First Time Homeowner + Landscaping = Much Help Needed!

Hello everyone, my name is Justin and I am new to the Dave's Garden forums. As the subject suggests, my wife and I are first time homeowners. The previous owner took 'immaculate' care of the lawn and did all of the landscaping himself. After only a couple of months living here, I am saddened to see the sorry state of things as compared to when he lived here. The lawn itself didn't even look real. The green looked like it was in a magazine or something. The landscaping and plants around the house were unbelievable.

Now we are two months down the road... Surprisingly enough, once the previous owner left the lawn and plants went south at an alarming rate. Both my wife and I are willing to put in work to bring back the curb appeal. We are both just complete novices (unless there is something lower than a novice). I am going to supply some images so that you guys can see some of the glaring issues we are currently facing. As far as climate goes, we live in central Kentucky.

Since we have lived here I have haphazardly sprayed water on the lawn a couple of times, we mow the yard about 1-2 times per week, and I trim once a week usually. So here are the images, anyone who feels that they can give any information would be greatly appreciated. I don't know what kind of grass we have, why some of it is brown and some isn't, how long it should be, what kind of plants we have, why they are dying (possibly insects), what to do about the weeds that are showing up in the lawn, etc. I am really clueless.

(the first picture was at time of purchase)

This message was edited Sep 19, 2013 12:20 AM

Welcome!!!
Beautiful house!!!
# 2 picture are hostas and they look like that at this time.You might want to divide it next spring.
# 3 are dandelions and you need to dig it out of the lawn,

My yard is pictured at the biginners landscaping titled Belles Haven garden 2013.
It takes a lot of time to maintain a nice yard.
You might want to put in a sprinkler system if your budget permits.

Someone will give you better answers.

Good luck.

Belle

Bellieg,

Thanks for the post. As you can see there is a big difference in the first picture of when we bought the house and the conditions of things now. I have had a neighbor say to dig out the dandelions. I will do that this week. A different neighbor said that the 'hostas' may have something she called "spider mites" and that she had the same problem. She said she sprayed something she called "Seven" on them and they cleared up. Apparently she got the stuff at Lowe's and it is a pesticide from what I could tell of her description.

By "divide it next spring", I assume that you mean to split the plant and move part of it to another location since it is getting so large. At least that is what I assumed from that statement. If I'm way off just let me know.

(side note, there are lots of 'spiders' around here and we do see a lot of webs on the hostas and other plants. My wife has said that really early in the morning she goes out sometimes and sees little spider webs all over the lawn. I haven't seen this phenomena however.)

I don't think a sprinkler system is in the budget right now. But I am open to somewhat less expensive alternatives. Perhaps a nice sprinkler that covers a good bit of ground? I have a large water hose and hook ups in the front and rear of the home. I don't however know how often or for how long to water the lawn.

Maybe if someone can help me figure out what kind of grass i have, I can google the appropriate lengths and amounts of water it would need to thrive.

Thanks again for your response :)

I am surprised Moon had not written something.

As far as hosta post your pictures at the hosta forum . They have answers to problems pertaining to hosta.

On the 4th picture you have oriental lillies and depending on your zone they can be left outside or dig them and replant early spring.

Dig a little bit of your grass and have it identified at the agricultural extension if you have one.Lowes or home depot can help you also.
Weed control can be done in early spring before they germinate. Lowes can sell you the right stuff.

Belle

Justine,Big Welcome to Dave's Gardening site, you will hear from nice friendly people who will help you and encourage you to try solve all the problems as you ask for help, the more when you get going with the yard work.

I agree with Belle's, ID,

2. IS Hosta's, these are perennial plants, that is they die down as winter / colder weather set's in
the leaves begin to turn paler, start to look ratty, and in a few weak's / month's the leaves look paper thin, brown, and slimey, for Perenial plants, after flowering, you leave ALL the foliage on the plants to die down like they have withered, this dying back gives nutrients back into the plants and they store this for growing nice and strong the next spring when you will see tiny new shoots appear just on the top of the soil. After the foliage has all died, you can either gently tug this dead rubbish away and this helps tidy that area, or you can leave this debris untill spring as a lot of areas get real frost in winter and this debris helps protect the roots / crowns under the soil from winter die back. OR throw a layer of compost over the whole area and this adds humus to the soil as well as protection from frost, about 2-3 inch deep layer is good.

