this original item partially to help some beginners to avoid some of the pitfalls of lawn care (which this website allowed me to do) and partially to get some advice from the experts (i am no expect, me and my lawn are both works in progress). i am simply trying to fine tune my annual maintenance schedule and may post it when it is finalized. as far as chemical vs organic, i do have a 13 month old so am trying to transition to a more organic approach. but for crabgrass and poa control i will likely stay with pendamethalin (halts/dimension) and keep her off the lawn for a week or so. for antifungal, i will try to stay will fine cracked corn, but if major parts of my lawn are dying i reserve the right to treat with a more potent, target specific chemical (i realize then i will lose the option of using cracked corn/corn meal for 2-3 months). in the past i have been too quick to use chemicals for dollar spot/leaf spot when only a few small areas of lawn have been impacted, less than 1ft diam. spots turning brown/melting out....See MoreLow-maintenance lawn tune-up
Comments (1)Water, not to green up rye, but to give the others water to grow more. This will encourage them to spread sooner than under low watering conditions....See Morehelp with low maintenance lawn
Comments (13)Sorry for the delay in replying. One piece of advice I would give is to try to kill the existing lawn first. I didn't because I thought I could slowly replace the existing lawn with the low maintenance (mostly native) grasses, but it just made it take a lot longer for the natives to take over. In the interim, I needed to water enough to keep the existing lawn alive. And the old grasses are still able to survive well enough (I've only watered once this year) that there are still some areas with a fair amount of KBG/tall fescue. I bought individual seeds from various sources and planted them, essentially coming up with my own mixture. I have been recommending Cabin Mix from Utah Seeds lately, because they've got a good mix of seeds that should do well in the intermountain west. The grass will probably go dormant in July or August if you don't water at all, but it will stay alive with 15 inches of rain per year. You could probably keep it green with a minimal amount of water (maybe a half inch to an inch a month or so). I've had the best results using dormant seeding, but I'm not sure whether that would be a good idea if you kill the existing lawn because of the possible problems with erosion. You'd probably be okay if you left the dead grass in place. If you're willing to water a couple of times a day to establish the grass, you could plant in the next few weeks and they'd be well established by next summer. If you go with the cabin mix, you'll have sheep fescue (MX-86, which is a pretty new variety), roadcrest crested wheatgrass and sodar streambank wheatgrass. The sheep fescue is a bunch grass, but it tillers and will spread a bit if you mow it. Both of the others are rhizomatous, so they should spread to fill in bare spots. All three are relatively fine bladed. They're a nice color, but won't be quite as dark green as a KBG lawn. I used to be a big fan of western wheatgrass, but I'm less of a fan of it now. It's too difficult to establish, and it's more of a blue than a green, so it stands out a bit. If you've got spots that are drier and hotter, you might want to try blue grama. It's a bunch grass, but (as with sheep fescue) it will spread a bit via tillering, especially if it's mowed periodically. I've got some in my hellstrips, because they get hot and dry out faster than the rest of the lawn. One drawback to blue grama is that it will go dormant once it gets cold and will stay dormant until around early to mid May or so. If it's mixed in with the other grasses, you may end up with a patchy looking lawn at times, since the other grasses will be green while it's brown and it will thrive in the summer while the others suffer. Another option is buffalo grass. I looked into it when I first started my quest, but it needs full sun and hot weather. It would be dormant too long for my tastes. There may be varieties that stay green a little longer now, but in my opinion, it's not the best choice for an area that gets as cool as it does where you are. Of the grasses I discussed, Crested wheatgrass is introduced, but well adapted to our climate. Sheep fescue is native to the US, but there are some varieties that were introduced from other countries. I'm not sure where MX-86 falls. The others are all native....See MoreOntario_Canada5a_USDA4b
7 years agodchall_san_antonio
7 years agoOntario_Canada5a_USDA4b
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoreeljake
7 years agodanielj_2009
7 years agoRandy Man
7 years agoOntario_Canada5a_USDA4b
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoNeed2SeeGreen 10 (SoCal)
4 years agoNeed2SeeGreen 10 (SoCal)
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoRandy Man
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoRandy Man
4 years agoNeed2SeeGreen 10 (SoCal)
4 years agodchall_san_antonio
4 years agoRandy Man
4 years agoRandy Man
4 years agoNeed2SeeGreen 10 (SoCal)
2 years agoRandy Man
2 years agoNeed2SeeGreen 10 (SoCal)
2 years ago
Related Stories
LANDSCAPE DESIGN7 Low-Maintenance Lawn Alternatives
Turf isn't the only ground cover in town. Get a lush no-grass lawn with clover, moss and other easy-care plants
Full StoryFALL GARDENINGGreat Design Plant: Low-Maintenance Allium Cernuum
Nodding onion is a Mid-Atlantic native bulb with beautiful midsummer blooms
Full StoryKITCHEN COUNTERTOPS7 Low-Maintenance Countertops for Your Dream Kitchen
Fingerprints, stains, resealing requirements ... who needs ’em? These countertop materials look great with little effort
Full StoryCURB APPEALEntry Recipe: Low-Maintenance Meets Contemporary Curb Appeal in Canada
A neighborhood-appropriate mix of textures and colors invites visitors to linger as they approach
Full StoryMOST POPULARMeet a Lawn Alternative That Works Wonders
Carex can replace turfgrass in any spot, is low maintenance and adjusts easily. Add its good looks and you’ve got a ground cover winner
Full StoryMONTHLY HOME CHECKLISTSYour Winter Home Maintenance Checklist
Keep your home and yard safe and running smoothly as temperatures drop and activity moves indoors
Full StoryGREAT HOME PROJECTSHow to Replace Your Lawn With a Garden
New project for a new year: Lose the turfgrass for energy savings, wildlife friendliness and lower maintenance
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES5 Great Grasses for a New Lawn
Learn about maintenance, wear tolerance, ideal climate and more for these top turf choices to pick the right one for you
Full StoryKITCHEN COUNTERTOPSKitchen Counters: High-Tech Solid Surfaces Make Maintenance Easy
Sculpted by heat and nonporous by nature, solid-surface countertops bring imagination and low maintenance to the kitchen
Full StoryFLOWERS AND PLANTSMyoporum Parvifolium a Lush Green Alternative to the Lawn
Plant this Australian native in mild-winter climates as a low-maintenance, semi-drought-tolerant ground cover
Full Story
Randy Man