Archive for August, 2008

Living with tall fescue; living without Bermuda

August 30, 2008 at 7:16 pm · Filed under Garden Coaching ·Tagged

I hate Bermuda grass. Given my environmental conscious, I should really love it. But I don’t. I have never been a fan of its creeping habit, nor the way it dies back in the winter, but worse, I don’t like the way the dew looks on it in the mornings. It grows too fast and curls, smells like straw when mowed, and makes noise when I walk through it. I’m sure there are many more reasons for me to hate Bermuda, but this should be enough to give you a good idea.

I love tall fescue. As a treat to my environmental conscious, I love the way it looks when allowed to go through its natural dormancy state during the hot dry summer. I love how good it feels to walk bare foot through this lush green grass – in the fall, winter, and spring. I let my grass go dormant during the summer. This only works though, if it is all one species. When Bermuda gets in with the fescue it looks like a bad patchwork quilt on the back of a sofa that the owner can’t part with because grandma made it.

I have tried various chemicals to rid the Bermuda while preserving the fescue. None have worked to my satisfaction. This August, as I looked at my lawn, I realized more than 75% of my lawn area was Bermuda. It was necessary to kill all the grass and start again. I put my first application of Roundup down on Monday. I will follow-up with another application in 10 days and another in 10 more. Then I will aerate and slit seed 2 weeks after this last application.

I’m not happy that I have to do this, but it had to be done.

It will not be at its best when I open my garden for the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days tour, also benefiting the JCRA in 2009, but it had to be done. My garden this year look wonderful, so hopefully it will next year as well and no one will notice the grass.

I’ve got 2009 all lined up and looking good. It will be another great year. I also have a couple of gardens lined up for 2010!

In today’s N & O was the latest edition of Living in Style Magazine with a short story, but nice spread of this years’ tour. Chris Nelson, the writer, and I spent a day together visiting the gardens and generally having a fine day visiting the gardens.

My tour story will be out in Metro Magazine September 1st.

Helen Yoest (Philbrook)

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August 17, 2008 The $64.00 Tomato

August 17, 2008 at 1:21 pm · Filed under Book Reviews ·Tagged

The $64 Dollar Tomato

 

On my summer read list was The $64 Dollar Tomato by William Alexander.  It was a pretty funny book; it would have been hilarious if it weren’t so true. Still a good read, even if it did give reason to pause. 

 

There were a lot of parallels in his gardening journey to mine.  We are about the same age, educational level, technical level, and determination.  My horticulture path was different, he went for food and I went for flowers.  But the pain and joy levels were very similar.   I could write the sequel, the $55 Phlox or even The Free Nightly Nosh Bar.  So far my back is holding out, but it is only a matter of time before, like William Alexander, I will have to evaluate what I can continue to do.  But right now, nothing less than all is on my radar screen.

 

I have finally given up on growing Rudbeckia spp. (Black-eyed Susan’s), in the ground at least.  They seem to be a particular favorite to the ever increasing bunny population I’ve got going on.  I now have a couple containers with BES in them.  We’ll see how that works.  They should be good container flowers, although I have never grown them this way.  Hope it works, because I think it will be the only way to enjoy them. The bunnies also like Echinacea spp. particularly purple coneflowers and those sweet double pink ones.  They don’t seem as enthralled with the new fangled colors, orange, sunset, yellow, etc.  Planting a purple coneflower in my garden is just more money down the snake hole…hmmm, I wonder do snakes eat bunnies?  I guess it will need to be a pretty big snake (or small bunny.)  No doubt my bunnies are too big ‘cept for maybe a boa constrictor.  However, if my neighbors would balk at us getting chickens, I can only imagine the reaction of having a jumbo snake in the hood.

 

We have been blessed with fall-like weather for the last week to 10 days.  When the humidity lowers, like it does in the fall, I’m it at my happiest.  Gardening is never better.  Perhaps risky, but this is why I choose to have the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days tour, also benefiting the JCRA in the fall because I wanted to show our gardening community that the gardening season does not end after summer – or worse – after spring.  Fall gardening in the Carolinas is one of the best seasons for gardening. 

 

Steve Bender with Southern Living magazine will be in Raleigh this fall to see what we have going on in our neck of the woods.  It will be my pleasure to take him around to see gardens, garden centers, the farmers market, the JCRA, and more.  My goal is for him to leave with an understanding that we as a gardening community that gardens year-round…especially in the fall.

 

Helen Yoest (Philbrook)

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