The Coffee House

[jeffashman]

I am surprised you have a water hog like the St. Augustine in such a hot climate.

It came with the house, and it looks like all houses had it at one time, but some have just let it die out and others have replaced with Bermuda. I have two large trees that prevent most other grass types from growing under them, a horrible bradford pear and an equally horrible live oak (drops leaves twice a year... lots of them, and billions of acorns...). One neighbor has part of his yard covered in ground cover, so I'm thinking along those lines. The house faces East, so morning sun, but shaded by the trees and house for the rest of the day. I need a drought and heat tolerant ground cover that is low maintenance and spreads on it's own.

 

[smoke665]

Front is St. Augustine, which struggles in the hot, dry summers if I don't drench it weekly

When we built our house on top of a mountain, we sodded the yard around the house with Centipede. It has spread over the years to where it covers most of the 2 acres around the house (with a little help from me on transplanting sprigs). They don't call it the lazy man's grass for nothing. It grows extremely slow, only needs mowing every 7 to 14 days depending on the rain. I fertilize and lime once in the spring, and spot spray the stray onions. It pretty much chokes out everything else. In the hot dry months it will go dormant, just leave it alone, as soon as it rains, it greens right back up.

Sorry, Smoke! I hope it's settled back down toda

Nope....maybe Friday. Had to mow the yard at the lake today. Not only was it covered in pollen, but leaves everywhere. Between the pollen and the leaf dust, It'll be a Benadryl night for sure.

 

[Rickbb]

It came with the house, and it looks like all houses had it at one time, but some have just let it die out and others have replaced with Bermuda. I have two large trees that prevent most other grass types from growing under them, a horrible bradford pear and an equally horrible live oak (drops leaves twice a year... lots of them, and billions of acorns...). One neighbor has part of his yard covered in ground cover, so I'm thinking along those lines. The house faces East, so morning sun, but shaded by the trees and house for the rest of the day. I need a drought and heat tolerant ground cover that is low maintenance and spreads on it's own.

I think that would be Astro turf.

 

[limr]

Hey hosers.

After the red eye flight from Phoenix, then contending with early morning traffic in both Queens and the Bronx, I finally made it home, where I promptly collapsed into a 3-hour coma. So glad I took today off work.

But I am glad I was still checking my work email, because then I wouldn't have seen until tomorrow that I finally got word: it's official, hosers, I got tenure!!

 

[terri]

Congrats, Leo! You earned this!

Go party.

 

[snowbear]

YAY! Way to go, Leo!

 

[jeffashman]

I think that would be Astro turf.

If only that were ok with the HOA....

 

[jeffashman]

Hey hosers.

After the red eye flight from Phoenix, then contending with early morning traffic in both Queens and the Bronx, I finally made it home, where I promptly collapsed into a 3-hour coma. So glad I took today off work.

But I am glad I was still checking my work email, because then I wouldn't have seen until tomorrow that I finally got word: it's official, hosers, I got tenure!!

Thank you for flying! Always nice to take the day after a trip off.

 

[SquarePeg]

Congrats Leo!

HOA’s are too restrictive. There not as common in New England as elsewhere.

Once I finish creating the rest of my flower beds I’ll have very little lawn left. At that point, I plan to switch it to clover. Grass lawns are a huge waste of time and resources. Go native!!

 

[SquarePeg]

On a side note - how cool is my mom? I went to check in to see what she was up to and she was doing a jigsaw puzzle and watching a Linkin Park concert on MTV. She’s 80.

 

[jeffashman]

Congrats Leo!

HOA’s are too restrictive. There not as common in New England as elsewhere.

Once I finish creating the rest of my flower beds I’ll have very little lawn left. At that point, I plan to switch it to clover. Grass lawns are a huge waste of time and resources. Go native!!

Agree 100%. I planted a section of the backyard with native wildflowers for the bees and butterflies last year. Didn't quite go as I hoped, so this year I'll do a more controlled garden with an eye towards bees, butterflies, and humming birds. It will all be containers this year. I won't treat the back lawn, but I will mow it for the dogs' sake.

 

[smoke665]

On a side note - how cool is my mom? I went to check in to see what she was up to and she was doing a jigsaw puzzle and watching a Linkin Park concert on MTV. She’s 80.

80 is the new cool since I rounded the curve headed down the backstretch toward it. My hero is the Energizer Bunny, I'll go till I drop.

 

[SquarePeg]

Agree 100%. I planted a section of the backyard with native wildflowers for the bees and butterflies last year. Didn't quite go as I hoped, so this year I'll do a more controlled garden with an eye towards bees, butterflies, and humming birds. It will all be containers this year. I won't treat the back lawn, but I will mow it for the dogs' sake.

Lots of great info out there on building a pollinator garden native to your area. If you’re on Facebook search groups and you’ll find a ton of ideas and info there as well. The most popular flower with hummingbirds in my garden last year was the tall red bee balm - the Jacob Kline. I kept two of them in containers until the fall when I planted them. I had some zinnias in containers too that the pollinators loved.

Garden visitors by SharonCat..., on Flickr

 

[jeffashman]

Lots of great info out there on building a pollinator garden native to your area. If you’re on Facebook search groups and you’ll find a ton of ideas and info there as well. The most popular flower with hummingbirds in my garden last year was the tall red bee balm - the Jacob Kline. I kept two of them in containers until the fall when I planted them. I had some zinnias in containers too that the pollinators loved.

I'll try the bee balm this year. I also usually plant butterfly plants and another red trumpet shaped flower the name of which escapes me at the moment. I'm looking for a place in the yard where I can put an arbor and train orange and yellow trumpet vines to grow, which grow very well here and bloom throughout the summer months.

 

[SquarePeg]

I'll try the bee balm this year. I also usually plant butterfly plants and another red trumpet shaped flower the name of which escapes me at the moment. I'm looking for a place in the yard where I can put an arbor and train orange and yellow trumpet vines to grow, which grow very well here and bloom throughout the summer months.

That will be pretty! I got a reasonably priced metal arch on Amazon and used some rebar and zip ties to anchor it. Red trumpet shaped maybe cardinal flower?