TN gardeners - good weed? Bad weed?

[HaleyinNashville]

How have y'all not mowed your yards yet? We have 2-3 times and still have weeds up to my knees in a few areas....I wish I was kidding! Luckily we live in the woods so its *less* unacceptable to have such a mess of a lawn. I have noticed the wildflowers this year are unbelievable...in number and variety. Makes not mowing pretty!

[CountryGirl2b=]

Grass/Garden Update - 3 years later!

Well, I did lose some plants his past winter. Not sure why . . . was pretty mild. What survived did well, though, with more peonies and potentially more hydrangea than last summer.

1. The little grass patch DID grow grass. But at the end of that summer, I signed up with some grass people who come and spray stuff at certain intervals. They also aerate and seed every fall. Pretty sure I had that creepy grass before and now I have fescue which is a winter grass. Yard looks better in the fall and winter, not so great in the summer . My yard is . . . moist in spots (underground wells???) and tends to get brown patch every year. Bummer.

2. I still have my push mower but bought a little Sun Joe 14 inch 12 amp plug in electric mower that is WAY cool! The extension cord weighs more than the mower!

3. My neighbors on both sides do nothing to their lawn. Hard truth. Mowed weeds look just as good as mowed grass. But it makes it hard for mine to be weedless. The 'service' just gets broadleaf weeds. I have what looks like WHEAT growing here and there. Had to get it with Round Up which will explain the brown batches in my yard:



Here is one of my neighbors "grass". She does NOTHING. Gets mowed about once a month. I think her sister sends over her lawn company to do it.



BUT when it's mowed, it doesn't look half bad.

I have mowed 4 times. The first one was a biggie. Luckily my little putt putt lawn mower has a grass catcher. But I had to empty the bag after every run.

I went to a luncheon at Cheekwood about lawns. And you do have to spray to keep them 'safe'!

[Reactionary]

Nice! Thank you, I enjoy follow ups and your lawn looks great. Do you have an irrigation system? Fescue needs regular watering during the summer to look good. What did you learn at the botanical garden luncheon class?

[DonCorleone]

The guy who does my lawn service (spraying/fertilizing) and is a local business said that some of the larger chains don't quite tailor-make their solutions to middle TN yards. They more or less have a one size fits all spray that might work for most yards but not everyone's. I can tell a difference between my yard and a nearby neighbor who uses a regional/national chain. All that to say, you may have better luck with a more local service who has a better feel for the native weeds and grass.


I've mowed 2x. Next door neighbors who don't use a spray service have mowed at least 5-6 due to broadleaf/dandelions/weeds. I've got Bermuda and it's coming in great. Surprised I haven't had to mow more yet but I have a feeling once we get another round of rain it'll be thick before you know it.