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Out of Hibernation

Michael came out from his sewing room hibernation today! It was a beautiful day - a bit chilly with temperatures in the 50s, partly cloudy with a few sun breaks and just a few very minor sprinkles. The garden is waking up fast. I love this time of year. The trees are just leafing out,  so when the sun does appear, there is a dappled scattering of sunrays dancing throughout the garden. The birds are singing and busy flitting about building their nests. In these crazy times, this is the only place where I feel totally calm and at ease and can filter out life's unpleasantries. We got a lot done today. Yesterday was even nicer with warmer temps and more sun. I got the tarps off the decks, statues and water features. Today was spent mostly cleaning up, more planting and moving pots around. Veronica 'Georgia Blue' Blue-eyed Mary ( Omphaloides verna ) with Daphne tangutica ) Japanese Maple ( Acer palmatum 'Beni Hime') Beesia Red Currant ( Ribes sanguineum 'King Edwa...
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Lawn renovation, pt. 1

We have very little grass on our 3/4 acre property. The majority of what is here is located in the front yard and has looked awful for years now. Basically it is a mixture of bermuda and weeds, with about 20% bermuda to 80% weeds. I don't necessarily despise grass (I think small areas of it really enhance a garden) so I'd prefer what little grass is here to be lush and green. I've decided to try fescue, a grass that stays green all year round.

Now I'm no expert in grass cultivation and I hope the outcome to this is not a total embarrassment. I've been reading my garden books and searching the Internet for tips on how to do this correctly. It doesn't really help that most sources give conflicting information. So here goes - the first order of business is to kill the existing grass. I've been spraying the heck out of it with RoundUp this past week and you can see the results below.

Phase 2 involves spreading compost, lime and fertilizer before finally putting the seed down. Then it is a matter of water, water, water. To be continued...




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  1. Christopher C. NCOctober 5, 2007 at 8:57 PM

    I would recommend going over the dead grass with a hard rake to remove some of the dead grass and help loosen the soil a touch before you add the compost and other ingredients so the seeds and or roots of the new grass will have better contact with the soil below.

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  2. AnonymousOctober 6, 2007 at 5:28 AM

    Thanks Christopher! Actually I've gone over it with my tiller. I'm buying the seed, lime and fertilizer today and hope to get it planted. I'm not convinced that the dead bermuda is actually dead. I don't think you can kill that stuff! It is evil.

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  3. Christopher C. NCOctober 6, 2007 at 3:06 PM

    A tiller is even better.

    Bermuda grass in Hawaii must have been wimpy. Yes some places it could get out of control, but Ornamec would take care of it. For the most part it wasn't much of a problem and was the absolute worst grass for a lawn.

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  4. Digital Flower PicturesOctober 7, 2007 at 6:59 PM

    Two things that I do up here for grass is use enough seed and then (like you said) don't let it dry out. The other thing I usually do is use sod ;-)

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  5. KC MO Garden GuyOctober 10, 2007 at 5:28 AM

    Hey Phillip, I read your other post first so I know you are will on your way to a wonderful lawn. I agree with you I don't like a lot of grass but to me some adds structure or continuity to a garden. I also have to say I love the bones and maturity of your garden. You have done a great job. Cliff

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