3. Dandy-lion weed, these are also a perennial weed, the lawn mower normally takes the flower heads off the plants but it never gets to the tightly-low growing flower BUD's, these start growing very close to the inner heart of the plant, then once they grow taller, the flowers are all yellow daisy type and after the flowers die, they have those lolly-pop type shaped seeds heads, as a child you may have played at telling the time as you blew the seeds (like little parachute's) and kids love them for blowing about. These seed-heads land all over the garden especially in lawns where they get sun, water, nutrients and before you know it they have taken over a large area and spoil a nice clean green area.
There are Autum Lawn weed & feed products you can buy from the garden centres or garden suppliers, there is a lot of products on the market and some are more expensive than others, as you are new to gardening, maybe a good place to get info for your area would be to talk to the green keepers on a golf course, parks department or some place where they actually know what they are talking about rather than just wanting you yo buy the most expensive lawn stuff.

OR, you can go buy a small tool like a long pronged fork you use for pickles, this goes deep into the soil right beside the heart of the plants, you twist it and it helps pull out the whole LONG TAP ROOT, you do this before the plants die down for winter OR early spring before they get growing too strong sending up even more flower buds as the plant matures.

4. The spread of the Dandy-lion's, Lawn Weed Feed will help or hand tool to get rid.

Before you use Weed treatment, I would hire a lawn Scarifier, this is like a lawnmower but instead of cutting the grass, this machine rakes it and this is great for removing any thatch (dead grass) we all have down in our grass leaves and it gathers thick below the sheef's of the grass unseen till you bind the lawn feels like a thick pile carpet as you walk, this brown that's prevents air getting to the root / soil area, causes dampness to remain on / IN the lawn and generally will after a while allow fungus or mould to take hold.

5. The Herbaceous border of plants as named above, Lilies (bulbs) Hosta's, (Bulbs) other (2 Types ) of purple flowering plants that at this point are not springing to my brain with the name, However, these are also perennial plants so the plants will all die off in winter and re-appear spring.

You should NOT walk over the area where there are bulbs or root plants under the soil out of sight in winter or you burst the bulbs or snap off the new growing tips under the soil. all you do either winter or spring is do a tidy up, in spring add either a layer of home made comport, well rotted horse manure usually giver free from any place who keeps horses, or shop bought compost, I add a handful of blood/ fish / bone meal every spring too as it's a slow release feed and all the others are NON chemical additions for any garden, it enriches the soil, keeps weeds at bay, allows air into soil, helps hold onto moisture in hot weather and also feeds the plants with lots of natural goodness.

Well hope all this gives you a start onto your newly found road to gardening, forget how lovely the old tennents kept the garden, it is now your garden and it's up to you what standard you want to maintain, BUT, my advice to all people who take over a garden is for the first year just weed, care, cut and tidy. I have seen people take over a gaden that looks like a magazine cover then, the next thing they do is, scratch their heads and ask what they should grow or do to make a nice garden, while all gardens are a matter of taste, lot's of plants will still be under the soil like spring bulbs, and seed-heads by the way attract birds to your garden who in turn eat slugs , snails that ravish Hosta's and many other plants. what you should aim for is making a Garden you like, you can move plants in spring / autumn before the heat arrives, make a new bed with the old plants IF your not happy, BUT please wait for a full year before you empty a garden or trample all over a well cared for bed of plants, it's costly to buy plants and IF you don't like them, give them to others who do, lot's of people, places will love your plants that you no longer want.
Best of luck and kindest Regards.
WeeNel.

Another suggestion would be to talk to a top quality plant nursery and have them to come out and they should be able to tell you what type of grass you have and offer some suggestions/advice. A consultation may cost you a minimum charge. Ask when you talk to them. Have you all had a lot of rain recently or drought? Maybe only once a week mowing will be sufficient. What do you have your lawnmower height set on is another thing to consider. Especially this time of the year, things are starting to slow down in growth getting ready for Fall and winter. You can really burn a lawn up by mowing it too short. Definately divide those hostas. Do you know if you are in an area where you get deer wandering around? Deer love hostas. They can divour an flowerbed of Hostas in one night. That's like going to a salad bar to them. I spray almost every other day my hostas, but they are kept in pots. Most hostas do best in partial or shady conditions but I know some of the newer varieties can take more sun but do not know those varieties.

