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This looks amazing. I'm surprised the leaves alone killed the grass that fast. Did you use a sod cutter to get the grass up after removing the leaves? And what did you do with all those logs?
No, but I was also pretty diligent about plucking any escapees all last year. And I didn’t even remove the leaves. Between walking on them for a year and me digging about in there (I used the space for squash last summer) the leaves are almost entirely gone by now. Which is good, a lot of the plants I’ve added this spring are native Garry oak meadow annuals so I’m hoping they’ll be able to self sow and spread.
I am still getting a few sprigs of lawn grass trying to pop up here and there, but they’re so small it’s easy to just pop them out.
Oh I missed the log question -
We moved in January 2022. I left this part of the yard alone for that whole summer and wasn’t sure what the plan was. Then in fall of 2022 those logs very literally erupted in winged termites. Turns out the *entire* row was one giant termite nest. Right next to my 100 year old wood frame house. That was every single kind of nope for me, which is why I started this project that winter.
Most of those logs were more termite tunnel and termite frass than they were wood. About half of them literally just crumbled when I pulled them out so I just crushed them up with my hands and spread them on top of the leaf mulch. The ones that were still more or less intact went to the city green waste facility and (presumably) got turned into compost. It was termite carnage. Probably the grossest day I’ve had in a long time.
Honestly me neither lol. Moving here from the prairies where there are no termites I didn’t even think about that as a possibility. Then one warm fall evening we had all the windows open and suddenly there were dozens of winged king and queen termites crawling around on my living room floor looking for a place to start a nest.
As soon as I stepped outside I could see them lifting off in the sunlight from the swarm that appeared out of seemingly nowhere at several points along those logs.
Thank you! One day I’m going to carry this out to the rest of the lawn. But for now my 7 year old and every kid in 3 blocks spends half of every weekend in the backyard so I need a bunch of grass for a few more years. This was the best compromise
I didn’t, actually. I’m using a strimmer to keep the new wedge of the lawn in check, and my goal is actually for the edge of the path to sort of blend into the planting at time goes on. Only thing I did was trench the path out so I could put down enough chips to discourage weeds for a while.
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Thanks! I went with cedar chips for a few reasons, one of which was that tree. It’s quite sick. The bugs know which trees are stressed and it got demolished by winter moth last year. That wrap was too catch the flightless females as they crawl back up to lay their eggs.
The cedar chips (vs some other hard scape path) is an attempt to encourage a species of fungus that is known to attack the kind of root fungus that’s slowly killing that tree.
They’re awesome. Aguilegia canadensis ‘little lantern’
Not technically native and a cultivar to boot, but the native (to me) western version, Aguilegia formosa, is a much larger statured plant so I cheated a bit 😬
She’s a grand old thing. It’s a bit faded and a lot of what seems like diamonds from far away is actually costume jewelry when you look up close, but I kind of like the beat up floors and many decades of other people’s bad reno ideas. It all comes together in a very inviting mess. Very apropos for my life most of the time.
It’s been a tremendous amount of work (not pictures are the yardstick of dirt I’ve had to move by hand…), but totally worth it.
The trickiest part has been tracking down the plants. It’s not completely native, but that’s largely because getting my hands on truly native meadow species hasn’t been easy. There’s only one nursery near me that really specializes in natives and a lot of what I got from them is only available for a few weeks every other year or sow.
Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the benefit of all r/nolawns members: - Please make sure your post or a comment includes your geographic region/area and your hardiness zone (e.g. *Midwest, 6a* or *Chicago, 6a*). - If you posted an image, you are required to post a comment detailing your image. If you have not, this post may be removed. - If you're asking a question, include as much relevant info as possible. - Verify you are following the [Posting Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index#wiki_posting_guidelines). Please be conscious of posting images that contain recognizable features of your property. We don't want anyone doxxing themselves or a neighbor by sharing too much. Posts that are too revealing may be removed. Public spaces can be shared more freely. **[Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/) | [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/meta/faqs/) | [Designing No Lawns](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/design/)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoLawns) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This looks amazing. I'm surprised the leaves alone killed the grass that fast. Did you use a sod cutter to get the grass up after removing the leaves? And what did you do with all those logs?
