Photo by electrasteph via flickr creative commons.

I just love TheoGeo and her new house (and now new lawn).  She shares a love letter to her lawn with us,

I sat on the porch and I watched. Red wasps and bumblebees were inspecting the flowering weeds. It took me a minute to stop freaking out about them flying around me, because I am insane. I tried to be all zen about it and not go fetch the Raid. My assumption is — always — that winged stinger-equipped beasts ALWAYS want to sting me, even if it means certain death for them. But I decided to just sit still, even when a hornet buzzed past my head. I cussed at it and then felt silly, like some paranoid Gulliver who thinks he’s under attack by a sprawling tiny army, but actually isn’t.

Magnificent!

Her photo via flickr creative commons.

I can handle snow, but I’m over it for this year!  What’s been even worse for me is the COLD this year.  Come on spring!

What can you do around your lawn to get ready for the warmer weather?  What will help your grass grow lush and the flowers peak out from their winter snooze-fest?

Perhaps the easiest thing you can do is walk around with a rake and untangle the dead grass that’s knotted up from wind, rain, snow, sleet.  By doing this, nutrients can seep down into the root system allowing your grass to thrive.

Another step is to carefully examine your bushes, shrubbery and trees.  If you see a branches or limbs that are broken, trim them away - and trim closely to the trunk.

Finally, NOW is the time to do some weeding.  They’re dead now so get rid of them before they seed and spread.

Most importantly, enjoy the fresh air that this in-between seasons time brings.  Time to clear your lungs, clear your head, and get your hands dirty!

Photo by Mike Finkelstein via flickr creative commons.

I have deer that sometimes run through my yard, but this would be pretty good too.  Watch the shuttle launch while sitting on your back deck from Dressage Daily,

I’m impressed!

Why are some men so picky about their yards?  I’ve heard several talk about how they’d get upset if a neighbor mowed for them.  Wha?  O.o   If someone mowed my lawn for me, I’d be doing cartwheels! I once had a neighbor who lived at the end of the street TERRIBLE about mowing their lawn.  It made the whole street look shaggy - except for Mr. Meticulous who lived across from me.

So.  One day I took my lawn mower down and did their front yard.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so angry over a free lawn mowing job.  Maybe they were just embarrassed.

All this brings us to The Hunters Wife who talks about how her husband made her promise not to touch the lawn when he went on a four-day trip.  Hey no problem, right?  Then he came home and decided to put her to work.  I guess some people feel they need to supervise anyone who works in their yard!  She did manage to evade most of the job.  Clever!

“You want hot chocolate? I’ll go make us some. Be right back.”  (Yes my way of taking a break.)

Back to raking leaves.  I was instructed by Sgt. Narantic not to leave one leaf behind.

Umm what excuse can I use now? Think think think.

Mark:  Where you going now?

Jody:  Umm … I think that hot chocolate gave me a tummy ache.

That will give me a good 15 minute break without being questioned.

I love this!  Go read her whole post - complete with pictures - to delight in her yard work!

Isn't it crazy how ugly yards get in the winter?  I have nothing but admiration for the people whose yards remain beautiful even when barren.  You drive down a highway when the trees have lost leaves and the grass is brown - and you spot the litter.  Same goes with yards - the empty plastic bags are too visible, as well as the tossed coke cups, old rotting newspapers at the bottom of driveways, and other items that are normally invisible because there are so many other *nice* things to see when the weather is warm.

My goal this winter is to walk my yard from front to back and side to side just to pick up the detrious that has accumulated over the summer.

Once the trash is picked up, I'll still look forward to the snowfall to blanket the brown, dead colors that grow so tiresome in the winter.

That's why Christmas is also spectacular!  The lights, yard art, etc. help cheer even the most jaded soul!  Yeppers… ready for snow, ready for Christmas, ready for Spring!

The first step in making that plan is to find out what city bylaws
or other rules affect your front yard. You do not want to draw the
wrath of the local bylaw department down on you and find you have fined
for having a messy yard. So check with city hall first.

Once
you know the rules, you can begin to the plan. You may find that a well
drafted plan that clearly sets out your intentions, along with plant
lists, will convince the authorities to stretch the rules a bit.

crocuses- courtesy jhirtz/flickr

I’ll be honest, I’m skeptical. I was reading over at Gardening Tips ‘N’ I Ideas about painting your drought or winter browned lawn green. Apparently the grass painting company uses environmentally friendly paint which contains traces of ammonia which is supposed to turn to nitrogen and fertilize your lawn.

Sound too good to be true? I don’t know. It’s possible that the paint is okay to use on your lawn, but to me it seems a browned lawn isn’t the worst thing ever- certainly not bad enough to warrant painting it.

Of course, I don’t live in a neighborhood with a cranky homeowners association- I heard of HOAs that required people to keep a green lawn even though the city they were in were having water restrictions. In a case like that, the grass painting might be a good idea.

As for me, I’ll stick with my brown lawn.

I love the change of seasons and I especially love the cooler temperatures that come with fall. I start thinking about the holidays soon approaching. What I don’t think about is that it is time to once again fertilize my yard. Apparently, according to the blog post This Old House called Fall Fertilizing, I should be thinking about just that….

"Fall is here and it’s time to fertilize.  Why now? Taking the time to fertilize
in the fall will strengthen your plants’ and lawn’s roots, giving them a strong base on which to thrive next spring."

The good news for me is that I have been banned from any yard work at my house. A few years back I decided to surprise my husband and fertilize, but the surprise was on me when a few days later when I had tons of stripes all over my yard. I will just have to add one more project to my hubby’s list of things to do this month.

I’ve been having some problems with spots in my lawn where my dog normally goes to pee. The lawn is burned and brown. So, what’s a girl to do when presented with a lawn connumdrum?

I called my dad, of course. He has two dogs and no issues with his lawn. Dad’s remedy is to water the lawn religiously. It’s easy for him- he has a sprinkler system that is on a timer. So I asked him what the lowly peasants without sprinker systems should do.

The solution is simple, although it might look a bit strange to passersby- he said to dump a bucket of water over the affected area. Dog urine is high in nitrogen and when it’s concentrated on your lawn as it is when your dog pees on it, it will burn your lawn and eventually kill it in that spot. Dumping a bucket of water on the area will dilute the pee and won’t harm your lawn.

Who knew it was that simple?