Grass, landscaping, and yard gurus..

rockcity

rockcity

everyday is a chance to get better
Joined
Apr 10, 2005
Location
Greenville, NC
so I’m going to start building a house this summer and the need for some yard and grass ideas will come up soon as I plan the project.


I lack the green thumb my father has but can maintain pretty decent once I have what I want.

The house will be in Greenville, NC. The soil is mostly a sandy loam but has some good organics as it’s adjacent to a creek and is currently wooded with some good topsoil.

I currently have St Augustine and hate it. It looks pretty in summer but I hate that it turns brown in winter. It’s also not nearly as pleasant on bare feet as I’d like. I like grass that is soft and green all year long. The lot is wooded so it will have some areas of partial shade throughout the day; nothing would really be considered full sun unless I clear out more trees.

What grass options exist that would fit the bill?


Also, as far as hardscape options, anyone have a good source for belgian block? Looking for various sizes for multiple applications. Small blocks are easy to find but the 4’ long curbing is harder to find locally. I’m sure I’d have to ship it in from western NC...
 
Yucca, azaleas (native to NC) I think, Lantanas, butterfly bushes we love them in VA, Rosemary for low borders on gardens, irises are one thing I’ve spent many years digging up and splitting bulbs as a kid for ma’s garden they thrive and come back every year regardless of weather! Pine needles are great for weed prevention in the Carolinas but pita to keep looking nice all year which mulch isn’t much easier really! Yellow jasmine also. Now for shubs, trees or bushes camellia are one of my favorite plants and add nice accents to entrances or decks they will grow up lattices nicely, lavender, juniper, rose creek abelias, really the hardest part is gettin a pic of landscape layout and the placement tho, so each plant, tree,shrub compliments itself! When you get to that point of it post a pic of I may be able to help out a little I’m not expert tho. For grass what @trailhugger said it’s what I told everyone to grow when I landscaped back in my younger days!
 
Butterfly bush is invasive, so either avoid it or plan to keep it in check by planting in a container or border area and chopping it back hard in mid-February.

Aucuba Japonica, spirea, lorapetalum, thuja, azalea, cleyera, & ligustrum are all foundation plants I really like, most with year-round interest.

Smaller or seasonal ideas are Lenten rose, stonecrop, bulbs, irises, daisies, and black-eyed susans.
 
Good deal. We love azaleas and have quite a few at our current house.

Come to think of it, there are quite a few on our new land. The neighbor planted them along the back of their yard but just so happens they are on my new property. Guess I’ll just dig em up and repurpose.
 
ponykilr said:
Unless you Put in a good irrigation system, you ain’t getting fescue to live in Greenville and even then it’ll go dormant in July and August.
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Water table is pretty shallow and half of the property is within the 100yr flood plain and everything is wooded. I do plan on an irrigation system as well. I do want nice pretty green grass all year. I’ll do AstroTurf before I put centipede or St Augustine in. :lol:
 
I am a zoysia fan, and my variety, called compadre, is designed to look like fescue and to be over seeded in the fall with ttt fescue. I have not overseeded it as they recommend waiting 3 seasons. Last year was my second season after seeding it. Yes, it and Zenith are available as seed.


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rockcity said:
so I’m going to start building a house this summer and the need for some yard and grass ideas will come up soon as I plan the project.


I lack the green thumb my father has but can maintain pretty decent once I have what I want.

The house will be in Greenville, NC. The soil is mostly a sandy loam but has some good organics as it’s adjacent to a creek and is currently wooded with some good topsoil.

I currently have St Augustine and hate it. It looks pretty in summer but I hate that it turns brown in winter. It’s also not nearly as pleasant on bare feet as I’d like. I like grass that is soft and green all year long. The lot is wooded so it will have some areas of partial shade throughout the day; nothing would really be considered full sun unless I clear out more trees.

What grass options exist that would fit the bill?


