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Lawns & Grass – Page 2

A Lawn with Weeds and Mowing Lawns Without a Catcher

Question from Linda: I live twenty yards from a golf course fairway. They mow it without catchers. For years now I have tried to grow grass in my front yard only to be infiltrated with weeds. I have heard it is the golf courses mowing and blowing of stuff that makes my yard such a […]

Bamboo in So Cal

Question from Jessica: My husband and I have a large backyard and want to plant bamboo as a natural partition separating the vegetable garden portion and the Japanese garden portion of our yard. We know to put barriers underground to prevent the spreading, however I also want to plant a variety that will grow well […]

Creeping Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) for Lawn

Question from Karen: I live in a suburb of Denver, and have a huge portion of my lawn that has come up (as a volunteer), as creeping yarrow. (low, tiny white flowers) It’s awesome, drought friendly, and is the only thing green in the heat of summer. You’ve recommended seeding, where can you buy these […]

Trees and Artificial Grass

Question from Courtney: Hello! We installed artificial grass in a part of our yard about 8 years ago and it has been wonderful space for kids and dogs to play (and then I can garden CA natives/drought tolerant plants/vegetables in the remaining areas!). I would very much like to plant a Gold Medallion tree in […]

Variegated Carmel creeper (Ceanothus griseus horizontalis ‘Diamond Heights’ as lawn substitute

Question from Ann: I live in Rancho Penasquitos and would like to grow Ceanthus Diamond Heights as a replacement for lawn in the front yard (no foot traffic)). Will it do well? I also have a question regarding Tecoma Gold Star and Orange Jubilee. would they become invasive in our area and would Jubilee be […]

Question about Grasses

Question from Jon: Jon in La Mesa here again. I have a question for you regarding native grasses. I am attaching a couple of photos of some grasses that are on the top slope of our yard. They are all over the area (Mt. Helix area of La Mesa). We just finished the first phase […]

How Do I Thatch A Bermuda Lawn

Question from Suzanne: I once wrote to you before about a question. Now I would like to ask you another. How do I handle the de-thatching of a common Bermuda lawn. My gardener 40 or fifty years ago used to dethatch every year. I even used to mow down almost to soil level occasionally with […]

Lawn Pros and Cons

One of the weightier decisions a gardener must make before designing a garden from scratch is whether to plant a lawn. Some people decide the issue quickly, and I’m one of them. Fifty years ago, when my husband, Lou and I were building our home in Del Mar, California, my mother-in-law, Frances Wright, asked, “You […]