Tag: Lawns

Weed Wisdom: What 10 Common Weeds Are Trying to Tell You – Gardenista

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Listen up! Your weeds are trying to tell you something.

Like all varieties of plants, individual weeds thrive in particular conditions. Some like it dry, others moist. Some prefer acidic soil, others thrive in more alkaline environments. Some will even tell you that your soil is perfect.

So before you pluck and pull, take note. You can learn a lot about the growing conditions in your yard, based on which weeds are growing where. These 10 common weeds will reveal secrets about your soil:

Plantains

Above: Plantains can be your (ugly) medicinal friend; see more at First Aid Kit: 5 Essential Healing Plants. Photograph by Ernst Schütte via Wikimedia.

Used in traditional medicine to make a poultice against stings, rashes, and insect bites, plantains are nonetheless unsightly in the lawn and garden. Their presence indicates low fertility and high acidity. They also thrive in poorly drained, compacted soil.

The cure: To prevent plantains, correct the soil imbalance, aerate soil, and raise the level of your lawn mower so tall grass blades can shade plantain’s leaves.

Crabgrass

Above: Digitaria sanguinalis (crabgrass). Photograph by Rasbak via Wikimedia.

Ever the opportunist, crabgrass thrives in both poor or very fertile soils, and will spring up in times of drought or excessive watering.

The cure: To combat, raise the height of your mower to encourage “good” grass. Seed control also works with this annual: discourage germination by spreading cornmeal in the early spring.

Ground Ivy

Above: Photograph by Marie Viljoen, from Raid Your Lawn for Your New Favorite Herb: Ground Ivy.

Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea), also known as “Creeping Charlie,” is an aggressive weed that can quickly consume an unhealthy lawn. It thrives in areas with poor drainage, low fertility and lots of shade.

The cure: Ground ivy will take advantage of bald spots, so make sure your lawn and garden have a lush canopy (or mulch), and fertile, well-drained soil. A higher mowing height (from 2.5 to 3 inches) will also help.

Annual Bluegrass

Above: Poa annua(bluegrass) photograph by Rasbak via Wikimedia.

An abundance of annual bluegrass is an indication that your soil is fertile, but most likely compacted and over-watered and poorly drained.

The cure: To combat, aerate and water less, raise your mower height, and prevent seeds from spreading by spreading a cornmeal gluten in spring.

Chickweed

Above: Common Chickweed (Stellaria media); photograph by Hugo via Wikipedia Commons.

Got chickweed in your garden? Goods news. That means it’s highly fertile. But this spreading annual can also indicate poor drainage and too much watering as well as compacted soil. (Good thing they’re delicious to eat.)

Dandelions

Above: Dandelions are welcome here; learn why at The Garden of Magical Childhood. Photograph by Kendra Wilson.

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August 22, 2025
Before & After: Should It Stay or Should It Go? In Praise of Inherited Plants (And Soil, And Concrete) – Gardenista

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When Jane Orvis and Steve Hanson bought their 1950s house in Seward Park, Seattle, they kept the original pink-tiled bathroom. But what about the mid-century shrubbery, arranged around a lawn—did that have to stay? Most people would reply, “absolutely not,” but Jane, who is a keen gardener, wanted to take a more closed-loop approach and consulted with the landscape architect Jonathan Hallet, of Supernature. On a joint visit to the Seattle Arboretum, a trio of plants in the New Zealand garden caught their attention: a topiarist’s hebe, red tussock grass, and a shrub similar to manzanita. They had all the “lightness and air and movement” that Jane’s garden was in need of.

“We stuck with the desaturated greens and off-greens typical of New Zealand plants,” says Jonathan. “We were trying to make it feel more like a dry garden, which it is.” He and Jane also planted natives, and plants from the coasts of Oregon and Northern California. “The overall tough and dry plant palette helped in creating a more climate-adapted garden that will tolerate Seattle’s increasingly long, dry and hot summers, with little supplemental irrigation required.”

“Most garden plants used in the Pacific Northwest are borrowed from Japanese or East Coast or British styles—plants like hydrangea that want summer water, which we don’t have,” says Jonathan. “Seattle has long, hot summers with a Mediterranean climate and we wanted to make a garden that was ready for that. We also tried to give it plenty of evergreen structure, so it feels full and good in the winter.”

Below, Jonathan explains what went into this mid-century landscape makeover.

Before

Above: The former front garden: A static combination of shaped bright greens and pinks in front of the mid-century house. “The typical landscape of the 1970s was lumps and lawn,” says Jonathan. “We wanted to break that up and we knew the lawn was always going to go. It was thirsty and spongey and wasn’t needed—and it was taking all the flat real estate that we wanted for making a lively counterpoint with plants.”

Above: “So many topiaries were removed and yet it still feels like there’s a lot,” he says.