Also, as far as hardscape options, anyone have a good source for belgian block? Looking for various sizes for multiple applications. Small blocks are easy to find but the 4’ long curbing is harder to find locally. I’m sure I’d have to ship it in from western NC...
Click to expand...
Year round green grass or even a good cool season turf is going to be hard to maintain in Greenville, NC with sandy soil and flood plane. Any Turf Type fescue will grow but maintaining it will be a challenge. When it floods it will bring in Poa Trivialis and Poa Annua which both will eventually invade anyway. But they are green in winter too so if that's your goal, start with turf type fescue and go by regular maintenance guidelines, and fertilize it with considerations that you are in sandy soil, learn to tolerate some invading weed type grasses and you'll be fine. If you have or use a warm season turf, you can always overseed in Fall with winter rye and have beautiful green grass all winter and into Spring up until the warm season turf transitions out of dormancy.
For hardscape options, look at lots of pictures to decide what you want and then check the main manufacturers for style and price.
 
Wanted to add, the guys at Southern seeds say to never overseed Zoysia with Rye grass. Something it puts in the soil harms it.
 
Props to you guys that want green grass year long. I have way too much to mow, so I look forward to that first hard freeze when my assortment of grasses and weeds die off for the winter. My favorite grass variety is RoundUp, but I guess I'm a little different...
 
This yard isn’t going to be big, but if I’m going to have grass, might as well have it green and looking good all year long. :)
 
ponykilr said:
I am a zoysia fan, and my variety, called compadre, is designed to look like fescue and to be over seeded in the fall with ttt fescue. I have not overseeded it as they recommend waiting 3 seasons. Last year was my second season after seeding it. Yes, it and Zenith are available as seed.
Click to expand...

What's that cost/SF? I had a buddy telling me all about the killer deal he got on having his yard plugged with zoysia. I did the math, and it worked out to $15k to do the front yard and the part of the back yard close to the house. :rolleyes:
 
shawn said:
What's that cost/SF? I had a buddy telling me all about the killer deal he got on having his yard plugged with zoysia. I did the math, and it worked out to $15k to do the front yard and the part of the back yard close to the house. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
"Plugging" a yard is a fancy term for getting some sod, cutting it into pieces, and digging it in in a grid pattern so it spreads.
 
shawn said:
What's that cost/SF? I had a buddy telling me all about the killer deal he got on having his yard plugged with zoysia. I did the math, and it worked out to $15k to do the front yard and the part of the back yard close to the house. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

The seed is around $30 lb, the real “cost” in seeding is the labor (which I did myself) of killing everything, multiple times beginning end of June/first of July, then depending on any additional work needed....

Tearing up the dirt at least lawn harrow deep and removing as much grass and roots/runners as possible. If you have bermuda, begin earlier and spray more times and tear out all you can see. There are chems available that kill only Bermuda but the more you remove now the better you’ll be. Leveling and if poor soil, adding in compost (which is only $12 yard at Raleigh yard waste, and certified). A small tractor a landscape rake and a box blade are worth gold here.



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Then seed at a rate of between 1-2lbs per 1000 sq ft. Rake it in and keep is moist (do not let it dry out) for around 21 days. I watered at least 3 times a day, just enough to keep the soil moist to an inch deep. No straw, must have sunlight and heat to germinate. Seed is like Bermuda, tiny, so mix 1:1 with sand to broadcast evenly.

Once it is poking up you can reduce water to once per day until it’s around an inch. Sharp blades and begin mowing at about 1.5-2” height. It will begin to spread but is not nearly as aggressive into beds as Bermuda and is easy to control with a trimmer or edger periodically.

I let mine get to 3.5” in middle of summer to conserve water. If it’s a wet summer keep it under 2”.

It’s a process, but unless you want to spend thousands....my labor for my own self is a much better option.

Do an area and by the end of September it will have taken over very well. It will eventually even out compete Bermuda. Once an area is established (I did my entire front yard) you can repeat next year for another area or rob plugs and plug another area.

It LOVES 24D and it is your friend that first fall when the weeds try to come back. If you have POA annua you will have to get out there for some therapy and hand remove it.

Don’t edge it too deep or often around concrete as it won’t try to grow out on it like Bermuda. If you edge aggressively you will get crabgrass along the edge. Pre-emergent is not recommended the second season.
 
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