First time homeowner. Our back yard is pretty patchy with some Bermuda grass but also has loads of what looks like horseherb. I’d appreciate any advice on how to get my lawn healthy or any do’s/dont’s.
Thank you.
Do you want grass or flowers? Start spreading seeds now! Imagine a whole corner filled with bluebonnets, or you could install an intentional butterfly garden. How about hummingbirds? Start planting some salvias or aloes. You have so many options!
crushedbykeri
Poop
iamseam0nster
Would look great with more doggos
Texas_Naturalist
That mixed St Augustine grass and horseherb is actually great, I try to keep large parts of my partly-shaded lawn looking like this. It takes less water than pure turfgrass and is less work. I’d just mow it as needed and be super vigilant in spring to weed out the real baddies like hedge parsely.
AuntFlash
I think your lawn looks fine! I love horseherb. Mine is doing so great right now. It may go dormant during hot summer months with a drought and some of winter but it bounces back really fast.
As a first time homeowner, I highly recommend to you that you consider trees!! If you have trees, get an arborist to check them over for health and offer any recommendations. It looks like your yards may be tree-free. Consider planting something that will give you great shade in the future. An oak tree supports a ton of wildlife and actually hosts a lot of butterflies! The fall is the best time to plant trees, so it’s perfect timing to make a plan now.
There are a bunch of smaller trees native to here if shade isn’t your thing. or maybe you want to do solar in the future Oh I also recommend diversifying. If your neighbors all have one tree, get something different. My yard used to be filled with ash trees and they all died in our 2021 late winter storm. If I’d had more diversity, I would still have shade.
Fall is also a great time to put new native plants (or seeds) in the ground for a butterfly garden! I recommend Gregg’s Mistflower, Blackfoot Daisy, Autumn Sage, Zexmenia, White Mistflower, Mealy Blue Sage and consider seeds of annual native wildflowers like bluebonnets, fire wheel, bee balm, etc.
Also don’t automatically jump into a pest control contract. They spray chemicals that are horrible for our pollinators, birds and even ourselves as it enters the groundwater. If you have pest issues come up in the house just deal with them as they show up.
7 Comments
Talk to the plant cowboy https://www.plantcowboy.com/products/comprehensive-native-plant-design-1
This lawn is perfectly fine and healthy.
Do you want grass or flowers? Start spreading seeds now! Imagine a whole corner filled with bluebonnets, or you could install an intentional butterfly garden. How about hummingbirds? Start planting some salvias or aloes. You have so many options!
Poop
Would look great with more doggos
That mixed St Augustine grass and horseherb is actually great, I try to keep large parts of my partly-shaded lawn looking like this. It takes less water than pure turfgrass and is less work. I’d just mow it as needed and be super vigilant in spring to weed out the real baddies like hedge parsely.
I think your lawn looks fine! I love horseherb. Mine is doing so great right now. It may go dormant during hot summer months with a drought and some of winter but it bounces back really fast.
As a first time homeowner, I highly recommend to you that you consider trees!! If you have trees, get an arborist to check them over for health and offer any recommendations. It looks like your yards may be tree-free. Consider planting something that will give you great shade in the future. An oak tree supports a ton of wildlife and actually hosts a lot of butterflies! The fall is the best time to plant trees, so it’s perfect timing to make a plan now.
There are a bunch of smaller trees native to here if shade isn’t your thing. or maybe you want to do solar in the future Oh I also recommend diversifying. If your neighbors all have one tree, get something different. My yard used to be filled with ash trees and they all died in our 2021 late winter storm. If I’d had more diversity, I would still have shade.
Fall is also a great time to put new native plants (or seeds) in the ground for a butterfly garden! I recommend Gregg’s Mistflower, Blackfoot Daisy, Autumn Sage, Zexmenia, White Mistflower, Mealy Blue Sage and consider seeds of annual native wildflowers like bluebonnets, fire wheel, bee balm, etc.
Also don’t automatically jump into a pest control contract. They spray chemicals that are horrible for our pollinators, birds and even ourselves as it enters the groundwater. If you have pest issues come up in the house just deal with them as they show up.