Subject: Re: naturalizing yard
From: tomansky <tomansky@gte.net>
Organization: gte.net
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 14:50:44 -0500
Message-ID: <MOD$980123.28503@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
References: <MOD$980122.4042@rec.gardens.ecosystems>


John Patterson wrote:

>I live next to a woods in E TN. There are ferns and other groundcover
>in the woods. I would like to get rid of my lawn and have my yard look
>like the woods eventually. How should I start?
Well, don't start by digging up stuff in the woods. Seriously, I
started by knowing the whole back yard was going to go. So, first I
"Round-up" killed the grass. This stuff gets bad press in some circles,
but I find that it's good point is it works like the label says, and it's
bad point is that it works like the label says, too. Then I started
planting the kind of plants I did want. Alas, this is where I screwed up.
Important point. Figure out what plants to plant first! You already have
a functioning eco-system to copy. Take small samples to your favorite
nursery and have them all ID'ed. Find out which ones are affordable.But
plant the trees first, and buy pretty good sized ones, if you can. In a
climax forest the undergrowth is fundamentally different than in a mixed
brush environment. This means until the trees provide real shade, the
shade loving forest ground-cover won't thrive. Of course, now my trees are
getting big enough to matter, now that I've killed so many plants.

David Levi