From TheoGeo,

Unless you live on a hundred acre farm (okay, maybe one acre is a lot, too!), it doesn’t have to cost a lot to maintain a lush, green lawn.  The frugal trader over at Million Dollar Journey offered some real tips on how much it would cost to maintain the lawn yourself rather than hiring a landscaper,

Here are some of the costs of the materials from the local hardware store (like Home Depot).  Note that the materials are for a standard 50×100 city lot (in NL).

• Lime:  $5.99 per bag x 4 (2 applications, 2 bags per application) = $24
• Fertilizer: $16 per application/bag (3 applications) = $48
• Aeration: I own a 2 prong aeration tool, and only used in compacted soil areas: $20
• Spreader: $35
• Total: $127 first year, $72 per season after.

When he compared the price of a landscaper who charged about $400 per season, the $127 total price is pretty tempting.

I love walking around my yard with my camera.  Here are some photos from today… just for a fun Friday diversion.

and….

Have a great weekend!

You may or may not have heard, but in the middle Tennessee area, we experienced the 500 year flood in early May.  There was loss of lives and loss of property (in the billions), but never loss of hope. The communities have really come together to support each other - strangers helping strangers, people showing compassion and love rather than greed and barbarism.

That is the good that has come from a bad thing.  Also good are the beautiful flowers in Aunt B.’s yard that really blossomed hugely because of the satisfying drink of water they got.

Another interesting item I read on Aunt B.’s site was about what survived the flood,

Places that were unweeded suffered little loss of soil, if any. Places that had been weeded and fretted over? That’s where I lost soil. Large amounts of it.

I think this just proves that weeding is not only the worst part about gardening, but that weeds serve a useful purpose–they hold your soil in place.

There are flower weeds… maybe we should plant those in our yards when monsoon season returns next year.

Petunias are a hardy, yet beautiful flower that are ideal for early spring planting.  If the weather gets chilly, they can survive but petunias also do well on sunny, warm days.

Make sure they have plenty of water, but water in the morning or evening when the sun isn’t dangerously hot.  Petunias can be re-potted for planters on the porch or can be replanted directly into the ground.  What’s most important is they are in a sunny spot - the more sunshine the happier they are!

Vino y Queso wrote,

Nevertheless, just like every year I am still a little in awe that we made it through winter, and everything is green again. So look instead of listen for a while.

Yes, green is what we like.  And the photos! Perfect! Thank you sharing, Saracita.