Front Yard, circa 2007. You've come a long way, baby.

As you can see from the before, it was pretty much a blank slate. And, I hate grass. I hate grass like I hate Applebees. I hate mowing. I won’t water. I hate battling weeds. Because of this unadulterated hatred of lawn, my goal for the last three years has been to eliminate most of the grass from my front yard.

For this, I turned to xeriscaping. Xeriscaping is a method of gardening with native or low maintenance/water plants in such a way that it eliminates the need for irrigation, mowing, or generally any hassle (except for an occasional weeding). Little by little, blister by blister, I’ve been working to expand the bed in my front yard.

Normally, I would first remove the top layer of sod to build the bed. In this article, we’ll take a look at the lazy man’s way using newspaper and mulch. Removing the sod is ideal, but it does have its drawbacks–many times removing the sod can also remove the top couple of inches of soil (of which I only have about 3/4″–the rest is clay. Very. Hard. Clay.) Also, it’s hard. Like really hard, back-breaking work. So, this spring when I decided to expand the bed even more, I used the newspaper method.

You ladies probably already know all about this junk, but for those of you who don’t, the newspaper method involves using a layer of newspaper, covered with mulch, to kill the underlying grass. The drawback is that you have to wait a long time until you plant the area. Ideally, you should do this in the fall so you can plant in the spring. You want to wait this long so that you can make sure all of the grass is dead before you start digging holes in your paper. Otherwise, you’ll spend all your time battling the grass that springs up in your bed.

Also, if you decide to use this method, try to pick a day that’s not so windy so you don’t have to go running after your newspaper as you start to lay it out.

Supplies

• Newspaper
• Garden Edging (optional for the lazy folks)
• Mulch
• Shovel/Rake
• Gumption

Step 1: Outline the area for your garden using flour, paint, or a hose.

Step 2: Dig the trench for your border and add in border edging (if you’re doing this).

Digging the trench.

Step 3: Lay the newspaper out onto the ground inside the edging. Be sure not to be stingy. Don’t leave any holes and make it thick if you can (4 to 5 sheets is ideal).

Step 4: You can wet the newspaper if it starts to move around. I covered mine with topsoil, but this may have been a mistake–I think the topsoil makes it a little easier for weeds to grow in the meantime.

Add your newspaper and dirt.

Step 5: Put on a generous layer of mulch. Some people say it doesn’t have to be much, but unless you want to spend a bunch of time weeding, I’d add a couple of inches. I had a really small budget for my project and didn’t really use enough mulch, so I’ve had to spend more time weeding than I’d really like.

Mulch. Mulch like the wind.

Step 6: Put away the hose and lawn equipment and bust out a margarita. Your mowing days are over!

In all seriousness, this method worked out pretty well for me. I was able to add in about 150 square feet of new garden bed in about 3 hours. If I’d had to remove the topsoil, it would have easily taken me the entire weekend (and would’ve required a major back massage). Now, my yard is ready for planting with more low maintenance plants like loripetalum, agapanthus, breeze grass, and dianthus. I don’t currently have any type of irrigation system in the yard, and don’t plan to use one. All of the plants survive strictly on rainfall (which this year hasn’t even been close to being an issue). In addition to being eco- and water-conscious, my yard is by far the best-looking in the neighborhood. For reals. Most of my neighbors’ yards are fugly. You saw their bathroom, right?

The (mostly) finished product.

Until next time, happy xeriscaping!

P.S.–Thanks to Leisa for keeping all that newspaper for me.

Hi Ladies! Just a few photos from my summer garden to tide you over until we start back next fall. Hope you all are having a great and creative summer.

The plant above is the Welwitschia Mirabilis. This plant is estimated to be between 1500 and 2000 years old. The Welwitschia Mirabilis are considered to be “living fossils.” They have a short woody trunk and just two leaves that grow continuously from the trunk. Amazing! Check out the gallery link above for the complete collection of images.

From the Goodwood Museums website:

(sales continue every Friday and Saturday morning thereafter until sold out)

Presented by the Goodwood Garden Volunteers

9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Virginia McKee Greenhouse at Goodwood

Each year, volunteers from Goodwood, root Old Garden Roses for use on the grounds and for sale to the public. The proceeds from the sale are used for the restoration and maintenance of the rose gardens at Goodwood.

This year we will have approximately 1,750 roses and about 120 varieties available. We will, as always, offer your favorite roses like Louis Philippe, Duchesse de Brabant and Pink Pet, but will also feature more recent additions such as Crepuscule, Hugh Dickson and Pink Grootendorst

Goodwood Museum and Gardens

Jubilee Cottage

Friday, February 4, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Free, No reservations required

By Fred Dietrich

Bluebirds were almost extinct in Tallahassee in the 1940ís when Fred Dietrichís family moved here for a teaching position at the newly co-ed Florida State University. But with recent conservation efforts by wildlife enthusiasts such as Dietrich, the species now thrives. Our speaker will talk about the past and future of this beautiful songbird and how to provide food and shelter in your yard, including how to construct a bluebird box, a simple design which he had perfected over 25 years of building birdhouses.

Dietrich will also talk about hummingbirds. It was once thought that there was only one species of hummingbird east of the Mississippi, the ruby-throated, but we now know that there are 14 different kinds. Dietrich will talk about whatís being done to support these animals and how we can create sanctuary for them in our gardens.

Don’t forget to get your orders in for caladiums. You can visit the TGC website for all the details and an order form.

I looooove Halloween! Can you tell? Here are some pics from my front yard decoration and instructions on some of the projects I made for it.

Giant (and Small) Garbage Bag Spider

Giant Spider

Supplies

• Black Garbage Bags
• 16 Gauge Wire (something finer for the small spider)
• Wire Cutters
• Duct Tape
• Electrical Tape

For the small spider, create one circle hoop with wire. Place a plastic grocery bag inside the hoop and wrap a few times with electrical tape. For the Giant Spider form two hoops and interlock them so the create a sphere shape. Then stuff a garbage bag inside the center of the sphere.

Form each of the 8 legs by taking a double length of the wire, folding it in half and wrapping the ends of the wire around the hoop. Wrap a small piece of electrical tape around where the hoop and each leg meet (for the Giant Spider you can use duct tape for this).

Next, cover the center of the spider’s body with a piece of garbage bag and secure with electrical tape. Around the 8 legs, cut strips of garbage bag to wind around each leg forming the skin of the spider. Finish off with electrical tape. You can also decorate the spider’s head with googly eyes, or create pincers.

Zombie Garage

Supplies

• Measuring Tape
• Black Paper (preferably cardstock)
• Wax Paper
• Scissors
• Glue Stick
• White or Yellow Colored Pencil
• Clear Tape
• Lamp or light source (for display)
• Hands!

Measure your garage windows to decide on your size. Use the pencil to trace your hands onto the black paper starting at the bottom of the page. Remember to be creative with the hand shapes and locations. Use the scissors to cut out the shapes and stick the cutouts onto the wax paper with the glue stick. Let these dry completely, then mount inside the windows with clear tape. Be sure to backlight for the best effect!

CNN.com posted a sort of random article on composting. It’s got a lot of helpful info if you’re just getting started. Link