So I've got a poor bit of grass in the front yard, and a lrger bit of poor grass in the back yard. Over the last many years we've planted some willow and fruit trees in the back, built some play structures (and a shed) and a few gardens. Still, we don't have much money or time to spend making the grass look great (and if it doesn't look great it looks terrible - there's no middle ground with grass).
But in an ideal world I'm not sure I'd want vast expanses of lush lawn. Enough to play and party on, but I'm a bit more fond of varied landscaping. Further, the cost (time and money) of interesting landscaping doesn't have to be much different than maintaining nice grass.
What are some of your thoughts on landscaping? What do you like, dislike? Have you run across interesting and/or appealing landscaping recently that stood out to you? What would you do with your yard if you had unlimited resources?
I'm not necessarily going to act on anything here - just a random brainstorming thread for the fun of it. So feel free to suggest things that are completely impractical, but totally awesome.
#2
North_Ranger
I'm probably in the minority in this respect, but I simply hate any kind of gardening. My parents have a huge yard, mostly grass, and keeping it in good condition was a constant struggle against moss, dandelions and other weeds. They do have some nice trees, though.
Just give me a concrete driveway to park my car and a patch of grass to park my ass.
#3
Dei
I kill all flowers. All of them. So we have grass and hard to kill shrubs. Someday I may have a garden, but first we need to get the rabbits to stay out of our lawn, instead of lounging indolently in the shade under my kid's trampoline. (Personally I think a cat would solve the problem, my husband is anti-pet for the moment =/)
#4
North_Ranger
May I suggest rabbit fricassé? Or will that shatter your child's innocence like a falling snow globe?
#5
Wasabi Poptart
I like gardening. I had a nice flower bed when I had a house of my own. I was making plans for an herb garden and a little patch of veggies, too. I don't like having to take care of a big lawn though (fertilizer, weed killer, bug killer, etc.) though I do like mowing the grass.
#6
Emrys
I can kill pretty much any kind of plant, real or fake, so when I get my house, I'm going to cover the yard with crushed stone and plant cactus. With long, sharp, hopefully poisonous spines.
#7
Wahad
I'm not much of a gardener, myself. I am starting to learn about planting veggies and fruits, though (this year I have a small herb garden) as I am an amateur chef and raising my own food would be immensely satisfying for me. But flowers, grass and shrubs aren't my point of interest really.
#8
Mathias
If you can't -or hate- taking care of the grass, you can always hire up a lawn service. I don't use one, but the people I know who do have awesome lawns.
I just throw down the proper Scotts' Turf Builder at the beginning of each season, and that takes care of weeds and crabgrass. Personally, I'm a fan of nice, expansive decks. They remind me of a beach house, and large decks make for awesome BBQ's and parties. Another fun thing to add to a yard is a fish pond. I've also seen good use of wooden fencing and gazebos to add to the landscape.
Thing I absolutely hate in terms of landscaping are chain link fences and any sort of metal in the yard. Really kills that "out in nature" sort of feel.
#9
Shakey
1/4 of my lawn is still under water and we're going to be getting more rain this weekend. I'm going to have to run a brush cutter through it by the time it dries out.
I actually have a really big lawn, and have been thinking of planting some prairie grass or wildflowers in part of it. I'm not much of a lawn person.
I've always wondered how people do this in climates that have winter. We used to have a family friend who kept one, and I just wondered if he let all the fish die each year and just bought new ones. Seems like a big expense (and a little unfair to the fish!) but maybe fish are cheap?
Thing I absolutely hate in terms of landscaping are chain link fences and any sort of metal in the yard. Really kills that "out in nature" sort of feel.
I'd say that the lawn for the next few years shouldn't be about your tastes but about your kids play area. Match it to their needs for running, jumping, pools, slides and games. That's the best part about having a yard right now, exhausted kids from playing outside.
As long as the pond is deep enough, the bottom doesn't freeze (only the top several inches). The fish generally survive the winter by almost-hibernating. They still do fishy things, just a lot more slowly, and they use up their body fat reserve. To have the best success you want to leave a hole in the top somehow (heater, air bubbler, or just break the ice occasionally) and you'll need to clean the pond of leaves and other organic things that will break down over the winter.
