REPLACE THE LAWN AND GO DROUGHT TOLERANT

Ack, sometimes grass is just too much  trouble.  I'm not anti-lawn by any means, its a lovely soothing foreground for flowers, and I love watching the birds that are attracted by grass lawns picking for seeds and bugs.


But.... sometimes its just too much trouble....


My front yard was blah with so-so fescue turf, bald spots, and weeds.  Not to mention, boring.  So a while back I dug it up, rototilled the soil, and planted a butterfly garden.


INGREDIENTS:


Burgundy and White Iceberg roses


Goodwin Creek and Spanish Bee lavenders


Pink Princess Indian hawthorne (Rhaphiolepsis)


Wheelers Dwarf pittosporum


Tuscan Blue rosemary


Teuchrium


Salvia


Gaura


Mallow


Cuphea


Chrysanthemum, Coreopsis, Aeoniums, Asters, and annual flowers


I laid a flagstone path in a bed of sand and filled the gaps with pea gravel, and laid down shredded bark for mulch.


Here is how it looked before:


Front garden before   


Front garden before a


And here is what it looks like now, a year later...


   Front yard 2


Front yard June 09


p.s.  Here is the other side of the driveway, kind of matching:


Left front walk march 09