this post was submitted on 11 Sep 2024
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Nature and Gardening
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I moved into a new place in May and have been having to deal with something I've never had before... a yard
It's been a learning experience. And I want nothing more than to get rid of all the grass and do something more low maintenance. Neighbors have some creeping thyme in their yard which seems quite nice. That or clover. Also was left some planter boxes that have some sage growing in them that we're trying to find uses for. And as a sort of house warming thing a friend of mine got me some carrot and lettuce seeds!
Thyme runs and spreads pretty well among grass in my experience, and bee balms (Monarda spp) can do pretty well too for something taller, but they're so pretty I wouldn't mow them. Other good low-growers include things like wild strawberry and heal-all (Prunella vulgaris).
Autumn is also a great time to plant dormant and bare root plants to let them root over winter and early spring, for any patches you're looking to fully transition into multi-year plants.
Thanks for the tips! It's been an interesting process so far. Right now lots of weeds growing which I don't care too much about, however the HOA might get annoyed...
The thyme seems nice although it's not native to the pnw from what I understand and would like to try and have something native if possible
I haven't lived in an HOA but I have some friends that do, does yours have any guidelines or rules about garden edging or borders? One of my buddies was getting heck from his next door snitch until we put some stones around his "weeds" patch and tossed a little mulch down. Once it looked just that tiny bit more formal the complaints died down.
So the only part that is our responsibility is our backyard within our fence. Everything else is done by some landscapers once a week. I can't recall immediately if there are exact rules on how our backyard needs to be maintained, but our across the way neighbors who we've become friends with have said if a lawn gets completely overrun in weeds some neighbors may complain but really most people in the neighborhood are pretty chill
That's awesome, I'm glad they're not aggressive reporters!