Native Front Yard

The project of converting my front yard from turf grass with Asian shrubs to all native plants.

Ranch style house with a big blue tarp on the ground in front of it; under the tarp is a big lump and on top, an upside down wheelbarrow.

I forgot to get a picture of the pile of gravel when it came. Imagine a big orange pile of clayish sand with lots of chunks. It's called crushed wash gravel and I may come to regret it.

Read more...

It took all day and past sunset but the area is prepped for tomorrow's delivery.

Night scene; in front of a house is pinned down a rectangle of landscaping fabric, next to which and overlapping it is a rectangle of tarp, also pinned down.

On today's edition of Keep Or Get Rid: Tiny Yellow Flowers! Answers below ...

Tiny yellow flowers with fringed petals; oriental false hawksbill.

Tiny yellow flowers reaching upwards amongst leaves that look like clover; woodsorrel.

Tiny yellow flower with definite circular center and five petals; mock strawberry.

Read more...

Cheerful yellow flowers with yellow centers, lanceleaf coreopsis

The lanceleaf coreopsis wasn't blooming when I left, but it sure is now.

Big red flowers with yellow around the edges, blanket flower

The blanket flower went from one to tons.

Tall lush stems with leaves in fours, wild bergamot

The bergamot isn't blooming but it's huge!

The grass only came back in a few small places. The mock strawberry is everywhere, to my dismay. Only a little Carolina cranesbill is left and it's looking crispy. Lots of crow poison, but those cute wee flowers are also wilted and crispy.

Lush green plant with broad scalloped leaves.

I had planned to plant pumpkins anyway but I guess one of the little Halloween pumpkins that went neglected last year got a head start.

I'll be out of state for three weeks. Given the amount of rain we've had lately, there will probably be a lot of growth by the time I get back.

I did vigorously weed eat this week, and I put down large amounts of clethodim to kill the resurgent turf grass. I hope it was enough to overcome the wet conditions.

My roommates will be holding the fort while I'm gone, but they don't garden, so it may not look great.

When I get back, I plan on some food plants, some gravel and dirt work, path building, and PLANTERS!

Found the bergamot! It was right next to the ironweed.

Green plant, tall stems, 4 leaves per tier at right angles to each other.

I need to go back and tag everything I've identified so far.

#bergamot #WildBergamot

Tiny yellow flowers among clover-like leaves.

I'm happy to get clumps of woodsorrels here and there.

#sorrel #WoodSorrel

In s mulched bed next to a log, a long stem with lots of healthy looking leaves on it.

The American beautyberry plants survived the winter! They were so far behind a lot of other plants, I thought they might not have made it but all six are intact.

Read more...