Gardening, Lawn Care, and Landscaping

[nrsair]

The past few years I’ve seeded with a clover/grass mix, so the clover is gradually taking over. Also have lots of wild violets, strawberries and dandelions throughout the yard. It doesn’t look bad (IMO) but it is a little incongruous because most of the people in my neighborhood pay for the heavy duty chemical application. But guess whose yard is the only one with lightning bugs?

My ultimate goal is to replace most of the grass in the front yard with a natural area of pine straw and native plants. It’s sloped, thought, so would need to build a little raised border out of stone to keep everything contained and looking nice. I’d need a good bit of stone, and the field stone that looks the best has gotten hella expensive!

 

[UNCatTech]

Recently gotten into native perennials as well. Big fan of phlox, beautiful ground cover when blooming (now) and hard to kill. Also got blueberries, azaleas, Virginia blue bells and bee balm. Shoutout to Frank’s Perennial Border in Winston, they carry a ton of native stuff.

I'm going to plant one more phlox just behind the frog. The small one is a replacement, the first in that location died.

 

[Duke Mu]

Depends on the grass.. Zoysia? Sod it.
Fescue? Seed.. But if you're in the South I wouldn't do fescue

If we move back to NC, I'm leaning to Zoysia. I've had enough of keeping cinch bugs and brown patch out of (Raleigh) St. Augustine and treating with 6% iron in the fertilizer to compensate for alkaline soil and water. Plus, one or two 5°F nights and St. Augustine is toast. Centipede can't take traffic. Bermuda can't handle the shade. Fescue and Bluegrass are for the mountains only.

We tried planting azaleas here in Texas - and they were dead in two months. lol

 

[Delta74]

If we move back to NC, I'm leaning to Zoysia. I've had enough of keeping cinch bugs and brown patch out of (Raleigh) St. Augustine and treating with 6% iron in the fertilizer to compensate for alkaline soil and water. Plus, one of two 5°F nights and St. Augustine is toast. Centipede can't take traffic. Bermuda can't handle the shade. Fescue and Bluegrass are for the mountains only.

We tried planting azaleas here in Texas - and they were dead in two months. lol

I have Zoysia and love it. Needs all sun to mostly sun areas to do the best but even partial sun does ok.

I have palisades zoysia which has a medium blade width. It does great w a normal rotary blade mower. Stay away from fine blade zoysia types unless you have a reel mower.

 

[Duke Mu]

I have Zoysia and love it. Needs all sun to mostly sun areas to do the best but even partial sun does ok.

I have palisades zoysia which has a medium blade width. It does great w a normal rotary blade mower. Stay away from fine blade zoysia types unless you have a reel mower.

The wider blade width sounds like a winner on Palisades zoysia. I have a Cub Cadet rotary with a Honda engine. Just keep the blades sharp and it cuts through thick and even wet grass like buttah.

 

[aGDevil2k]

I have Zoysia and love it. Needs all sun to mostly sun areas to do the best but even partial sun does ok.

I have palisades zoysia which has a medium blade width. It does great w a normal rotary blade mower. Stay away from fine blade zoysia types unless you have a reel mower.

Yeah I have zenith and it does well with a regular mower (have an EGo battery push one). But the Zeon types? Not sure how easily that cuts