Scott lawn products used to put out a FREE booklet out about lawn care that we used to get sent to us when we were new homeowners years ago. We found it very useful and full of good information. You can also find some good garden books on lawns at book stores or Home Depot or Lowe's.

We used to take care of all our lawn maintainence/care but as my husband's job became more demanding, we did hire a lawn service for them to fertilize and take care of weeds. We preferred grandular over liquid. Even though they put down feritilizer, you still will need to keep it watered.

We now live in a gated, Sr. citizens community and they take care of mowing and lawn maintainence for us but these workers use these big honky commercial mowers and covering 650 acres is all about speed. They stand on the back of those mowers and you'd think they are on a race track. We always had a beautiful lawn where we lived for 27 years before moving here 8 years ago, but it was a lot of work but everybody that walked by complimented us and the one neighbor across the street for our beautiful lawns. It took us 2 hrs. each week to mow and trim. The last two years, I helped mow each week because DH was having health issues.

The lawn care here is poor compared to what we use to do our lawn but hey, we don't have to do it or shovel snow in the winter so we accept what we have.

I'm sure others will comment or can offer some other advice. Good Luck in your new home. By the way, Hostas are so easy to raise. Invest in a digging fork; you'll be glad you did. I swear by mine and hardly every use a shovel to dig any plant up anymore. So much easier with the digging fork. I think I paid about $25 or maybe $30 for it but not really sure, purchased at Home Depot, which is only 1 mile away. Using the digging fork is a lot easier on the back and legs.

Lawn is a highly artificial way of growing a crop of grass.
To maintain a good looking lawn you need to be constantly adding more fertilizer and deep soaking it.
Many garden plants (Hosta, Lirope, others) come from somewhat different climates, and need some attention to water and fertilizer.
Around here snails and slugs will shred the Hosta, and Grasshoppers will eat the Lirope until it looks really ratty. I would use snail bait around the Hostas. Your Liriope looks fine.

Irrigate, don't sprinkle.
This means set up your garden hose with some type of sprinkler and let it run for anywhere from 10 minutes to half an hour. The frequency will depend on the weather: Hot, windy, & dry weather will demand more frequent irrigation. Milder weather less often.
A sprinkler that covers a large area may need to run a long time to get all the area well soaked.
If your soil is sandy the water will soak right in, but not stay in the soil for very long. You will need to water more often. If your soil is clay or loam, then the water may not soak in very fast, but then the soil holds the water for a long time so it may take more water (run the sprinkler longer) to properly soak the area, but then not water for a bit longer.

Here is a simple, DIY (Do It Yourself) water meter:
Use a freshly sharpened pencil and stick it as deep as it will go into the soil. If the newly sharpened wood turns dark, the soil is wet. If the wood is sort of dark in spots the soil is drying out. If the pencil will not go into the soil, or if it does not change color, then the soil is dry.
You want to make these tests as deep as you can in the soil, so use new (full sized) pencils.

Here is another really simple test:
Take a handful of damp soil.
Try to roll it in your hands as if you were trying to make a worm out of pottery clay.
If the worm falls apart, never really forms... if you can feel the grit... if the soil never looks shiny when it is wet... the soil is more sandy.
If the worm holds together as long as it is supported in your hand... maybe you can feel some fine grit... occasionally you can see a bit of a sheen to the wet soil... the soil is more of a loam.
If the worm keeps on growing, holding together even as it grows out of your hand... if you do not feel any grit (or only very fine grit)... if wet soil looks shiny... your soil is high in clay.
A different type of soil is not very common. If your soil was originally under water where a lot of plants grew, like a marsh, then you might have what is referred to as peat soil. This is almost all decomposing plants that have reached a point where the matter is so fine you cannot really tell it was originally plant material. Local experts can help if this is the case.
Clay soil is slow to take in water, but then holds a lot of water. You may have to run the sprinkler for a long time, but not very often.
Sandy soil takes in water very quickly, but does not hold it very well. You may not need to run the sprinkler very long, but will need to run it more often.
Loam is somewhere in between, and you will have to figure out the details.

