Imagine having "organic matter" in your yard in autumn.
Claims my plants are too close to the fence and look ugly from his side. I'm from Eastern Europe and we have some laws that allow only 2 meter tall shrubs if planted near the fence. I have like 4 shrubs planted, mostly for privacy, and the rest are perennials. God forbid he files a complaint, ill dig out my shrubs and plant 10 Miscanthus x Giganteus which grow to 3 meters tall.
Sorry for the rant.

Spring a fall pics of a yard we did many years ago. I love seeing how things evolve over time. These were taken in different years also.

The native wildflower section of my yard has been overtaken by frickin’ mugwort for the second year in a row.

The first couple of years, my native wildflower section of my yard only had native wildflowers. Then two years ago year, mugwort appeared. I’m not sure if it flew in from our neighbors yard, the forest near our neighborhood, or if it was infesting the seeds of the new plants that I scattered the past couple years.

I can’t keep up with weeding. Is my only option to cut everything down for the winter and cover it up with black tarps?

(New England Zone 6b)

They planted some evergreen trees already. I will update when the meadow has grown in.

Bought a new home in north-central Kansas and have planned to have a white clover lawn. I started seeding this fall when it got rainy and primarily focused on the dead spots in the lawn (there were a LOT of them). The clover has really started to come in nicely in this areas I seeded.

However, this week I have noticed an explosion of what turns out to be Geranium Molle, which based on my reading disappears in the heat of summer leaving behind dead spots in the lawn (thus the apparent dead spots where I put a lot of my clover!) and re-appears in fall.

And in what were previously dead spots, this stuff has REALLY exploded in it's re-appearance.

Now, based on what I'm seeing, the geranium molle is actually a lot like white clover, just a different plant. Both are pretty aggressive - can they co-exist or will one eventually overwhelm the other?

So I wouldn't really mind just letting both do their thing, unless there is some significant reason why I shouldn't?

Ran some errands… rescued some frog fruit!

Zone 9, California.

I have a big patch of flowers by my house (expanding next season!) and I was wondering what to do for the winter. Some grass has creeped in but still mostly flowers. I was really hands off except for watering and it was a beauty all spring and summer, even now getting into the fall! Do I just let it do its thing over the winter or should I mow it back? Thanks for any advice!

I have a big patch of flowers by my house (expanding next season!) and I was wondering what to do for the winter. Some grass has creeped in but still mostly flowers. I was really hands off except for watering and it was a beauty all spring and summer, even now getting into the fall! Do I just let it do its thing over the winter or should I mow it back? Thanks for any advice!

Hey all! Hoping to get some tips from people on things I haven't thought about with my yard plan. My backyard is currently dirt and weeds, and my front yard has a ton of grass I really hate. My home is a new build - the pictured one is not exactly my home, but same floorplan from the builder and a comparable yard.

There are rebate programs being offered for putting in waterwise landscaping, plus some for getting rid of grass. Step one is submitting a plan for approval, so I understand that "try it out and see how it goes" is generally good advice, but I'm trying to get a rough plan drafted for the rebate process. I also plan to get a landscaper to do hardscape work like the patio and retaining wall, so I need to give them a plan to provide quotes from. (Though I want to do as much as possible myself to save money!)

That's probably enough info to get feedback, but I have a problem with being too detailed, so... more info for the very bored...

Info: * Zone 7 (Utah), soil probably clay-ish (will soil test), suburb new build neighborhood. Front is currently builder basic, backyard is dirt and weeds. * All open spaces are planting beds - no grass. Lots of shrubs and perennials I haven’t added to drawing (that’s next year me’s problem) * Landscaping fabric only under hardscapes, none in planting beds. * Irrigation: 2 zones front, 2 zones available for the back. I will be redoing front yard drip lines so open to suggestions on water zones * Non-colored outlines are plants that are already there (except west side of house, those are currently where path goes so gonna try to relocate. Path is higher priority) * Behind backyard fence is a walkway, dry creek (rare mountain runoff from heavy rainfall), then open field. Assuming homes will eventually be built on the other side of the creek. Will plant densely for a bit more privacy, but low expectations tbh * IT’S SO WINDY because of the wide open field

Concerns: * Good tree selections? (I like what I picked, but I'm having a hard time picturing size vs. yard space) * Any bad placements? (roots or water causing problems?) * Is the gazebo too big for the patio? * Are the dry creeks for downspout drainage a bad idea? I was thinking rain garden-y, but not sure I get enough water in a season (sometimes big storms between droughts though) and don’t want to make weeding between rocks awful * Are pavers over the reinforced concrete stupid? One landscaper suggested it and I can’t tell if he was just selling me on buying more paving.

Narrated video tour of what I've been working on for the past four years. I know dealing with Bermuda grass comes up frequently here and I've only found a few things that actually work: clump forming native grasses, shade, and not mowing (during the summer).​

We’re always working on increasing our wildflowers in the meadows at the hummingbird sanctuary. I originally thought fall would be the perfect time to scatter seeds and let the snow do its thing - I thought seeds needed to winterize.

But I spoke with Applewood Seed in Arvada, and they recommended waiting until spring.

We’re at 8,200 feet and due to the dry winter last season, we’re out of water. We’re trying to do this with as little supplemental watering as possible.

Has anyone here planted native wildflowers at higher elevations? Did you plant in fall or spring? What worked?

I’d love to learn from people who’ve actually done it!

I had to get some planter boxes torn out. Any suggestions for things I should do in the fall to prepare for the spring? I’m in zone 7a (OK).

Edit: Our 7B plants for reference:

• ⁠Aromatic aster
• ⁠Prairie coreopsis
• ⁠Lanceleaf coreopsis
• ⁠Prairie phlox
• ⁠Butterfly weed
• ⁠Green milkweed
• ⁠Winecup
• ⁠Blue flax
• ⁠Tahoka daisy
• ⁠Lazy daisy
• ⁠Sleepy daisy
• ⁠Blue mistflower
• ⁠Black-eyed Susan
• ⁠Frog fruit

The top, flat area is separate, with the buffalo grass/blue grama (SunTurf from Native American seeds).

The birds outside my window were especially chatty this morning so I left the Merlin app open on my windowsill, 11 species identified! Merlin only knows ~40% of the species in my area so the real number may be even higher 😊😊

Any thoughts on allowing Allegheny blackberries to fill in under trees, shrubs, etc. They seem to like my yard (NE Ohio) and as long as I keep them away from the walking paths, I think it'll be ok. Am I crazy?

We transformed our backyard from grass to ornamental and native plants (PNW) in spring of 2025.

Scroll for before pics at the end.