Hi! Welcome to our blog. There's a whole lot of posts going on in here from Jazz to Jack Bauer to gardening and landscaping. We hope you sometimes laugh and sometimes... well, laugh... but most of all we hope you'll learn more about the art of gardening. It's "that time" of year so we're more geared up for gardening than humor -- but don't worry, that won't last very long! In the mean time, our goal is to make gardening and landscapes affordable for everyone. We design and plant based on your budget, your likes and your needs. We talk about gardening for yards of every size, too. So come on in and learn about today's topic. Be sure to check out the other ones below, too! PS -- our contact info and photos of just some of our work is to the right.
TOPICS: What you need to know about Annual and Perennail weeds and will I ever have a weed free yard?
Most of you are aware of the definition of an annual and perennial. In case you don't, annual flowers and plants only live for one growing season. Perennial flowers and plants live for more than one season. An annual here in Tennessee might just be a perennial in Florida. Somewhere every annual is a perennial in some part of the world.
But what about weeds? Weeds fall into the same categories.
ANNUAL WEEDS:
Annual weeds such as crabgrass, germinate from seeds each spring. After maturing, they *drop seeds before dying. These are the seeds that germinate the following year. This is why a crab grass preventer, key word is preventer, is put into your lawn a few times a year at specific times. A crabgrass preventer actually stops the germination process so that the crabgrass does not make it to "full term".
CAREFUL: Putting down weed preventer at the wrong times can be fatal to other plants. Weed preventer does not distinguish between weed seeds and flower seeds. Some people feel like putting a weed or seed preventer is inhumane (those people need another hobby). Read the label carefully or hire a professional.
* The process of dropping seeds can be caused by human error, too. Never pull a weed and leave it on the ground. You might just have a lot more weeds in your lawn the next season as you did this year.
PERENNIAL WEEDS:
Perennial weeds, such as dandelions, do not die at the end of growing season. They may lay dormant in the winter, but will become noticeable in the spring. Dandelions are one of the most prevailing perennial weeds throughout the U.S. You would think that they were native, but they came from Europe many years ago.
The best way to control perennial weeds and especially dandelions is to actually pull it out of the ground leaving no roots at all. Discard the dandelion in a bag immediately. Blowing dandelions in your yard is a blast and an American past-time but do not blow dandelions in the yard if you want a perfectly weed free yard and do not cut them with the mower or weedeater (blowing is much more fun).
WILL I EVER HAVE A WEED FREE YARD?
Probably not. If you do then we have much greater issues than as to whether our lawn looks good or not. As long as there are birds (which carry and poop weed seeds), dandelions even miles away and strong gusts of wind --- you will have weeds. If you take good care of your lawn and garden beds then you will have an easily controlled weed environment. Even the most perfect looking lawns have weeds. It's unavoidable. However, you can easily have a healthy, vibrant, weed-free looking yard with determination or with the aid of a professional. Just keep in mind that a great yard takes time.
TIP: Weeds will come when they want to and when birds poop, etc. Inbetween cracks in your driveways and patios are especially prone areas that will have unwanted weeds and grass because water runoff carries them into concentrated areas. If you use a professional service to eliminate your weeds then pour salt on these weeds/grass in between visits to help irradicate them. Salt works!
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