Fertilizer:
Fertilizer is something you add to the garden to replace the nutrients the plants are taking from the soil. It helps to know what the soil has in it, so you do not add too much of something it already has.
At this time of the year you may want to apply a fertilizer to many plants (including the lawn).
Look for a fertilizer with 3 numbers on the package.
The first number in Nitrogen. This grows leaves (including grass). In the fall you want this number to be pretty low. Not zero, but probably under 10.
The second number is Phosphorus. This grows stems, roots and fruit. At this time of the year you want fertilizer with this number higher than the Nitrogen.
The third number is Potassium. This helps the plant with water balance. At this time of the year you want fertilizer with this number higher than the Nitrogen, and roughly the same as the Phosphorus.
The other part of fertilizer is a large group of minerals including iron and several others. These may be referred to as trace minerals. A good blend of trace minerals is good at this time of the year. If your local soils tend to be low in iron (a local expert will know) then look for a fertilizer that offers more iron.

In the late winter or early spring, when the weather is just starting to get a bit milder you will fertilize with a product that has a much higher first number (so is high in Nitrogen).

There are specialty fertilizers for certain plants. Again, the local experts will know if these are needed in your area.

Your house looks very nice and congrats on your new home. I cannot say anything better than the other posters but it looks like you have some Virginia creeper in the fifth picture. It is the five leafed vine on the left of the picture. That is very invasive and I'd imagine you'll want to pull that out. Good luck, gardening is a constant learning experience.

Very good information. I only have one thing to add, don't water when it is sunny, the water on the leaves of hosta in full sun will burn them.

Great advice from Misty re-watering while full sun is out, Best time to water is evening or early morning, evening is my first choice as it is a long while for the water to be taken up by the plants roots before the heat of the sun helps evaporate the moisture. Also make it a habit to NEVER water the foliage of any plant unless you need to blast mud of aphids free from the plant, otherwise, water to soil at the roots, I don't have a sprinkler system so use a hand hose pipe, in the other hand I carry a garden cane to lift up the foliage so the water can be aimed at the root area. some flowers heads don't recover after a soaking from the sprinkler or hose but it's a case of getting used to your new plants and as you go, you learn how to treat them.

Sequoiadendron has hit the nail on the head and never said a truer word, Gardening really is a learning curve and all the advice in the world wont speed these skills or any care program up one iota, gardening is slow, laborious to some and a treat / hobby / past time to others but the time spent doing it is just the same IF you want a nice garden. Remember the more ground you dig / cultivate, the more time it takes to treat and care for. After all that, any advice you gain you can adapt to suit your own ideas or needs just by understanding, all the basics are the exact same, just how, when and IF we carry these out is debatable but, the end results are always the proof of the pudding and you get out of it just what effort you put in LOL.

I can agree to some extent with Diana's thoughts about a large area of lawn being a time consuming way to treat a garden but, I honestly think there is nothing nicer than a well cared for lawn especially in a larger plot of land. A good healthy lawn is gained by preparing the ground well before you lay or sew the lawn, no point in paying a whole load of money to have a green carpet of lawn grass laid or even sewn IF the idiots who do the work don't prepare the under soil first, the time of year is as important as having the work done, Autumn is best time, the time you can manage to take to care for the lawn, all the soil under the lawn should have all the nutrients and feed, the soil dug, weeded and prepared for the foundations for the best results, no short cuts or lazy prep work IF a good healthy lawn is to be achieved. Believe me, I have a huge amount of lawns to care for, some are as rough and ready as they should be as they are well out of view and in a wilder area, others are in great nick as they get more time and mowing spent on them but they get no more feed than once a year, autumn or spring, don't know where the idea comes from that a lawn needs constant or even regular fertilising IF the ground work was done well and before the lawn was laid / sewn.

