Grass to Garden in 8 Easy Steps!
March 21, 2014
I moved into a new house in August and couldn’t stand the front yard. I got to work right away at adding some curb appeal. It wasn’t hard at all! The photo below was 7-8 hours work and $200 (being the end of the season, I got some great deals!)
At the beginning….
The Steps:
- Choose your Space – Consider location, snow piles, dog’s peeing, ease of mowing, postman paths and kid routes.
- Plan and Design – Iscape and other apps, use other gardens for inspiration, be realistic about the size and maintenance
- Utilities Check – Ontario One Call!
- Get Rid of the Grass – Dig it out, solarize or sheet mulching. Make sure you get rid of ALL the grass and roots
- Amend the Soil – Compost made from yard waste/ vegetative matter is the best!
- Choose your Plants – Consider hydrozones, choose non-invasive (watching out for “spreads easily” on the plant tag), use some native plants, shrubs are a must have and VERY low maintenance, look for drought tolerant, hardy perennials.
- Mulch – natural products are the best (wood chips, cedar, pine bark), 2-3 inches
- Efficient Irrigation – water only when necessary – use your finger to see if the soil is dry down 2-3 inches before adding any water), check the forecast!
Digging the edge…
The Plants I used (although the weren’t planted in the “after” photo below”:
Daffodils – Narcissus
Purple Coneflower – Echinacea Purpea
Sedum Autumn Joy “Purple Emperor”
Dwarf Goatsbeard – Aruncus aethusfolius
Coral Bells – Heuchera “Peach Flambe”
The Shrubs:
Tiger Eye Sumac – Rhus Typhina “Tiger Bailtiger”
Ninebark – Physcocarpus opulifolius “Diablo”
Emerald Cedar – Thuja occidentalis “Smaragd”
Golden Globe Cedar – Thuja occidentalis”Golden Globe”
Almost done….
What I wanted to Plant if I had more sun….
Lavender – Lavandula angustifolia
Allium – Allium Spp – they are all great but have to be planted in the fall
Butterfly Weed – Asclepias tuberosa
Variegated Iris – Iris Pallida “variegata”
Time and Water: Precious resources wasted on the pursuit of a green lawn!
How to save money on your new garden?
- Fall Discounts – up to 50%, but no warranty…
- Donations from friends– but be CAREFUL!
- Buy bulk mulch and compost
- Investment plants; shrubs and perennials – no annuals
- Less watering needed when planted in the fall – and choosing drought tolerant plants and shrubs means less/no watering next year!
- Reuse the existing plants until fall sales start (if you are impatient like me…)
