Lawn Ideas, Tips & Guides

This fragrant herb softens all the wilderness in any garden with its delicate blooms and leaves and offers many practical benefits. We suggest you grow this wildflower as a garden border for several reasons! Let’s find out.

With its scaly armor, pointy ears, elongated snout, and curved claws, the armadillo is undeniably odd-looking. Belonging to the same group of mammals as sloths and anteaters, armadillos are voracious insectivores that eat large numbers of beetles, grubs, ants, termites, and other insects, grabbing them with their sticky tongues. Occasionally, they also eat small amphibians, reptiles, and their eggs.

The fall armyworm is a native species that can’t tolerate cold very well. They only overwinter in South Florida and the southernmost regions of Texas. Since they can not tolerate cold, we typically have about four to five generations per year. They begin to show up in late May to early June, but the worst damage typically occurs in August. They migrate north yearly, but their populations are lower for some years, and their damage is minimal. Damage seems worse following droughts.

As fall begins, many turfgrasses show signs of common diseases. “These fungi are always present, but disease occurs when the environmental conditions are ideal for its development,” says Clint Waltz, PhD, turfgrass specialist, Turfgrass and Education Center at the University of Georgia. “That means an extended period of humidity and temperatures in the 60s to 80s.”

Greater or broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) is a small perennial plant that grows prolifically in gardens, and is often classed as a weed. You’ll find it in borders, paths and lawns, where its leaves form a rosette from which 30cm tall flower spikes emerge in summer.

When it comes to accomplishing a home project, it can be tempting to call a pro—and in many cases, it’s a must.

What is causing this lawn to turn brown even though it has received over 5 inches of rain so far this month?

You can grow wildflowers in a border, a pot and a window box as well as in a meadow.

I’ve designed, installed, and continue to manage two meadow lawns to date. Through these gardens, as well as my own study in nature and research in references, I’ve learned a lot about what makes an effective meadow garden over the last few years.

With growing interest in waterwise gardening and water conservation, homeowners are looking for alternatives to water-hogging lawns, which are not always necessary or practical. Turfgrass can often be replaced by native grass species, ground covers, or hardscape materials and still meet your individual needs. When selecting lawn replacements, it is important to consider the various roles lawns play in the landscape and plan accordingly. Lawns provide valuable environmental services such as soil stabilization and erosion control, and they have a cooling effect on the local environment. From a design standpoint, lawns play an aesthetic role, creating openings or voids that help shape the landscape. Finally, lawns provide an area for kids, pets, and adults to play.

After a long winter, it's exciting to look forward to pulling out summer furniture when the weather warms up. But it can be disappointing when you pull out your outdoor items and they've been ruined by a rough winter and poor storage.

Liverworts are tiny plants with flattened leaves that mostly grow in shady places, damp spots, and where soil is compacted and slow to drain. Liverworts can occur in many places, including paths, paving, other hard surfaces, lawns, border soil, in greenhouses, and the surface of compost in pots. There are around 300 different species of liverwort in the UK. It’s often welcomed for the natural look it brings to gardens along with biodiversity benefits, and in many cases, there’s no need to get rid of liverwort. However, in certain situations, such as on the surface of pots of young plants or on paths which have become slippery, liverwort growth may cause problems and will need to be removed.

Mowing may be time consuming but is a critical part of maintaining a vigorous lawn. Healthy, well-managed grass not only looks better, but is more resilient to drought and other stresses. Proper mowing practices promote lush, dense turf by stimulating shoot and root growth. Lawn mowing encourages lateral shoot growth, resulting in a thicker lawn that is better able to combat weeds. These benefits are impacted by how often you mow the lawn. Mowing at regular intervals based on plant growth makes your ongoing maintenance faster and easier and ensures your lawn remains healthy and vibrant.

If your lawn is looking a little sad or sparse this year, June bugs may be to blame. These beetles emerge from the soil in spring or early summer, earning the common name of May or June bugs. “June bugs are a type of scarab beetle, with several species found in the Southeast,” says Shimat V. Joseph, PhD, associate professor of turfgrass and ornamentals, department of entomology, at theUniversity of Georgia. “They release pheromones for mating so you’ll typically see them congregating on the side of a building, often near a light.”

Fall armyworms are being reported in lawns and pastures across South Carolina. If you notice caterpillars feeding or moving in large numbers during the early morning or late evening hours, you may have an infestation.

Chances are, if you have a lawn, you have crabgrass! This fast-growing weed thrives despite heat, humidity, or drought conditions. “It’s a prolific seed producer,” says Clint Waltz, PhD, turfgrass extension specialist at theUniversity of Georgia. “If you do nothing about it this year, expect a higher and more dense population of crabgrass next year.”

Lush, green lawns are such inviting places to play and relax. Come outside, they seem to say. Bring a cold drink and kick back in the hammock. But keeping grass so lush and green often requires fertilizers, pesticides, and water—lots and lots of water. Ready for a shock? A 2005 NASA-led study found that in most U.S. regions, 50 to 75% of a home’s total water usage is for lawn irrigation.This also may surprise you: You probably don’t actually need to water your grass much at all, and you definitely don’t need to triple (or more!) how much you water in summer. Besides helping to conserve water, you can save quite a bit of money and time by avoiding unnecessary lawn irrigation.