I do see the new garden you have taken over and from the pictures, has been well loved BUT that doesn't mean you cant do the same, just try set aside a few hours at weekend, an hour a night when you can, and you should be well able to keep your lush lawn looking great for as long as you want, the problems happen when new gardeners think it is way over there heads on garden skills, it's NOT, it's very easy IF you really want to do it.
You could join a garden club in your area, you could get advice from the neighbours, you could go to the garden section in the local library or book store where lawn care books will jump out and bite you, BUT just read these, you don't have to go spend loads of dollars on them.
Take it slowly at first, just mow and do the edges neatly, then when it's either autumn or wait till spring.
After autumn, the weeds will die down a bit as they, like other plants, go into winters sleep so spring is, in my opinion, the best time, just remember when or IF you use a weed/ feed, you will see BLACK / Brown areas appear on the lawn, that's the weeds being killed off, also most of the weed / feed products need watering after a few days IF no rain has fallen, PLEASE read and follow the directions for dosage as stated on the packet as over doing the application is NOT good and could kill off areas of lawn.

Do remember we have all given you great advice, BUT for your zone, your soil type and how much free time you have to spend in the garden is the difference between us all, I would hate to allow my lawn to turn to weeds but I still have weeds to deal with, I hate all my hard work going to waste BUT others maybe through circumstances cant keep up the amount of work needed for their garden, Just do the best you can BUT enjoy what you can manage.
Very best of luck and try relax a bit.
WeeNel..

Although I'm a little late to this party, the easiest way to find out how much water you're applying to your lawn is to set out tuna fish or small cat food cans under your water pattern. In most types of clay soils, about one inch of water per week on grass should be ample.
Sandy soils will obviously will need watering more frequently because the water percolates downward at such a fast rate. Improving the soil tilth by adding organic matter over time will alleviate the problem somewhat.
Steve

Watering is not a recipe like 1" per week.

Water to replace the amount of water that is transpiring through the plants and evaporating from the soil.
In hot, windy, dry weather that is going to be a lot more than in cool damp weather.

One weather station near me (inland, about 50 miles from the coast) has recorded less than 1" average evapotranspiration in January, and over 8" in July.
Another location (closer to the coast) reported 1.48" average in January, and under 7" ETo in July.
The irrigation for these two locations (about 50 miles apart) would be quite different!

That's very true Diana but the average homeowner typically goes by eye and experience, not weather station reports on evapotranpiration. In this particular case, we have a new homeowner that is asking for advice and is new to the whole yard/gardening experience so he has to have somewhere to start and at least minimal knowledge to build on.
While I do in fact admire your knowledge and your ability to share same with others in this and other posts, newbies need practical advice to give them a basis to learn from... It was assumed that 1" of water on his grass per week would be a good starting figure and he could adjust up or down from there.

A new gardener could do nothing better than ask the neighbours or watch there sprinkler systems to find how long they are watering for, try find time they come on and when they go off, a well established lawn might not require as much water as a new planted lawn, but as mentioned above, the temp, amount of sun / shade and also soil type will have a bearing on different requirements, tree shade or other structures will also be of interest for a new gardener as this may play a part on water measurements too.

Just be attentive in as much as the more you walk around the garden, the more things you will notice either doing good or in need of attention, take a note pad with you and IF possible, a camera as by next spring, a lot of plants will have died down and by spring, sending up new shoots for summer colour, you will have by then forgotten what or where they are, so pic's remind us.

Good luck and take it easy, gardens are like ROME, they were NOT built in a day..
Try relax and enjoy your new environment, there will be birds, butterflies, insects and loads of creature you will want to get to know as well as the lawn / plants and watering.

Have fun and let's know how it's all going or when your looking for further help.
Best Regards. WeeNel.

There are sprinkler heads that have timers on them.

Also lowes had tall sprinklers that covers a very wide areas

Belle.

You write: "The previous owner took 'immaculate' care of the lawn and did all of the landscaping himself. "

The previous owner might have used a service for routine maintenance or chemical application. Why don't you ask him and get the same service. Even if he did not use a service, ask him what chemicals he used and how often and how he watered the lawn. Many would be happy to see you concerned about keeping it up.

One neighbor on our street has the greenest lawn even in the worst times of summer and they do not water! We all wonder how they do it ...

I would suggest the answer to the neighbour who has the best / greenest lawn in the street has concentrated more on the soil preparation before the lawn was laid / sewn by seed. like I said before, gardening is like cooking, you will get the best results from the effort and ingredients you put into it initially and that does NOT mean chemicals at all cost.

