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Turf & Groundcovers

My neighbor has begun his summer lawn watering routine. Mid morning he drags his hose into the front yard and sets up his oscillating sprinkler. It gracefully sprays water into the air as it slowly shifts from side to side. Several hours later he moves the set up across the yard and begins the  process again. This repeats several times throughout the day, as he makes sure that the entire yard gets its share of water. By the end of the day, water is flowing down the street. Each time I watch this, I wonder how many gallons are being used to water the street instead of his grass. Here, in mid Missouri where our water rates are high, that’s an expensive mistake.

Whether you're thinking about your own home, or planning for large, commercial properties, the dead of winter, before the season starts,  is the best time to find the landscape maintenance company that meets your particular needs. In almost every community across the nation, there are dozens of landscape maintenance companies available  –  everything from small, local businesses to huge, nationally recognized names   that offer a range of services. While it might seem overwhelming to sift through all the options, finding the right company now can wind up saving you time, money and frustration in the future.

A few years ago my husband and I took a short vacation in Arizona. While we were there, I fell in love with the desert and with desert-inspired landscapes. Rather than seeing a barren wasteland of rock and sand, which is what my preconceived notion was, I saw a place filled with unexpected beauty and an overwhelming sense of tranquility. Life seemed totally in balance there, taking and giving in equal measures. Earlier this year we talked about going back there to tour the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix before the hard winter set in, but we just didn’t make it. Snowmaggedon hit first and trapped us here. 

Although it’s hard to believe with temperatures hitting the upper nineties on a daily basis, fall really is rapidly approaching. That means it’s time to start scheduling the critical fall turf tasks that help keep your lawn area healthy throughout the winter and help jump start spring growth.

Just like in making other garden choices, the old adage “the right plant in the right spot” applies to ornamental grasses too. While many thrive in full sun and dry soil, some prefer a little shade and consistent moisture. Some are towering, structural specimens perfect as a focal point, others are diminutive varieties, better suited to edging a border. Some are cool season, some warm. Knowing the typical characteristics of the ornamental grasses you are considering before you do any planting can help you choose just the right one.

The cicada Armageddon has ended here. The endless droning has subsided.  I can now walk across my yard without being attacked by miniature flying torpedoes or crunching a plethora of brown carcasses with each step.

I have definitely been enjoying the quiet and have been looking forward to a time of peace in the garden.  And then my son-in-law, the arborist, stopped by and announced, “The Japanese beetles are here, and it looks like a bad year.”  I really wanted him to be wrong, but, as usual, it appears that he was right.  They are here  –  and they are hungry.

It never ceases to amaze me how much work there is left to do in my gardens in November. Even though the blooms are long gone and the foliage is a squishy shade of greenish-gray, I need to motivate myself to bundle up, get outside and get to work. There are 10 chores that, if done now, will make my spring garden thrive.

According to NASA’s latest satellite pictures, the United States currently boasts 49,000 square miles of lawn area. That’s larger than the entire state of Mississippi and the nation’s single-most irrigated “crop.”  It’s also one of the most expensive, costing Americans roughly 76 billion dollars a year and 14 hours a week to maintain. But, where did this obsession with a lush, green lawn originate?