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August 15, 2025
Fallen Leaves: What to Do With the Leaves on Your Property

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3. Create an out-of-sight leaf pile.

If you have prying neighbors or an HOA to worry about, move leaves to less visible areas, for example from front to rear, suggests Fell. “Make a pile in the corner of your yard, let it rot, and use the leaf compost later to feed your flowers,” says Camu. “Leaf compost is absolute gold, and it’s literally that easy to make: Just let it rot in a pile.”

4. Mulch some of the leaves into your lawn.

You’ll see a lot of advice to just mow leaves right into the lawn, but Chris Hardy, a senior associate at Sasaki, an interdisciplinary design firm based in Boston, cautions against doing this. “When fall leaf drop happens, the density of the leaves is more than lawns can handle,” he says. “If you have a lot of leaves in your lawn, I would capture that in a bag and then spread it in your perennial areas instead.” Hardy also notes that he skips mowing even a light layer of leaves into grass because he likes to let grass grow long in the fall so it can maximize its storage of sugars over the winter. In other seasons, go ahead and mow right over a light leaf litter, but be sure you have a mulching mower (sometimes you need to buy a special blade.)

5. Rake selectively.

Above: Paths should be cleared of leaves, which turn slick and slippery in wet weather.

To ensure your yard looks cared for, rake the leaves from the most visible or used lawn areas, like the front yard, says Fell, adding. “It’s also important to move leaves from entryways and paths for safety as the weather worsens.”

6. Then put the leaves into garden beds.

You can use the whole leaves in some of your beds as mulch. Hardy suggests, “Any place where you’re putting down mulch as a weed suppressant is a great candidate to leave your leaves whole in place; for instance, under hedges, underneath shrubby landscapes, or in tree pits.” That said, do not lay whole leaves over places where you’re trying to get a perennial understory going.

7. Use caution when covering perennial beds.

In spring, Fell says she tries to remember where new plants or spring ephemerals are and moves leaves aside, so as not to inhibit their growth. Further north, Hardy says he avoids using whole leaves in perennial beds altogether, because when snow presses down on leaves, it can create a tightly-knit layer that can smother smaller perennials and groundcovers. Instead, he shreds leaves and scatters them amongst perennials.

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October 29, 2024
‘A Year in Bloom’: The New Book’s Contributors’ Share Their Favorite Bulbs to Naturalize in the Spring

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The new book A Year in Bloom has a great premise: Ask some of the world’s top garden people to talk about their favorite bulbs, thus solving one of gardeners’ biggest dilemmas—which of the many, many bulbs out there to plant. And the beautifully packaged results come as a relief, as the trend is mainly toward less artifice and less effort when it comes to bulbs.

Written and compiled by Lucy Bellamy (former editor of Gardens Illustrated) and photographed by Jason Ingram (the best in the business), the book’s contributors offer insights that make for a fun read. Not all of their comments made it into the book—and we have some of them here. Let’s take a look.

Photography by Jason Ingram.

Above: Narcissus ‘Bath’s Flame’ and N. ‘White Lady’.

Daffodils that look like they might have been shown at the RHS exhibition halls in Westminster 100 years ago are the ones with the right look, and yellow is not to be shied away from. Of Narcissus ‘Bath’s Flame’ (above left), Lucy writes, “Over recent years there has been a trend for more delicate forms of narcissus that sit easily in semi-wild plantings, and ‘Bath’s Flame’ is at once just wild and just cultivated enough.”

Narcissus ‘White Lady’ was chosen by admired Irish plantsman Jimi Blake, who told Lucy: “This variety was originally grown as a cut flower back in 1898. It’s pure elegance on a stem, with its pristine white petals and soft yellow cup with a delicious scent. I grow this in a border with other simple narcissus such as ‘Polar Ice’, ‘Thalia’ and ‘Segovia’. The other nominee for N. ‘White Lady’ was your own Gardenista correspondent—me. They were in the old-fashioned cottage garden of my elderly next door neighbor, and they began to drift into mine, with some help.

Above: Crocus sieberi ‘Firefly’ with ruffed yellow Eranthis hyemilis (winter aconite), planted in the perfect setttng, amid leaf litter from the previous autumn.

Lucy points out that bulbs that are good for naturalizing also look quite “natural.” Crocus are small, and they shine in the low-key surroundings of dried leaves, and under the bare limbs of shrubs and trees. There is no need to bundle up the leaves of daffodils after flowering, or tie them into neat knots; the simpler forms tend to have more demure foliage, which disappears into lengthening grass as the season progresses. It’s best to leave them alone anyway, so that seeds can disperse, and bulbs can spread underground. When they appear year on year, they are “emulating the patterns they make in nature.”

Above: Narcissus bulbocodium and N. pseudonarcissus.

