Lawn Care, Grass or Garden

Having an expanse of manicured, green lawn stretching from the front of a house to the street or road has been a practice since suburban housing tracts were first built in the early 1950s.

Lawn Care

For an established lawn, the two most important steps in lawn care are fertilizing and watering. Grass needs moisture to survive and will turn brown and die quickly in acrid conditions.

But most grasses are hardy enough to stand a bit of drought and will revive rapidly when proper lawn care maintenance is applied.

First, de-thatch the lawn with a hard rake. This removes all the dead grass and allows the roots to produce more greenery. Then re-seed the areas that have been damaged and fertilize them thoroughly.

The next step is to give the new grass seed or repaired lawn a deep watering, at least six to twelve inches deep. Light watering is of no use, as moisture will not reach the roots of the grass. Keep newly sown grass seed moist until the new shoots appear.

Types Of Lawn Grasses

According to the chart in Better Homes and Gardens, New Garden Book, (pages 51 and 52, Meredith Publishing), the best type of grasses for cooler climates are Bent Grasses, Kentucky Blue grass, Fescues and Ryegrasses. In warm climates, Bahia, Bermuda, Centipede, St. Augustine and Zoysia grasses are recommended.

Planting a new lawn depends on the size of the property. Grass sod is the quickest way to produce a new lawn. But for a large yard, it can become expensive, so spreading grass seed is a slower, but more economical way to go.

Front Lawn Gardens

As has been the custom in Europe for some time, many people are opting to turn the front lawn into a flower or vegetable garden. The decision may be based on a desire to add more lush plants to the yard or to cut down on lawn care maintenance.

Start by removing the sod and working a nutrient rich fertilizer into the soil to a depth of at least one to two feet. The soil may need to be tested for pH balance to determine the acidity of the soil and the type of plants it will tolerate.

For a vegetable garden, be sure to leave spaces between the rows for weeding and watering. For a flower garden, leave paths or rocky areas for access to plants for pruning, replanting and maintenance.

Intersperse perennial plants with spring bulbs and early and late blooming flowers and shrubs. In dry areas alpine plants are a good choice for rock gardens and hilly areas.

Lush gardens and verdant lawns are not created overnight, but with a bit of hard work and a schedule of regular maintenance, anyone can turn their front yard into a lush, green carpet of grass or meadow like garden.