I’m probably the only one that will truly appreciate these before & after photos. It’s not really something that’s going to be impressive to most. It’s weird to get excited about a patch of plain old grass, but when you started with a pile of gravel topped with a tangle of snakes and ivy (both english and poison) grass is something to celebrate!
Daniel and I try to DIY as many home projects as we can, but we let the professionals handle this section of our yard with a bulldozer. They cleared the brush, removed the thick layer of gravel that was underneath, and brought in topsoil to level the area out a bit. We don’t even have sod in our front yard, but the landscaper said it would help hold the new soil in place on the hill. Supposedly this is a new sort of bermuda grass that is specifically for shade areas. Fingers crossed! We still have a bit of clearing to do under the deck, but I think it looks a million times better. It’s so nice to reclaim another section of our overgrown yard!
Just a little public service announcement… don’t ever plant english ivy in your yard. It is pure evil. Sure it’s a great ground cover, but it’s also a great everything-else-in-your-entire-yard cover. A previous owner of our house planted it, and it has taken over. We’re constantly fighting it back as it tries to smother our house in vines, and the roots are so strong that they actually damage our siding. It grows so quickly that you can almost see it moving. Consider yourself warned!
 |
The new sod looks very nice. We always wrestled with honeysuckle and poison ivy trying to cover the earth when I was growing up so I am not a vine person!
I can appreciate these photos very much…our lawn looks much more like the former :o)
Hurray for grass! I am so happy for you and your new lawn. May the grass grow abundantly and the ivy stay away.
I am excited for you! – the grassy spot looks WAY more inviting than the shrubbery
Great transformation! And I totally agree about the ivy! WHY would ANYONE plant that stuff on purpose???
it looks great! my husband and i have realized that we can’t be good at everything–and yardwork is one of them! good for you for hiring a landscaper!
Nono, I absolutely appreciate your before/after shots. I have a couple similar posts on my blog (linked above) wherein I’ve been attempting to tackle a similar yard-mess all on my own. It may not look shmancy when it’s done, but it feels so good knowing what you started with.
That ivy can really stress your trees when it’s growing all over them too. The sod looks good! (and it added more useable space to your yard!)
It looks great!
Thanks guys! :)
ooh it looks very nice =)
Wow! That looks fantastic!
The grass looks great! Another little hint – don’t EVER plant bamboo in the ground. In pots, yes. But not the ground. It grows furiously fast (they used to torture POWS with it as it grew!Ick!), and completely takes root and is almost impossible to get out.
Your yard looks lovely…
Yup, Grass Rocks! Looks fab!
Try to find the root area and cut the growth off. Keep doing it as it starves the plant and loosens its grip on things. It was growing into our stonework on our house and we manged to get it off without causing too much damage by doing this. It also starves he roots as it can’t photosynthesise when you’ve removed the connection to the leaves.