Speaking of lawns.....

[Orangeblood]

Katy and I have a yard of mowed weeds in the back and strange mix of St. Augustine and seeded stuff in the front. I've been thinking of having the whole thing redone, but have no idea what to "re-sod" with. Zoysia? St. Augustine? Something else? And I have some landscape needs as well for the back.

We live next to Shoal Creek, so we have a very nice layer of topsoil.

Any suggestions?

 

[Mrmyke709]

Dude, with your shade, you're going to need St. Augustine.
I can stop by sometime and give you a consultation for a small fee, say, a couple o' beers.
I'm easy.

 

[Jellydonuts]

Shoal Creek = Trees = Shade = St. Augustine.

If it is really deep shade, you could use a groundcover instead of grass.

 

[Mrmyke709]

Personally, I would go in and lay out decomposed granite paths with isolated shade flowerbeds. But..the creek has a tendency to "remove" that kind of stuff.
12 yards of decomp granite would be about $200 ...a lot to pay for redecorating the foyer of the Shoal Creek Bar.

 

[1stBig12Champs]

I live in Houston, and resodded with Cavalier Zoysia 2 years ago. I would never have a St Augustine yard again after having this. It is a beautiful deep emerald green in the summer, and stay prtty green in the winter. It is durable to drought, extreme cold, and is good at choking out weeds. The only thing it really needs is a very sharp lawn mower blade to cut it. A great looking grass, and easy to maintain.

 

[Orangeblood]

Exactly MM. While flooding is rare, it's still possible.

And I mostly have shade in the back. However, I need a plan for the whole yard to slowly work toward that end goal.

 

[tropheus]

there are several strains of St. Augustine that do very well in the shade from the research I've done -- Raleigh and Palmetto. Palmetto is a new strain and isn't as well tested, but it looks very, very promising.

The common variety of St. Augustine used in central Texas needs a fair amount of sun to prosper from what I gather.

 

[Jellydonuts]

I have planted some Palmetto plugs under a very low hanging Pecan Tree that allows little sun through. It is too early to call it a success, but has lasted longer then any of the other St. Augustine strains I have tries.

Rob, I have only been to house once; I was really drunk and it was night, but I don't think you have enough sun back there to grow really vigorous grass. I would really encourage you to consider a shade tolerant ground cover. You could always engage a landscape architect to come over and consult. It doesn't cost that much, as you would still do the labor. The two best times to start doing this type of planting is now and in the fall, and no the fall is not an option for you.

 

[Mrmyke709]

I never miss an opportunity to show off my work...

Old Blush antique roses in front....azaleas on the south side. Iris and day lilies around the perimeter.