A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Who cares

Judging by the lack of posts here i,m obviously not the only one who thinks lawns are nothing more than a waste of planting space.

I tend to agree with you on the lawns,
I hate mowing... I have 2 of them to do myself..
But if you do a FORUM SEARCH< a few will come up.
Every now again, I believe, Bill, clears the boards, for the lack of a better word of it.????
So, it does appear that there is NOTHING in here,
but when you do a forum search and type in LAWNS,
some catagories come up!!!

Does that help any??

Come the start of spring and summer time,
there'll be some more posts filled up in here!

Weezie

actually, the posts don't come up beyond what your set date is in your profile. like mine only shows posts that are less than 10 days old. if i change it, i can go back much much farther.

about the lawns, in the summer, we get a lot more questions. and, it also depends on your needs and where you live.

there are areas (read subdivisions) that require a certain type/style of yard/lawn. I know of one that even counts the plants in the yard, and if you don't have enough (or maybe too many ) based on the size of your land, you get a nasty gram from the homeowners association!

sooooo, that is your answer on the lawn thing.... also, remember that lots of posts have been lost in the crashes (i was here for both of them, ugh...)

I agree! I have 6000 square feet of main garden, three medicinal and culinary herb beds(4x30) total of 360 sq.ft., 6 perrenial beds(4x20)480 sq.ft.
for a grand total of:6840 sq. ft.,

I have 6 different lawn areas totalling more than an acre. I don't feed them or weed them but they always remain green.

As far as mowing.... Using the walk behind mower takes two days. I do that twice a year with the grass catcher. (good exercise!)
It takes about 5 hours on the rider, but I don't care as long as I have something in the drink holder to keep me company!

I would prefer all gardens, but that gets expensive so the lawn alternative is MUCH easier than fighting the native berries and brambles that quickly try to reclaim any area I've cleared.
I enjoy looking out across a nice lawn. I can set up one heck of a croquet course too!

I have never "cleared" the boards with the exception of inappropriate posts from the day when we were invaded by "the scumbags".
We did lose a LOT of posts because of the two crashes we've had.
Jiffy is absolutely right about setting the search time criteria to a year or to "all messages" to get the best search results. Also, be sure to set the search to check "all forums" rather than just the lawn care one, because very often a lawn question will pop up elsewhere!

You mean you lost all my B@#$%ing about Burmuda grass in the crash!!!!

I like the fescue but that darn Burmuda grass!!

Heuchera have I metioned how much I dislike Burmuda grass

Lawn is shrinking slowly.....shhhh don't tell Weezie....Round Up works wonders!!!

We don't have any lawn to speak off. Eversince one snake found my wife wandering in the yard, she had the front & back yards covered with concrete and rocks; that is the reason for the container gardening.

But, while on the subject of lawn management, why not convert part of your lawn to "putting green"?
A hill here, a hill over there, a small sand trap elsewhere...and while Laura, or Catlover is mowing the lawn, you could break a new or practice on an old putter.

Just a thought. Could be a very good business for the professional landscapers.

Phil, Bill, Nikkal???

Papito, I had that very Idea, Laura likes to mow, and a putting green WOULD be a decent project, Ya see now that someone else agrees with me My chances are Better!! HeHe

Hello from the GOPHER STATE!! did ya know that Minnesota IS the Gopher State? look it up! We set up two reinforcement rods, about 4' long ,driven into the ground about 3/4 of the way,and 8' apart. Run a wire through holes in two tin cans and hook one end to one rod and the other to the second, usually scares em' off by wind power, but I give the contraption a kick when ever I walk by, results: no gophers in my yard,at all. Cosmetic value? well some folks paint the contraption pretty colors!

I`m trying to get rid of all my grass.

I`m not sure we should be using all the chemicals to grow it and the gas to cut it!!

Ornamental grasses are good.

There is a beautiful green lawn behind me. hehehe. A public golf course comes right up to my backyard.

Ok, I'm probably going to get blasted here, but a lawn can be just the right touch to set off flower beds. There are organic ways to have a lawn, but it takes a little longer to get results than with the chemical stuff.

Now, don't tell my hubby, but I'd like to make the front lawn all groundcovers! I hate to mow and I too don't like the pollution or the noise of a mower. We do have a small electric one and I call it the tinker toy mower!

Newt

I love my grass even though it takes me 4 hours to mow it. Nothing smells good as the fresh cut on a warm summer day.

For all you grass haters ... here is a Pandora's box about to be opened. Better start letter writing!!


CLICH HERE genetically engineered grass

This is a very important article. Basically Monsanto and Scotts companies :p want to deregulate a genetically engineered glyphosate-tolerant creeping bentgrass (make grass genetically engineered so you can spray round up on it to kill weeds but not kill the grass) If this happens this will open the door for more genetically modified plants which we do not know the full consequences of yet. Please let the government know what you think.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/news/2004/01/bentgras_brs.html

What's the bentgrass used for,
like golf courses, and public lawns??
To keep the maintenance down???

Just what we need an unkillable creeping grass!!

What will they think up next!!

I'd rather have a lawn of weeds,
I get the prettiest colors, come certain
times of the summer!!!

A sea of purple with the violets, white with
the veronica's, yellow and red with the "paint brushes" (not the true name) johnny jump ups, and clovers, oh, I could go on and on, I leave them all....it's the creeping grass I hate...

Weezie

I'm so done with my lawn, that I'm about to destroy over 60% of it...

