Hello all! I bought this house last April and we inherited a bit of a mess. I did basic mowing and trimming through last summer just to keep things in check but I’d like to do a little more this year. Where should I start with this? The front yard gets tons of sun, not a lot in the back. Eventually I’ll have someone come out and redo the path but that’s probably not until the fall or even next spring. Any general advice and maintenance tips will be appreciated!
I live in Anne arrundel county MD if that affects anything.
by extrapretzelsplease
8 Comments
I personally would have 1-2 pallets of sod delivered and just start over/sod most of it. Wouldn’t take much prep work in the back, and the front area is pretty small.
You have a pretty good start going. I use Scott’s products and let them do the work. Look at their site and get a product for grass. By next year you’ll have next to no weeds and nice green grass. Maybe some other products will work also — I started with Scott’s and have just stayed there. Looking good — Nice.
First thing you need to do is rip that English ivy off the back fence immediately. It will rot the wood and take over the entire yard if you let it. Get the roots out now while the ground is soft. Rake up the heavy mats of oak leaves and pull out those rotting landscape timbers. You can leave a thin layer of leaves to break down but you need a thick layer of arborist wood chips over that bare dirt to build the soil biology before you plant anything. Since you are redoing that path later just focus on prepping a clean slate back there. The heavy shade means you will eventually want sweeping masses of native ferns and sedges for a groundcover layer instead of fighting for turf.
Out front you have a tiny weed patch that is not worth starting a mower for. Stop fighting it and kill the lawn entirely by smothering it with cardboard and mulch right now. A space that small with full Maryland sun should be a continuous layered bed. You need structure so plant a low native evergreen shrub for winter bones and sweep creeping phlox or native grasses around it. Tie those isolated foundation beds right into the main space so it flows together into a single texture instead of looking like scattered clutter. Build the soil this season and you will be ready to plant proper layers in the fall.
The best place to start is assessing the sun and soil. Since your front yard gets lots of sun, focus there first- mow regularly, edge beds, and remove any weeds. For the shady back, pick shade-tolerant plants or groundcovers instead of trying to force sun-loving grass. Spring is a good time to fertilize your lawn lightly and add mulch around trees and beds to suppress weeds and retain moisture. Clean up debris, prune overgrown shrubs, and plan any big projects like paths for the fall so the lawn has time to settle. Keeping up with basic mowing, watering, and occasional weeding will make the yard look cared-for while you plan bigger changes.
Blow torch and some gasoline
It looks lovely. I’d start by thinking about how you want to use the space. Do you want an area to sit? Somewhere to grow veggies? Encourage wildlife? More flowers? Then I’d start googling plants that suit the conditions you have. Good luck!
Artificial turf, or decretive river rock.
Green spray paint!