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Mike,
Yes, the blend of sun and shade help.
Really, i'm not tring to show off at all. I just want to show House Lady that her statements are false. It kind of irks me when people say such un-truths and others new to the area might believe these un-thruths. That is how bad information gets passed around.
House Lady,
If i can get the right picture up, i will show you a fescue lawn in this area that looks good most of the year that is not watered AT ALL(other than rain), is not over fertilized, nor has there been any herbicide applied to this lawn in 3 years.
Great Picture Cary Native. I love the fact that you say it is mainly maintained through cultural prcatices and not herbicides. I hope to water only when absolutely needed this summer. It seems to me that althouhg we usually have water restriction during the summer we still usually get enough rain a week to maintain a decent lawn without having to use the sprinkler. I have even considered putting in a rain barrel on my gutter system to utilize the runoff from my roof just in case I need a little extra H2O. They sell them over at Logans Nursery in Downtwon Raleigh. Not sure if my HOA will go for it though!
Anyway, I hope my fescue lawn looks as good as the one in your picture one day. I am giving myself 3 years to get it in shape. If I can't get my little .10 acres in shape by then, I may throw in the towel and hire a pro!
I know i keep saying the same thing over and over, but get the ph right,and fertilize the right amount at the right time and you will be amazed at how far that goes.
The lawn in the picture was sprayed a couple of times with a broadleaf herbicide over 2-3 years to get the majority of weeds out. Now though, it has not been sprayed for quite some time.
New to this board, but just wanted to chime in on this one.
I'm in SE Durham and also have a tall fescue lawn. Three years ago, upon purchasing the house, the lawn was all weeds, but with a minimal amount of herbicide and 3 fall overseedings, I now have a thick, lush, green lawn. I am not a gardener by any means and spend NO time tending to my lawn besides regular mowing. Quite honestly, outside of seeding, I have probably only watered my lawn 2-3 times total in 3 years and yet it always looks great. I've never noticed it browning in the summer OR graying in the winter. I have a decent amount of shade from a large maple in my front yard, but the back is full sun and even that does fine. Tall fescue can certainly work in this area.
We have a lawn guy (who takes care of a neighbor's lawn that always looks nice) coming to tell us what we have, what we "should" do, what we can do.
We have an acre of land, virtually no trees except for a couple small ones in the front. Back is all fenced and open - about 3/4 of acre. I guess I'd mostly want the front to look really nice, but it would be pleasant to look out over a nice grassy expanse from my screen porch too! right now the grass is blotchy with patches of brown (dormant, I assume) and green. It's what came with the house last summer.
What do you folks say about using clover in the back? I like clover, and the feel of it underfoot. Would it stay green if mixed in with some good grasses?
I'll let you know what the lawn guy says, if you're interested.
We have a lawn guy (who takes care of a neighbor's lawn that always looks nice) coming to tell us what we have, what we "should" do, what we can do.
We have an acre of land, virtually no trees except for a couple small ones in the front. Back is all fenced and open - about 3/4 of acre. I guess I'd mostly want the front to look really nice, but it would be pleasant to look out over a nice grassy expanse from my screen porch too! right now the grass is blotchy with patches of brown (dormant, I assume) and green. It's what came with the house last summer.
What do you folks say about using clover in the back? I like clover, and the feel of it underfoot. Would it stay green if mixed in with some good grasses?
I'll let you know what the lawn guy says, if you're interested.
I don't know anything about clover or whether or not it is good for the situation you described, but I would be interested to hear what the lawn pro tells you. Please come back and let us know. Thanks!
J/K ,most folks try to get rid of clover. If you like clover though it grows really good here(depending on exactly where here is to you). It loves the naturally low ph soil and the compaction of our clay.
You could mix it in with your existing turf but if it is happy it will completly take over your lawn in a year or so.
The big downside to clover is that the bees love the flowers, which is not a problem if you like bees
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clover for a lawn !!