The hooped petticoat-shape of Narcissuc bulbocodium is the same yellow hue as other spring flowers, including daffodils, but its character is altogether different. Described by California landscape designer Ron Lutsko as “steadfast and cheerful,” it benefits from being away from the throng. “It is best grown in pots as a single-species group, to give the opportunity of closely observing the flowers.”

Delightfully named Narcissus pseudonarcissus is the diminutive wild daffodil of the Wye Valley and Welsh Borders, and it’s also the “go-to choice” for Sissinghurst’s head gardener, Troy Scott Smith. James Basson, garden designer and a Chelsea Flower Show star who is based in the French Alpes-Maritimes, says: “These daffodils revel in the stone cracks of karst landscapes [featuring eroded limestone], and they push through the snow to shout out in bright yellow.” This was the second most nominated bulb.

Above: Crocus tommasinianus and Erythronium ‘Joanna’.

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October 23, 2024
Wild Yard Project: David Newsom’s Mission to Re-Wild Landscapes

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The name The Wild Yards Project tells you a little about its founder David Newsom’s journey over the last seven years: It started out as a project. A Los Angeles-based film professional and photographer, Newsom had recently become a parent when he discovered gardening. “I immediately began to worry about my kids’ baseline interaction with the wild world,” he says. “I had no background in botany. I wasn’t into horticulture. I just knew that I found solace in being around plants and animals, and I wanted to give my kids that.” Newsom decided to rewild his backyard, so his kids could have nature right outside their door.

Photography by David Newsom.

Above: Newsom’s own yard reveals how land can come back to life. “Before I began this work, the state of our home’s dead, baked lot [at left] was overwhelming and depressing,” he says.

As Newsom transformed his yard, he documented his work. “I made so many mistakes, but I wrote about it,” he remembers. “And because I had worked in documentary television, if I saw someone who had written an article or someone who was doing really great work, I would just call them.” As Newsom learned more and shared his journey on social media, he says, “I quickly realized that a lot of people were hungry for the idea.” In 2018, he decided to make his project official, naming it The Wild Yards Project—note that it was yards plural–not just his own.

Above: Newsom’s own wild yard looking particularly lush after California’s atmospheric rivers this past spring.

“At first, I thought I would just go around and film and share stories about what people did,” says Newsom. “But I pretty quickly felt compelled to get my own hands dirty and to build these gardens.” Soon Newsom was consulting with other homeowners who wanted to rewild their yards. “I would go over to their house and help them spin a story about what their land could be—that’s how it started.” His work led to deep research into hyperlocal plants in his Mediterranean chaparral biome and ecological gardening practices. “There’s a series of benefits, so many stacked functions to these gardens beyond amplifying biodiversity,” he says. “We’re amplifying physical and mental health, water infiltration, and carbon sequestration.”

Above: This hillside garden is an example of a full design and install project that Newsom executed for a client.

Casual advice gradually morphed into more formal garden coaching and eventually design and installation services. However, Newsom’s landscape work is different from traditional garden designers. For one, he wants his clients to get their hands dirty. “I tell them: I promise you’ll know more about your land in a year than I do,” he says. “When people move away from traditional gardens, they become authors in the natural and cultural history of their land—and that land is its own educator.” For any project, Newsom visits the property, tests the soil, and explores nearby nature with a similar disposition. Then he creates a plant list and offers a design plan whose execution can range from homeowner DIY to full design and install. Gardeners who want to do it themselves can book Newsom hourly for future coaching. “You don’t need to spend $50,000 to $150,000 on high-priced landscapers,” he says.

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July 23, 2024
Ground Ivy: This Pretty Weed that Grows on Lawns Is Edible

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For months, from early spring to the edges of summer, ground ivy’s tubular blue flowers announce its (often resented) presence in sunny lawns or in the high shade of garden or woodland trees. Its leaves are tiny and toothed; when nights are still cold and crisp, they are more burgundy than green, and its earliest flowers are periwinkle-blue. In lawns that are mown regularly the plants form compact, woven mats. Left to grow, they become slender and tall, festooned with flowers that turn gradually paler as the weather warms.

Crush a stem, and sniff its leaves: minty, with an oregano undertow. Collect a handful to scatter across a salad, to muddle into a drink, or to brew into a strawberry and rhubarb cordial (find that recipe below).

Photography by Marie Viljoen.

Above: A lawn blooms blue with ground ivy in early spring.

Ground ivy’s strong flavor and refreshing scent make it an appealing, low maintenance, and cold-hardy culinary herb. Botanically, it is Glechoma hederaceae, a potent perennial member of the mint family. Although it is credited with many other common names in English, the two that are most familiar are creeping Charlie and gill-over-the-ground. The latter name’s etymology give us a clue to one of its uses: “gil” is derived from guiller—to ferment, in French; ground ivy was used in beer making (Peterson, 2011). It is native to Europe and and has long been used as a medicinal, culinary, and brewing herb.