Fall armyworms (Spodotera frugiperda) are not a welcome visitor in the Southeast. They often appear in large numbers inlate summer to early fall and make the ground appear as if it’s moving as they devour every bit of vegetation in their paths. “They will march across your lawn, just like an army,” says Clint Waltz, PhD, turfgrass extension specialist at theUniversity of Georgia. “The adult moths are not a turf issue, but they lay eggs which become voracious caterpillars that can decimate a lawn and heavily damage certain types of turfgrasses.”

Susan Calhoun’s garden in Poulsbo, Washington started out as an ugly patch of lawn that stretched along a property line. It was close to the shoreline and extremely close to a neighboring house. She craved privacy and four-season appeal but didn’t want to install a heavy line of shrubs or trees and create a claustrophobic “garden room.” Always having been a big fan of ornamental grasses and their undeniable texture, Susan decided to build a double border with grasses as the backbone. To that foundation, she added colorful plants that shine in different seasons, ensuring that this garden always looks good. Susan insists that designing this type of magical garden was easy; it just took the right planning and plants. The following are some of the main areas of this enchanting space, and the perennials, grasses, trees, and shrubs that help it shine.

Correctly identifying grasses is no easy task, but it is crucial when it comes to maintaining a lawn. Incorrect identification can lead to improper management practices, resulting in a poor quality stand or even plant death. Two warm-season turfgrasses commonly used in South Carolina lawns but often misidentified are centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides) and St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum). Both types of grass produce stolons, commonly called runners, and inflorescence (seedheads or flowers) that, at first glance, can appear similar.

All Natives!

Summertime heat is at its peak, and it's normal to worry about upkeep with your lawn. If you notice your grass is getting dry, turning a dull color instead of a lush green, or isn't growing very well, you may be watering your lawn at the wrong time.

You can grow wildflowers in a border, a pot and a window box as well as in a meadow.

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Are you passionate about gardening and looking to elevate your green space? Discover how a GardenAdvice.co.uk course can help you transform your garden into a vibrant, low-maintenance haven. In this GardenAdvice is helping an aspiring gardener with a garden in Hemel Hempstead after the gardeners owner attended a GardenAdvice gardening course in the garden.

Gardeners just getting into garlic have some decisions to make: there are dozens of different varieties, and choosing which one to grow can be difficult. But it’s hard to go wrong. Experimenting with various varieties can lead to a new appreciation of a crop you already love.

Moss is a primitive green plant with threadlike stems and tiny leaves and can form a spongy, dense mat over the soil surface. While it’s pretty in certain settings, such as a shady forest trail, you may not like the looks of it in your lawn. But is it hurting your grass? And will it eventually take over your whole yard?

I’m often asked for advice on visiting gardens in the UK.

Whether you are renovating a weedy lawn or overseeding existing turf, timing is critical to establishing a healthy, robust lawn. Proper timing ensures good seed germination and allows grass seedlings time to establish a healthy root system before the environmental stresses of summer or winter arrive. In turn, a healthy grass stand is better able to compete against weeds and requires less maintenance. We visited with a lawn expert to learn more about the ideal time to reseed lawns, factors to consider, and techniques for achieving a lush and healthy lawn.

Going on holiday? A few simple tasks before you go will keep it all ticking over so you can enjoy your time away. Watch this clip from Gardeners’ World for lots of quick and easy techniques that will help to keep your patio pots from drying out while you’re away on holiday. Monty Don offers handy tips, including a novel idea for keeping a moisture-loving eucomis happy.

Creeping cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans) is a native wildflower with pretty, bright yellow blooms and fresh green foliage. It’s commonly found growing as a ‘lawn weed’, where it brightens up flowering lawns in summer. It’s an excellent plant for wildlife, with flowers that attract pollinating insects and foliage used as a foodplant by the grizzled skipper butterfly. Creeping cinquefoil is tough, drought tolerant and deep rooting, and can be used to provide colour and ground cover in low-maintenance areas like banks and wild gardens, as well as to help stabilise soil on slopes. However, in borders, its spreading growth is less desirable.

When the rewilded garden by Urquhart & Hunt won ‘Best in Show’ at RHS Chelsea in 2002, it triggered a debate about whether rewilding could be called gardening at all.

These are the top trends at RHS Hampton Court 2024. They are the ideas that I think translate best to real gardens.

Q: We’ve just moved into our home, a new build in the countryside, and don’t have much of a budget to create a garden. We’d like to start by sowing a traditional lawn around the house, which is just a big expanse of bare soil and weeds. Any tips would be great. CB, Co Meath

What are worm casts?

The term ‘low-maintenance gardening’ has been kicking about since the 1970s. But people’s perception of what that means varies wildly. To some it’s concrete slabs and gravel with not a green leaf in sight. To others it’s lawn and shrubs or geotextile cloaked with gravel and topped with pots. In essence it’s about having an outdoor space that requires minimal input while looking consistently smart. But the question really is: is there such a thing as a low-maintenance garden that is also attractive?