Back on this hosta post I hinted that we were planning to add fresh grass here. The mock-up looked okay, but getting real grass in the ground took some time — and now it’s finally mostly photo-ready. Let’s rewind to the beginning, before the patch pictured above looked like anything at all.
At the start we still had some old liriope clinging to the edge of the brick path. We dug it out and leveled the soil so the strip matched the stone border on the opposite side, then declared the area ready for seed.
From the other side of the house you can see the walkway where a row of boxwoods used to make the path feel closed in — we removed those too to open the view and create a cleaner edge for new grass.
Another bare stripe needed attention at the front of the property where our old “bush fence” had been. After tearing out the remaining ivy and debris, that area was prepped and ready for seeding as well.
Once the ivy was out, the space felt ready for a serious round of seeding. The bare dirt stripe had been an eyesore for a while — we were tired of being “the house with the dirt path to nowhere” — so getting grass in there was a priority.
Because we were nearing the end of the seed-planting season and didn’t want the young shoots to burn in summer heat, we skipped our usual starter fertilizer plus seed method and bought a combined seed-and-fertilizer mix. It made the process quicker and was reasonably priced.
I worried our broadcast spreader would scatter seed beyond the narrow strips, so I spread the mix by hand, using a wide, tossing motion to cover the soil evenly. After spreading, I watered the areas daily with a hose, usually in the mornings or evenings so the sun wouldn’t dry the seed out.
While waiting for the grass to emerge (about two weeks of daily watering), we tackled another problem area: ferns that had popped up under the magnolia tree. We like ferns, but not in that spot. They looked messy and conflicted with our future plans for the tree’s base, so we dug them out.
Removing the ferns was a chore — there were a lot of them and the roots were stubborn. I filled two wheelbarrows and moved them to the naturalized side yard where they can take root more happily. The cleared circle around the magnolia looks cleaner now, and someday we’ll plant a low groundcover that fares better under the tree than grass.
About ten days after seeding we began to see a subtle green tint. It was a bit slower than previous seasons — likely because it was warmer — but the new blades started showing themselves and the strips gradually filled in.
Another week or two and the coverage improved noticeably. You can still see the contrast between the bright new grass and the established lawn, but as the new shoots mature the difference will fade.
Seeing a continuous carpet of grass where there had been only dirt and shrub remnants is hugely satisfying. It’s surprising it took us 18 months to get around to it, but the result is worth the wait.
Mowing is easier now without the old boxwoods in the way — these shots were taken right after a trim, which is why you can spot mower lines in some photos. The strip closest to the house is still filling in more slowly; runoff seems to concentrate at the curb strip, making that area lusher. We may overseed the patch in the fall to even things out.
From another angle it’s clear the progress isn’t flawless, but it’s a big improvement. Comparing an early “before” photo taken shortly after we bought the house to the current view shows how much curb appeal a few small updates can create.
It’s only a three-foot strip next to the path that we replaced the bushes with, so the extra few minutes of mowing are a small price to pay for better curb appeal. If you’ve seeded this year, had successes or setbacks, or are slowly chipping away at outdoor projects, you know these incremental efforts add up. Stay patient — a handful of updates over time can transform your yard, and you’ll be glad you didn’t let that ceramic pig run off in the process.