Well, not actually out of sight but covering the ugliness. This is the lawn I inherited from my previous homeowner. It is covered with grass and weeds. The lawn is 20 * 10 ft. I don't want to go to the trouble of weeding it. Can I just cover the lawn with landscape fabric and put mulch on top of it? Do I have to till the soil? My flower beds are along the edges and are weed / grass free. I don't plan to plant anything in the center. What is the easiest way to solve this 'weedy'/ 'ugly lawn' problem? Thanks for your help. Tina
I think I'd replace the grass with attractive paving and add a couple of planters with interesting specimen plants. That could be expensive, though.
At the back we covered a similar sized area with ground cover and gravel. We put a raised circular bed in one end and planted roses, and some flowering shrubs to the north. We put down a few paving stones and placed a bench there too. We got rid of lots of "lawn" by covering it with wet newspapers and bark. We planted acid-soil plants everywhere and it's now the front border. I could have used a ground cover, but I'm always moving my plants about. They should have been equipped with wheels.
I've been getting rid of my lawn too. It seems a horrible waste of time. First I dug up the grass and that was a job. Then I learned the better way. Spray it with your favorite herbacide. Cover all of it with 3 to 4 sheets of news paper, then cover with 3"-4" of soil. We'be been wiping out a 10'x10' square each weekend and hope to wipe out the last of it next weekend. I love the way it looks and am looking forward to all the local spring plant sales. Lots of new space to fill.
Hmmm... Thats very interesting Timestocome. But will 2" - 4" of soil be enough for plants. And won't weeds creep up anyway? Let us know how your lawn does eventually. Good luck.
Why don't you just invest in to some artificial grass? Your lawn will look soo much better in the end.
lawn I have to admit the sounds of more plantings is tempting, but I still like grass. Go with your instinct, though. Adding groundcover, hostas, ferns and wildflowers sounds more fun than fighting weeds.
Spray the grass with roundup, or something similar, allow that to kill the grass, cover with landscape fabric and add stone or mulch as you see fit. If you want to plant it, fogrt the fabric, and add topsoil then plant and add mulch. If you are going to use stone after planting as a decorative touch, you will need to place landscape fabric on top of the added topsoil before the stone so the stone does not work it's way into the soil through the freeze and thaw cycle.
Mulching sounds like a great idea; you live in a wonderful climate for acid loving plants such as camelias and azalias. If you don't have time to take care of a high maintenance lawn, this is definitely the way to go!
Green Concrete Lawn Hi, The most Extreme case of "Hate My Lawn" Syndrome I've ever seen was an auctioneer in california. When I visited his house. He had concreted his small front and back yard. Then PAINTED the Concrete GREEN! I think that's a bit excessive. But I like the NO MORE MOWING part of his solution. Glenn
Re: Green Concrete Lawn At least they wouldn't have to deal with weeds. But I agree, that is excessive
Your soil might be your problem When your grass does poorly, and weeds can set in a few things are going on: Your soil is dead from years of chemicals and you will need to add micro-organisms via compost or manure. Try top-dressing your lawn rather than removing it. It absorbs heat, turns out oxygen and feels good on bare feet, Besides, where are animals and kids suppose to play if you have no green space for them? If you hate to mow or maintenance in general - try a low growing naturally short grass. Maybe even plant some wildflowers in it for a soft feeling. Peace