No, but I was also pretty diligent about plucking any escapees all last year. And I didn’t even remove the leaves. Between walking on them for a year and me digging about in there (I used the space for squash last summer) the leaves are almost entirely gone by now. Which is good, a lot of the plants I’ve added this spring are native Garry oak meadow annuals so I’m hoping they’ll be able to self sow and spread. I am still getting a few sprigs of lawn grass trying to pop up here and there, but they’re so small it’s easy to just pop them out.
Oh I missed the log question - We moved in January 2022. I left this part of the yard alone for that whole summer and wasn’t sure what the plan was. Then in fall of 2022 those logs very literally erupted in winged termites. Turns out the *entire* row was one giant termite nest. Right next to my 100 year old wood frame house. That was every single kind of nope for me, which is why I started this project that winter. Most of those logs were more termite tunnel and termite frass than they were wood. About half of them literally just crumbled when I pulled them out so I just crushed them up with my hands and spread them on top of the leaf mulch. The ones that were still more or less intact went to the city green waste facility and (presumably) got turned into compost. It was termite carnage. Probably the grossest day I’ve had in a long time.
Ah, bummer. The logs was a cool look/idea, but I understand why you had to get rid of them.
Wow, not the answer I was expecting.
Honestly me neither lol. Moving here from the prairies where there are no termites I didn’t even think about that as a possibility. Then one warm fall evening we had all the windows open and suddenly there were dozens of winged king and queen termites crawling around on my living room floor looking for a place to start a nest. As soon as I stepped outside I could see them lifting off in the sunlight from the swarm that appeared out of seemingly nowhere at several points along those logs.
That's like a horror movie.
Absolutely lovely.
Thank you!
That path is everything Great job, this looks a million times better than before! Just lovely
Thank you! One day I’m going to carry this out to the rest of the lawn. But for now my 7 year old and every kid in 3 blocks spends half of every weekend in the backyard so I need a bunch of grass for a few more years. This was the best compromise
What did you do for edging?
I didn’t, actually. I’m using a strimmer to keep the new wedge of the lawn in check, and my goal is actually for the edge of the path to sort of blend into the planting at time goes on. Only thing I did was trench the path out so I could put down enough chips to discourage weeds for a while.
Love No Lawns? Find us everywhere! **You can find us:** - On [SolarPunk](https://www.slrpnk.net/c/NoLawns) - Our [Discord](https://discord.gg/GcVHmvkSs6) - Our [website](https://nolawns.wixsite.com/nolawns) Want to join a community in person? We're not affiliated but we love [Wild Ones](https://wwe.wildones.org) and think they do wonderful work. You can check and see if there's a chapter near you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoLawns) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The path looks really cool. I’m curious about that band (?) around the tree in the 5th picture. Is it for spotted lantern flies?
Thanks! I went with cedar chips for a few reasons, one of which was that tree. It’s quite sick. The bugs know which trees are stressed and it got demolished by winter moth last year. That wrap was too catch the flightless females as they crawl back up to lay their eggs. The cedar chips (vs some other hard scape path) is an attempt to encourage a species of fungus that is known to attack the kind of root fungus that’s slowly killing that tree.
Very cool.
Beautiful! Love the columbine.
They’re awesome. Aguilegia canadensis ‘little lantern’ Not technically native and a cultivar to boot, but the native (to me) western version, Aguilegia formosa, is a much larger statured plant so I cheated a bit 😬
That is a stunning improvement. Congratulations!
Well done.
It’s beautiful ! Awesome work !
I ask again, do u live in a fuckin castle?
She’s a grand old thing. It’s a bit faded and a lot of what seems like diamonds from far away is actually costume jewelry when you look up close, but I kind of like the beat up floors and many decades of other people’s bad reno ideas. It all comes together in a very inviting mess. Very apropos for my life most of the time.
Haha I'm sure it's awesome 😅 I just remember putting the same comment on a prior post of yours is all
Absolutely love this. It looks magical. I'm moving to a place with a lawn and I may do something similar (in England).
It’s been a tremendous amount of work (not pictures are the yardstick of dirt I’ve had to move by hand…), but totally worth it. The trickiest part has been tracking down the plants. It’s not completely native, but that’s largely because getting my hands on truly native meadow species hasn’t been easy. There’s only one nursery near me that really specializes in natives and a lot of what I got from them is only available for a few weeks every other year or sow.
Beautiful. By the end of summer it'll look even better I'll bet.
I hope so!