Just got this house, the lawn is absolutely dead it seems like. Does anyone have any good ideas on what to plant to make it not disgusting and brown. Thanks!
Southern California is my area. It’s currently late October
Tornado_dude
Plant plants native to your region
um_ok_try_again
Plant pollinators!!!!
MomoNoHanna1986
That’s actually a really good size for a native garden! You already have pathways around it.
BlissfulAsABee23
Throw native seed mix and run.
solariscool
Xeriscape
OutrageousVariation7
So the first thing you should do is sheet mulch. Get plain cardboard and make sure to remove any plastic bits. Lay it out so there are no gaps, wet it down. If you are not ready to plant quite yet, put a thick layer of wood chips over it. Let that break down over the winter. It will smother and kill the grass without removing any of the good bacteria and such in the soil.
If you are eager to plant right away, then put soil on top of the cardboard. Ideally some of the native soil around you. Then you can dig through and cut a hole in the cardboard to plant.
The first option is less work and it will give you a chance to learn about your plants options. Native plants should do fine with your soil and there are some gorgeous native plant gardens in southern CA.
Join some native plant subs for your area and ask for recommendations. It’s funny it is called r/ceanothus because that is a gorgeous plant. Its common name is CA lilac. Go find your local native plant nursery and wander around there.
Ask for book recommendations too. You want books with lots of pictures. I liked Hot Color, Dry Garden.
Also see if there is any rebate for removing your lawn or grants for native plants from your city or your water utility.
Good luck!
CharlesV_
Check out the links in automod for the wild ones garden designs and the NWF keystone species data. This is a really good size for a small pollinator garden. Removing the turf grass should be pretty easy with a shovel or hoe. If it’s currently being irrigated, you might be able to kill it off just by turning the water off. You could also just use tarps to smother it.
If you find some inspiration on r/ceanothus or here and want to do it all at once, you could. Or you could start adding native plants and expand over time. Unless you really need to, I wouldn’t worry about buying soil. Most native plants which are adapted to your region will do just fine in the native soil.
stephy1771
It seems dead now but if you want it dead, trust me it will NOT die LOL
The state has lots of resources on using native plants and/or xeriscaping, and extension offices and conservation districts and water districts will have info too. Pick plants for your county & narrow the options based on how much sun this spot gets.
Remove it!!! Grass is a waste of space and money. Rip it out!!
Put in native plants and succulents, if gardening isn’t your thing. If you do enjoy the time outside, in the dirt. Plant a couple columnar, or mini fruit trees, and add some raised beds, for a garden. Produce food!!
msmaynards
Southern California? Many water companies are paying out for lawn removal. Check on that before touching the ‘dead’ lawn.
I’m in Orange County California and I got excited to do this with a very similar front lawn to yours. Honestly I used ChatGPT a lot to help me with the thousand questions I had and ended up doing the cardboard/mulch, method to kill the grass for 7 weeks. Now I cut holes in it and put in some native plants and when we get some rain I’m going to see some California poppies and yarrow. It’s been a wonderful project and I’ve learned a lot! I think it will look killer in the spring and I hope it supports lots of native critters!
12 Comments
Southern California is my area. It’s currently late October
Plant plants native to your region
Plant pollinators!!!!
That’s actually a really good size for a native garden! You already have pathways around it.
Throw native seed mix and run.
Xeriscape
So the first thing you should do is sheet mulch. Get plain cardboard and make sure to remove any plastic bits. Lay it out so there are no gaps, wet it down. If you are not ready to plant quite yet, put a thick layer of wood chips over it. Let that break down over the winter. It will smother and kill the grass without removing any of the good bacteria and such in the soil.
If you are eager to plant right away, then put soil on top of the cardboard. Ideally some of the native soil around you. Then you can dig through and cut a hole in the cardboard to plant.
The first option is less work and it will give you a chance to learn about your plants options. Native plants should do fine with your soil and there are some gorgeous native plant gardens in southern CA.
Join some native plant subs for your area and ask for recommendations. It’s funny it is called r/ceanothus because that is a gorgeous plant. Its common name is CA lilac. Go find your local native plant nursery and wander around there.
Ask for book recommendations too. You want books with lots of pictures. I liked Hot Color, Dry Garden.
Also see if there is any rebate for removing your lawn or grants for native plants from your city or your water utility.
Good luck!
Check out the links in automod for the wild ones garden designs and the NWF keystone species data. This is a really good size for a small pollinator garden. Removing the turf grass should be pretty easy with a shovel or hoe. If it’s currently being irrigated, you might be able to kill it off just by turning the water off. You could also just use tarps to smother it.
If you find some inspiration on r/ceanothus or here and want to do it all at once, you could. Or you could start adding native plants and expand over time. Unless you really need to, I wouldn’t worry about buying soil. Most native plants which are adapted to your region will do just fine in the native soil.
It seems dead now but if you want it dead, trust me it will NOT die LOL
The state has lots of resources on using native plants and/or xeriscaping, and extension offices and conservation districts and water districts will have info too. Pick plants for your county & narrow the options based on how much sun this spot gets.
https://pw.lacounty.gov/core-service-areas/water-resources/waterworks-districts/xeriscape-education/
Remove it!!! Grass is a waste of space and money. Rip it out!!
Put in native plants and succulents, if gardening isn’t your thing. If you do enjoy the time outside, in the dirt. Plant a couple columnar, or mini fruit trees, and add some raised beds, for a garden. Produce food!!
Southern California? Many water companies are paying out for lawn removal. Check on that before touching the ‘dead’ lawn.
Go with native plants. See r/Ceanothus and [calscape.org](http://calscape.org) to start out. Check out the workshops at [https://waterwisegardenplanner.org/resources/](https://waterwisegardenplanner.org/resources/) for how tos. See [https://www.laspilitas.com/comhabit/90000.htm](https://www.laspilitas.com/comhabit/90000.htm) for your actual native plant community.
I’m in Orange County California and I got excited to do this with a very similar front lawn to yours. Honestly I used ChatGPT a lot to help me with the thousand questions I had and ended up doing the cardboard/mulch, method to kill the grass for 7 weeks. Now I cut holes in it and put in some native plants and when we get some rain I’m going to see some California poppies and yarrow. It’s been a wonderful project and I’ve learned a lot! I think it will look killer in the spring and I hope it supports lots of native critters!