In an earlier post I hinted that we were finally planting fresh grass around the house. After a lot of small steps and a little patience, those bare strips are now mostly filled in and the front yard looks a lot better. Here’s the story from start to finish—what we removed, how we seeded, and what’s worked so far.
Before seeding, this area still had a patch of liriope that was crowding the path. We dug it out and evened the bed so the ground was flush with the stone border on the opposite side—preparing a clean strip for grass seed.
From the other side of the house you can see the strip that used to be lined with boxwoods. Removing those bushes opened up the pathway and created another narrow area that needed seeding.
We also had a long, bare stripe at the front of the property where a “bush fence” once stood. After ripping out ivy and removing the old plants, that area was ready for grass seed as well.
With the ivy gone, the dirt path finally looked like a place to grow grass instead of an eyesore. We were tired of being “the house with the dirt path to nowhere,” so we got serious about seeding.
Because it was late in the grass-growing season and we didn’t want the seed to sit unprotected in hot weather, we skipped our usual two-step process (starter fertilizer then seed in a broadcast spreader) and used a premixed product that contains seed and fertilizer together. It felt like a pragmatic choice for this timing.
I didn’t use the spreader because I worried it would fling seed beyond the narrow strips. Instead I seeded by hand, tossing the mixture evenly across the bare soil. Think of it as a wide, steady scattering motion—aiming for consistent coverage without waste.
After spreading the seed I watered the areas daily—typically in the early morning or evening when evaporation is lower—to keep the soil consistently moist while the seed germinated. For these small strips the hose worked fine instead of a sprinkler.
While the seeded strips were getting daily attention, we also tackled the ferns under our magnolia tree. We like ferns in general, but not spreading across the whole tree ring. Removing them cleaned up the area and gave us a blank space to plan future groundcover that will look neater and thrive where grass won’t.
The ferns were tougher to pull than they looked—enough to fill two wheelbarrows. I moved those to the naturalized side yard where they’ll be welcome to reestablish.
With the ferns gone, the magnolia base looks much cleaner. Someday we’ll plant a low, tidy groundcover there to minimize the bare soil and create a cohesive look under the tree.
Back to the seeded strips: about ten days after seeding we started to see a subtle green tint. That was a little slower than past experiences—likely due to warmer temperatures and the timing—but it was steady progress.
Another week or two later the new grass filled in nicely. You can still see a contrast between the fresh grass and the established lawn, but as the new blades mature the difference becomes less noticeable and the overall effect is a much cleaner, more finished front yard.
We’re thrilled to have a continuous swath of grass now—no more bushes, ivy, or dirt strips breaking up the view. It also makes mowing easier without having to navigate around plantings, and the three-foot strips only add a few extra minutes to the chore for a major boost in curb appeal.
The strip closest to the house filled in more slowly than the area near the street. Runoff seems to keep the lower section lusher, so we may overseed the drier stripe later this fall to even things out.
Comparing before-and-after shots from when we first bought the house to today shows how much of a difference removing crowded plantings and adding grass can make. Small, steady updates add up over time—these changes didn’t happen overnight, but they’re worth the effort for the improved curb appeal and easier maintenance.
If you’re planning a small lawn renovation, consider timing (avoid extreme heat), choose a seeding method that suits the area, and keep soil consistently moist while seeds germinate. And if you’ve tackled similar projects, small wins add up—so keep going, one planted strip at a time. Oh, and double-check that your decorative pieces aren’t trying to make a run for it.