Boy that's a lot of grass. Water hungry St Augustine at that. It's spotty, weedy and only half-trimmed, but I somehow can't imagine getting rid of all of it.. yet. Because where else would my 8 year old spin circles around (with his treasured "ninja stick"), rolling, flipping and flopping down to feel the sun on his face? I'll carve away at the edges each spring and fall (adding xeriscape bushes and beds), but will probably always leave a central "lawn" for the kids to throw balls and loll around on...
My fall project.. time to collect newspapers from my parents (we are digital at our house!) to smother the grass, cover with mulch and see what I can plant in the spring.. A perfectly unused edge to reclaim (and not have to water as much..).
I have done nothing to encourage this plant, but here it is, about to flower and produce pretty red fruits. It's a less showy passionflower vine that takes over the oregano (which has faded for the season anyway). I'm interested to see how the chickens take to the fruits..
Psst.. Hey bluebonnet. wrong season. Fun to see it anyways.. Neglected all summer it must be happy in it's spot. I'll sprinkle more seeds around it in the next few weeks (have to remember to refridgerate them!) to have a show next spring..
We got rid of all our St Augustine except for a small patch out back that is just big enough for romping and rolling around. A little bit of grassy lawn for kids and dogs to play on can be a good thing.
ReplyDeleteThat passion vine is a beauty. Do you see Gulf Fritillary butterflies on yours? Passion vine is a favorite host plant for them. I get excited over early bluebonnet rosettes because those are the ones that often grow to impressive size the next season. I put seed out several times each year from June through October, but like toddlers bluebonnets seem happiest to do it themselves and choose their own spots.
I'm slowly getting rid of the grass, bed by bed! It's slow work.. I suppose I could hire some guys to do it but it's strangely therapeutic to do it myself!
DeleteThe Gulf Frittilaries seem to favor a different passionflower that I have volunteering (a darker one with more scalloped leaves). They both do well!