Most questions on Daves Forums regarding lawns are "why has the new lawn died or the new laid lawn is turning brown and dying.
When you ask how or who did the prep work, the answer is normally, the Gardener (what an insult to all gardeners by using that term) anyway the gardener cleared away the old turf and re-laid new stuff but it's dying.

Any proper gardener knows that removing the old lawn is just the start of the process, there after they should use a rotovator, to add air, break up the hard root laden soil, then level, then scatter a feed, then re-rake, then tread or roll the area to remove and low areas or higher bumps, THEN lay a lawn or scatter the seeds, either way, for a decent area of lawn, it cant be carried out in a day regardless of how small your lawn area is IF you want a good long lasting lawn. Yes I know many people who think the guy's doing the lawn are gardeners but no gardener would remove green turf and immediately roll out the new turf, the trouble begins immediately when the soil under the turf is too hard packed for the roots to enter, any watering runs off the turf and cant wet the hard packed soil and when the turf is laid in hot summer, (no decent gardener lays lawns in hot summer) it dies slowly and the "gardeners " have naturally moved on and blame the home owner for not caring for the lawn properly, YEH right, that's like laying a good quality carpet ever the joists and no flooring boards were there to support the carpet.
When you hire someone to lay turf or give a lawn from seed, it's not cheap so, you need to ask what type of prep work will be given, anything to make a fast buck is great for a labourer but a real gardener wont want his reputation ruined by lazy work practices. they wont advise summer lawn laying unless your prepared to give the proper aftercare and that includes constant watering EVERY DAY if no rain falls, there's a myth that a lawn only needs water once a week, that's fine for an established lawn, BUT not a new laid turf in the hight of summer. also be prepared for Spring AND Autumn weed-feeds, that does not mean chemicals, lawn sand does a great job after you have used lawn rake to remove the dead thatch, or hire a mechanical / electric lawn rake that does it in a day, the dead grass prevents water getting down to the roots and allows air into the soil as the machine has prongs that make little holes in the top layer of soil which allows air to enter for the roots.
Sorry if this is a bit long but hey, laying a lawn is not fast either is it is, then after a week, look for problems in high summer temps.
Best regards. WeeNel.

WeeNel,
Well said and a lot of patience typing and explaining.
Our lawn is beautiful and took a lot of time and money to get it this way. We had so many problems mostly fungus which is turning brown overnight.We put down fescue at first and had it for few years but very susceptible to fungus.I remember DH detaching and aerating, he would split the costs with neighbors. A lot of work so DH decided zoysia plugs. We put down 8 truckloads of good dirt to prepare for the plugs.Our lot is close to 1/2 acre and it took 5 years for the grass to look decent.
Since you had a nice looking lawn when you bought your house and died, detaching and aerating would be the first step the adding good soil. Did you mention when you bought the house? Could the grass be winter rye? If it is then they die late spring and summer!!!
You could also talk to neighbors who has decent lawns and ask them how they are maintaining.
Like WeeNel said it takes time and money to have a good looking lawn.

Good luck to you!!
Belle
Like

My point in my previous post was that whatever the previous owner did, worked very well and to simply continue to do the same thing.

Ok. I'm going to let you sort thru all of the gardening advice that everyone has shared with you. I just want to share something else with you. Have you heard people say how much they learned the first time they bought a house or did a major remodel? Things like, 'Well if I had only known X, then I would have done Y.' So . . . if you were going to sell your house, what would you do? Maybe add some curb appeal by greening up the yard and adding some flowers or shrubs? Make it seem like the place has always looked so green and nice? Call me a skeptic if you like. I do live in a big city that's known for big bidness after all. But I've read many articles about the best things to do to attract buyers to your house. Curb appeal ranks right up there toward the top of the list. Maybe the previous owner really did take 'immaculate' care of the lawn, etc. I just kinda doubt it. I don't think things would fall apart in 2 months. (Those dandelions, for example, look so big that they seem to be more than 2 months old.)

Whether I'm right or not, it doesn't matter other than to say y'all shouldn't feel that you've destroyed this 'lovely' yard and garden. Don't beat yourselves up. It sounds like y'all want to learn and Dave's Garden is a good place to start.