We have a small front lawn, and even smaller back lawn. The back lawn I like, because we actually use it. But the front lawn is litle more than a water-sucking, space-hogging, leaf-catching, time-wasting green parkway, there for the visual pleasure of my neightbours who - much as I love 'em - should not be the single beneficiaries of one whole third of my property!

So I'm tkaing outthe front lawn, and replacing it with a drought tolerant landscape. I'd like something that is inviting from the front door, but difficult to enter from the street; something that creates a charming yet low-maintenance visual impression on passers-by, and which doesn't require any mowing, and minmal watering. I briefly entertained the idea of pouring concrete across thefront lawn, but my wife recommended a plan B.

So I'll soon be ruminating on what types of plants I should be purchasing, and how to plant the area that now looks like this,

but which I hope to look something like this,

or even better...

Suggestions welcomed!!

That would be a great alternative, Allthumbs. Plus in Ca. its a plus being drought tolerant and fire resistant. I'm right there with you with the lawn being a waste of space. I am the corner lot and constantly have bike tracks going across my expanse of green. But what can you do...kids will be kids. I would love to take out the grass but hubby says no way. He has no sense of adventure....

I've always thought a sea of clover and a goat would make a good lawn

What kind of tree is that? Will it eventually mess up the driveway with the roots???

*Have you looked into Bouganvilla....no kids or trespassers will go through that! Big stickers....I like the pink ones the best. I believe your door is red...there are red ones as well. Once established not much water needed at all. These can get very large but can trim with no problem....watch the stickers.

*green europs (sp)....has bright yellow flowers...there is also a silver grey one as well with the yellow flowers. Low water....once in awhile shaping...no big deal.

* Bird of Paradise....Low water

* How about an arched trellis with ???? growing on it to add height! I think it is called rose of Sharon ??? that is real pretty... I'm not good with roses....but I am giving it one more year!

Or you could turn it into a cactus garden....I have a couple areas in back!! I guarantee that will be a visitor deterent!!!

Let me do some more thinking!!!
Catlover

allthumbs that would be a wonderful front yard!!

with kids and dogs at my house, a lawn is a must. in the back yard that is. However, in the front yard my plan is to slowly take over one square foot at a time...
Ended up with a 15 foot bush IN THE POOL. we worked for HOURS cutting it up and putting it in the greens bin. and trash cans, and dumpster, and wheelbarrow... UGH. when we got it small enough we put a rope under it and my father in law got in the pool to push it out while mother in law and i pulled. He was scratched all over! big cuts.
Ay Yi Yi it was a mess.

Now for the Gophers in the back. wish my dogs would actually catch one, they just dig after it! Catlover, can I borrow your cat???

And is that tree possibly a juniper? or a yew?

Yep, been there and done that with the bouganvilla. My dads back fence was covered with them for about 30 yrs and we removed them....I have some here but the KEY is keeping them under control. A snip here and there every once in a while. The thorns will get ya and you have to be careful. The older the plant is the tougher those thorns are.....bet that is what you ran into. Pruning bouganvilla should be a slow process and put in cans weekly....boy you guys jumped right into that one with all fours. I can relate!!!! At least it is gone!!!

Bouganvilla works great if you have a very large corner to fill....birds love to nest in it as well.

As far as the cats....2 of the 5 go in and out....they have caught 3 or 4 now total in almost 2 yrs. Not a very good success rate. Those darn gophers are a pain in the you know what! I have used poison bait stabbed into the ground with a long probe device....once in awhile I get one that way. There are devices (which my neighbor across the street uses) which trap and kill....kinda like a mouse trap. But you have to really dig to set the trap etc. They are even digging from under the black top road and going in. Hopefully they are going from my house to his and ending up in the trap!

I just bought several of those smoke bombs things so I will let you know what happens with those. I know you have to dig a ways to insert and all their holes have to be covered .....and the soil should be moist so the vapors won't escape as fast! I have 2 fruit trees I need to plant but the area has many holes....grrrrr. They recommend around here that you make like a pot shape out of aviary wire and plant within that to save your plants. It is very easy to make but just a hassle and more money. If anybody wants me to TRY and explain the easiest way to make them let me know!

My front lawn is getting smaller everytime I go to the nursery!! Ha Ha Ha I still like a little lawn but sure wish it wasn't that darn Burmuda grass. I have another grass mixed in and just love it!

Bouganvilla...my tip for you on that lovely thorny plant is keep it in a container, that tends to stunt its growth.
When I was little we lived in Fullerton and had a weird yard, it was kind of split in two with a little pathway by the back of the house, but you could get to either side from the house itself through sliding glass doors. The city planted bouganvilla on the other side of our fence and it eventually took over our little pathway to where you couldn't get from one side of our yard to the other. I just remember hating that plant and helping my mom hack it back one summer.

So like Catlover said, bouganvilla has to be maintained. I have two in large 16" pots and they are quite happy and easy to contain to where I want them. Pretty plants that can turn evil... There is a house that my hubby and I like in Orange that we think has sooo much potential. Problem is they have a bouganvilla thats taller than the house itself.

I hear you gardengal....If you have a large lot they can be very beautiful but if out of control.... Guess I'm just a sucker for the beautiful pink color. They are messy....wind whirls the blooms everywhere if no other brush is around to catch them. Downwind of a pool is a big no no!!!!

I have seen them espalier trained....that would take a lot more time but if you had a wood fence to hook it to and some extra minutes to trim ....boy they are neat looking!