Above: Ground ivy is impervious to mowing, and forms dense, steppable carpets.

While its spread can be aggressive where it is not native, its threat seems to be mainly to lawns. In the context of the persistent mania for a weed-free lawn monoculture (whose success often depends on herbicide use and a lot of synthetic fertilizer), I find this lawn weed hard to dislike.

Above: In early spring ground ivy’s leaves are tinged with burgundy, especially if it grows in full sun.

Above: Left unmown, ground ivy can grow tall before its stems flop to the ground, where they take root.

Above: A bowl of ground ivy on a rainy spring day.

Above: Cucumber, salted rhubarb slices, and sheep feta with pomegranate molasses and ground ivy.

I like to scatter its pretty flowers across salads where their piercing freshness is offset by juicy or salty elements.

Above: Ground ivy has become one of my favorite herbs to pair with strawberries.

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May 20, 2024
Angus and Charlottte Buchanan’s Outdoor Living Room and Kitchen in London

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Angus and Charlotte Buchanan—the co-founders of London-based creative design studio, Buchanan Studio—both grew up in the English countryside. Angus has vivid memories of entire seasons spent outdoors: “My parents are quite relaxed and bohemian,” he says. “They created this entire outside world.” Charlotte is more direct: “Your mother is a die-hard romantic who is incredibly nostalgic,” she asserts. A tour of the Buchanan’s own garden reveals that the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree …

The Buchanans bought their home in Harlesden, north west London, in 2020. They had been hoping to leave the city, but the logistics of running their own studio and raising a young family stalled the plan. Instead, they purchased a handsome—if completely neglected—property that enabled them to tick off some of the lifestyle changes they craved. They added a dog to their family, designed their kitchen around a gleaming Aga, and set about transforming their urban garden into a whimsical outdoor world.

Now in its third spring, their family home has settled into a highly-anticipated rhythm that effectively sees their living space expand to the far reaches of their garden. As they raised the canvas awnings on their outdoor room, we visited the Buchanan’s garden and found a heady combination of nostalgia, romance, and re-use in this unlikely urban pocket of the capital.

Here, eight design ideas to borrow from their backyard oasis.

Photography by Alicia Waite, courtesy of Buchanan Studio.

1. Let mature trees guide your design.

Above: A pear tree separates the outdoor kitchen area from the slightly raised seating and dining area in the outdoor room. Angus has trained roses to grow up the trunk and planted pony tail grasses at the base.

Above: The view from the lavender-edged lawn to the house.

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May 15, 2024
A Meadow Front Yard for Martin Architects by deMauro + deMauro

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This is part of a series with Perfect Earth Project, a nonprofit dedicated to toxic-free, nature-based gardening, on how you can be more sustainable in your landscapes at home.

“Mother nature is the ultimate landscape designer. We’re just her helpers,” says Emilia deMauro, who, along with her sister Anna, runs the East Hampton, NY, landscape design firm deMauro + deMauro. Their approach to design is imbued with a sense of community and responsibility to preserve the beauty of the native environment.

The sisters grew up shuttling between the rolling hills of rural Northeastern Pennsylvania, where their artist dad lived, and the farm fields and overgrown thickets of the east end of Long Island, where their mother was farming and gardening. “Both of those landscapes play a huge part in our designs,” says Anna, who studied at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy. “There’s something so beautiful in the wildness. We’re constantly pulling from those memories.”

They found kindred spirits in architect Nick Martin and his wife Christina. The couple believed strongly in “pivoting away from green lawns that require chemicals and continual labor, and, most important, that strip our community of habitat for creatures big and small,” says Christina. They hired the sisters to design the landscape outside of Martin Architects, Nick’s new Bridgehampton office on the Montauk highway. A busy thoroughfare, situated just past a gas station and across from a bank, didn’t deter them from achieving their joint vision: a self-sufficient oasis, lush with native plants and alive with birds, butterflies, and wildlife, that looks beautiful year-round.

Photography by Doug Young, courtesy of deMauro + deMauro, unless otherwise noted.

Above: For the meadow in front of Martin Architects, the deMauros devised an interspecies matrix planting. They densely planted small perennials (grasses like prairie dropseed and wavy hair grass, and flowers including slender blue iris, gray goldenrod, and white heath asters) approximately 12 to 18 inches apart to help with weed suppression and water conservation.

The property was neglected when the Martins bought it. “To transform the space, we removed the asphalt driveway, regraded the land because the pitch was so bad, with the goal that it wouldn’t need irrigation,” says Nick. He also tried to reuse as many materials as possible.

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January 25, 2024