Best wishes and happy gardening. And don't forget to feed the birds.


This message was edited Oct 8, 2013 1:37 AM

By the way, I don't know if anyone asked the following questions:

1. Do you have outdoor pets?

2. Do you now or do you plan to have kids?

- and (ta da!)-

3. Do you really want a big lawn in the first place or do you want it b/c it was there or b/c others have them?

If you answered 'yes' to #1 and/or #2, please reconsider using major pesticides. Think about whether you'd want 'little humans' or your pets rolling around on a lawn with some strong, toxic-ish chemicals on it. (No, altho it might make me happy, everyone doesn't have to be organic like me. But there are some alternatives before you pull out the heavy guns.)

And if you answered #3 with a no and then yes (sorry, I posed two questions in one), you probably have lots of alternatives and could even win you the garden of the year!

Justin

You have a lovely home! How nice that you are so concerned that it look good.

Obviously, all we can do is venture guesses at the problem, or problems. I will venture my own guess. I don't know about your lawn. I am certainly no expert about that as I just let mine go pretty much with only minimal maintenance. My gardens are another story. If things have gone downhill that fast, and all the care was done by the previous owner, I would think that he was liberal with the fertilizers, pesticides, and or herbicides. That's how many people garden and it works as long as you keep it up faithfully. However, the plants become junkies and as soon as you stop you have some difficulties, often fairly quickly. You can learn a chemically based regimen, as it appears that the previous owner may have done (be careful if you have kids or pets) or you can wait it out with organic support ( we can help you with that) and know that your plants will not look good for a while, but eventually all will be well. Just know that you can have a stunning garden without chemicals if you choose. I will include a couple of pictures of mine which have not had any chemical support for over 15 years. Good luck. There's no need to do anything until you sort it out.

This message was edited Oct 10, 2013 10:54 AM

This message was edited Oct 10, 2013 10:55 AM

rteets - love what you've done. Want to come to Dallas and do my garden?

Justin - sounds like rteets and I are kinda on the same track. I know that there is a forum on organic gardening here on DG, but I would highly recommend checking out Dallas's local organic guru. Then, if you disagree, you can ignore him. His name is Howard Garrett and he has a website www.diirtdoctor.com which is a really good resource. He's also on Facebook as the Dirt Doctor. Plus he has books as well as a weekly radio call-in show on Sunday mornings. (People call in from everywhere, not just the Dallas area. I've heard people call from outside the U.S.) Plus, you can sign up to get his weekly email for free.

As rteets said, 'There's no need to do anything until you sort it out.'

I'll end by quoting what The Dirt Doctor says at the end of all his radio call-in shows, 'And don't forget to feed the birds!'

No, wait. I'll end by apologizing if I sounded too harsh in my rant about curb appeal. I don't sound quite so mean when I'm talking. Need to learn more self-control when writing.

Tx_flower_child
Thank you for your kind words. I'm sure you don't need my help! Texas is a different gardening world anyway. It's not so far fetched from Kentucky, however. You, and Justin perhaps, can look at my garden in the garden showcase on this site. It is "My deer resistant Pennsylvania garden". I'm always happy to find a fellow organic gardener! I especially love anyone who feeds the birds! I have not used any chemicals in my garden for many years. Life of all kinds is safe here and it all balances out just fine.

rteets - Are you absolutely positive you wouldn't come to Big D and do my garden?

Not even for a smooth talker like you! But I am humbled that you ask.

rteets, your garden is lovely! I was wondering if the flowers next to the fountain are Wood's Pink Asters? In size and color they look exactly like my asters. I've attached a photo of my asters the first year I planted them (2012) and now they are twice as big with only using organic fertilizer as you do.

JustinKent83, perhaps you can try adding greensand to your lawn. I added some greensand to a yellow patch of my lawn and the grass there grew rapidly. The greensand didn't completely solve the problem but helped significantly. Also, I agree with others posters to just go out for a few minutes once week and manually remove the biggest weeds because it's an inexpensive way to solve most of the problem. - DoGooder

DoGooder
That is actually a caryopteris "Blue Mist" in early summer before it got to its full height of 2 1/2 feet. Below is a picture of it when it blooms in August.

