Few among us are so fortunate as to own perfectly level lawns. Most properties have some hills and valleys. Yet, a fairly level land lay is desirable from the standpoint of drainage, appearance, and healthy lawn-growing conditions. When confronted with this problem, I found a simple method that overcame the difficulty with little effort and … Read more
Certain extreme situations in gardening call for specific plants. One such situation is the lawn at a summer cottage. Another might be the lawn area surrounding a swimming pool. Both require a lawn that will be extremely rugged, survive under trying conditions and require little care. Such a lawn could be composed of Meyer zoysia. … Read more
Seed a lawn in mid-August? “Preposterous,” old-time gardeners would insist. “Best time of the year,” would be the reply of modern science. Why are these two directly opposed opinions? Old-timers just took it for granted that grass seed planted in August would not grow—they were so certain that they never tried it. They knew that … Read more
Lawns, like buildings, must be constructed with a good foundation to withstand time and remain in good condition. Materials to start a good lawn include 6” to 12” inches of good topsoil over a well-drained (or tiled) subsoil. Along with this must come proper slopes for good surface drainage. Next, we need good seeds, fertilizer, … Read more
Late summer is usually the best time to start new lawns. Nature sows her seeds now, taking advantage of the cool weather of fall for strong seedling and root growth. Weeds that were a problem in spring have all germinated now, and the seedbed is a little “cleaner” than it was earlier, provided you kept … Read more
What is a good lawn? Standards vary, but certainly, a good lawn, besides having a pleasing and appropriate grade, must be composed of fairly close-clipped, fine-textured turf, free of weeds, scars, and bare areas, and it should be green throughout most of the growing season. In maintaining a lawn of this standard or improving a … Read more
What shall I do about my weed-infested lawn? Shall I spade it and start over again from scratch? If I spade up the whole lawn and carry off all of the crabgrass, will that pesky weed reappear next year? Is there some way to renovate my old lawn without digging it up again? These are … Read more
Crisp blue skies and coloring sumac spell many things—the heady aroma of an evening campfire, football around the corner, and glorious, less encumbered weekends to putter outdoors. For the Midwest, gardening is mostly under a continental climate of hot, dry summers, and this is, above all else, during the lawning season. From August in the … Read more
August is the most crucial month for the home lawn. You may look out on your lawn and say: “It sure is! It looks terrible.” If you want your lawn to look its best next August, it is time to do something about it. Let’s take a look at your midsummer lawn and see what … Read more
August is a good time to start a new lawn, improve a poor one, or encourage a good one, and transplant or plant evergreens and certain important perennials. In many respects, this is the best time of year to start a new lawn. The soil is warm, the weather is settled, and perhaps most important, … Read more