PATIO AND LANDSCAPE
In an effort to reduce water use and time spent caring for lawns, some gardeners are replacing their turf with thyme. Thyme is an ideal grass alternative. It requires less water, is generally tough (see “walking on thyme” below), drought resistant, hardy all the way north to zone 4 if it’s healthy, and will spread easily to fill in most of the space that you want it to. Best thing: it becomes a carpet of attractive, lavender-colored flowers that lasts long into the season. If you’re looking to replace your thirsty grass with something more xeric, consider thyme. There are downsides to putting in a thyme lawn. It can be expensive. When you’re planting plugs of thyme 6 to 12 inches apart, you can burn up a lot of cash fast. Most sources recommend planting smaller areas. If you have a croquet court-sized yard (in other words, large) you might want to consider planting only part of it in thyme to start. You can always go back and expand your thyme planting another season. The other downside is the labor it takes to get your thyme in the ground. You’ll need to kill off all the grass where you intend to plant first. This can be a slow and difficult process.
In the late 90s, when I still lived in Denver, I choked out my tiny 'Nature's Choice' lawn out front with cardboard and mulch for a few months to pursue a years' old fantasy.....a mint lawn. A few months later when I sure all the grass had died, I sprigged the area with runners of 'Candy Mint', which in that rich soil quickly colonized the mulched soil. I then set native flagstones atop the lawn to connect my front sidewalk to the flagstone pathway in my south rose garden. This 'Candy Mint' lawn needed just a couple deep waterings a month, and as I'd always imagined, was sheer bliss to mow with my little pushmower, my whole front yard reeking of 'Wrigley's Spearmint Gum'. Every once in a while, I'd skip mowing for a few weeks to let the mint get tall, than make a massive harvest using scissors, and dried the mint indoors to store in jars to use in winter. Since I already had a patch of the mint growing by a rain gutter, and the cardboard and mulch were free, and already had a pile of the flagstone, the cost of the conversion was VERY minimal. Tired of watering and mowing a demanding grass lawn and live in a colder climate? Give it a try! John
Rig a lookout platform Hester the pug likes to survey the world from her rocky perch in a West Seattle garden. If you plant landscaped areas densely, dogs will generally stay out. Still, most dog owners recommend additional precautions: Plant in raised beds or on mounds, and start with 1-gallon or larger plants. Put up temporary fencing around newly landscaped areas; when you remove it, add a rock border or low fencing as a reminder to stay out. Plant romp-proof shrubs and perennials like ornamental grasses around the edge of the garden. Put brittle plants like salvias in the center, where they'll be protected.
Keep them safe If you have a Houdini and need to keep your escape artist from tunneling under the fence, you may need to install an underground barrier made of rebar, chicken wire, or poured concrete. Here, a fence underlined with boards keeps 4 Welsh springer spaniels from tunneling into the front yard in Battle Ground WA.
Keep them safe If you have a Houdini and need to keep your escape artist from tunneling under the fence, you may need to install an underground barrier made of rebar, chicken wire, or poured concrete. Here, a fence underlined with boards keeps 4 Welsh springer spaniels from tunneling into the front yard in Battle Ground WA.
Set up paths to run and patrol Dogs need exercise; paths give them a designated space to do it as well as a venue to perform their perceived job―to patrol your property line. Readers suggested sacrificing a few feet along the fence for a perimeter path to simultaneously satisfy both needs. If your dogs have already created their own paths through the garden, don't try to redirect them. Instead, turn their well-worn routes into proper pathways. A 3-foot-wide clearance is enough for most dogs. Plant a screen to hide this dog run if you like; pets seem to like having their own "secret garden."
Think like a canine If you were a dog, what would you want? Each breed has a different personality. The better you can accommodate its particular traits, the happier your dog. And the happier your dog, the better your chance of maintaining a garden you'll both enjoy. This dog-friendly yard includes a running track, border control, comfy mulch, sensible plants, and a piece of driftwood to serve as a marking post.
Replace the lawn In this front yard, the homeowner installed a meadow of sturdy, no-mow fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’) instead of turf, for lower water usage and maintenance. Purple smoke tree (Cotinus ‘Grace’) and river birch (Betula nigra) flank the entry. Evergreen manzanita (Arctostaphylos x densiflora ‘Austin Griffiths’) and dwarf Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides ‘Iceberg’) fill in near the house.
dog friendly back yard Pick power materials Plants with soft, sturdy foliage, such as ornamental grasses, can stand up to dogs without injuring them. Along the side of this house, large clumps of maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Adagio’) are the perfect height to provide greenery without blocking the view from the windows. Pink-hued plumes emerge later in summer. The grass holds its shape all winter and needs just one shearing in early spring. Use paw-friendly paving materials, such as splinter-free bark mulch and flagstone. Here, a 4-inch-thick layer of bark mulch along with hard-packed decomposed granite keep the unplanted expanses weed-free. With that kind of open space to play, the homeowner's three dogs haven’t done any harm to the garden’s plantings.
Envelop spaces Playful geometry breaks this backyard into dining and seating circles. The circular landing pads filled with decomposed granite are great for lounging and dining in the backyard, edged by easy-care plants all soft and sturdy enough to withstand dogs—who can run around in the unplanted, unpaved space. Fat, dwarf Atlantic white cedars (Chamaecyparis thyoides ‘Heather Bun’) enclose the 10-foot-wide dining area, while ornamental grasses, shrubs, and perennials define the 12-foot-wide seating space. A flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’) shades both circles.
great colors.. great railing
love these steps and stones
open steps for light
like steps
front yard steps
can we have a south window with a pretty side yard
Comfortflo HR 72" x 42" Biscuit 25-Jet Dual Massage Whirlpool Bathtub Model Number: 7242HRH_Biscuit
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