I actually don't have any asters, but looking at yours makes me think I need to find a place for some! Lovely.

Green sand is a good idea. So is digging out the dandelions by hand. If you do that before you get too many it's not such a chore.

rteets, my eyesight is poor. Sorry for the mistake. From the photograph distance the flowers looked pink. Caryopteris "Blue Mist" will grow in my zone 5 region and I might consider it for my sunny West garden that I plan to fix next year.

DoGooder

Let me know if you want some. I usually have lots if that!! It's one of my favorites.

JustinKent - Someone may have already said this, I just don't feel like going back thru this whole thread. It might be a good idea to send a soil sample to your state or local extension agency. For not too much money, they will analyze your soil and tell you what's in it and what it might need. Usually most labs have various levels of tests (routine, plus micronutrients, plus salinity, plus organic matter, etc.) Not saying that you need all of these, just that they are available. That way, you will have a better idea of what, if any, soil amendments to spend your money on.

Until you decide what you really want to do, and I would urge you to take your time, a good layer of a good compost (don't let anyone try to sell you 'sterilized' compost) and mulch will go a long way.

rteets, thank you for offering the plants. I haven't made a garden plan yet but I will definitely consider the Blue Mist.

DoGooder

Hey Justin
Whatever happened with your landscaping? I was wondering how it's all going for you. Luckily you have a whole winter to contemplate all the advice you got.
Wishing you the best
Robin

ok here it goes.... hosta (the big white and green bush) is normally a shade bush. If it has a lot of holes in the leaves that is usually a sign of "slugs" or they are in too much sun for their liking. You can drown slugs with beer poured in a low dish placed in a couple of areas hidden near the bushes for them to find. You have a weed problem for sure . Research dandelions and thistles on the net) You have to dig up as many as you can and spray the rest but only on the weed and not surrounding lawn (read directions to the letter). The five leaved vine is a definite pest that needs to be pulled up that is growing among the liiriope (spelling??) (the striped grass). The liriope look okay and are usually drought tolerant.. Please try to go with products that are not "bee toxic". If all else fails, I hear mary jane grows good in Kentuck....just kiddin....Good luck. Nice house.

I used to have a problem with putting out beer to drown the slugs. Our Weimaraner loved to drink beer and would get to it before the slugs could. Otherwise, I've heard that beer usually works pretty good.

Justin - looks like you got a lot of good replies. Being a professional in the landscape field I can
offer the following advise.
1) Your yard - weed control needs to be done next spring with a spot spray of broadleaf herbacide
or Weed and Feed Fertilizer application depending on your preference. Water - if you
experienced a lot of drought your lawn will naturally look like this unless you irrigate your lawn
more frequently. You most likely have some Kentucky Bluegrass in your lawn which naturally
will turn brown - go dormant during periods of drought. Mowing height - do you keep your mower
height at around 3"? That will help your lawn look greener during periods of drought also.
Fertilizing - possibly aerating - there are many cultural issues that cannot be answered without
knowing all the details - get some professional advise from a reputable company. You can
also fertilize and apply weed control as needed yourself without having to pay for several
applications a year from a lawn care company if you want to save some money.
2) The Hosta - maybe they are getting too much sun in that location and you may need to transplant them to another spot. Even "sun tolerant" Hosta will look ratty towards the end of the season
and is dependent on how often you watered them.
3) The Oriental Lilies in the picture next to the Hosta will naturally look like that towards the end of
the season. You might want to transplant them to another area around your house where they
are not as noticeable. Lilies look beautiful in flower but after that they have a short life span of
providing any color in your landscape.
4) As another reader replied - maybe contact a reputable landscape company to come out and
look over your lawn and give you some constructive advise on your lawn and plants.
5) Visit a reputable independent garden center for advise on products and plants and steer away
from Lowe's , Walmart, or other box stores. They usually do not have experienced help that
can provide you with the correct answers - there may be exceptions but generally most
true garden centers have more experienced employees.

Hey,, don't get disappointed. I would recommend you to hire an gardener for your lawn. If you want DIY then refer some books on home ownership.
http://www.kevinbradleyrealtor.com/