<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Level Up House</title> <atom:link href="/tag/seed/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link></link> <description>Home is the best place on earth</description> <lastBuildDate>Mon, 01 Jul 2013 03:00:43 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5</generator> <item> <title>Yardmageddon 2013: Part 3 – We Are Watching Grass Grow</title> <link>/2013/yardmageddon-2013-part-3-diy-landscaping/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Mandi]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 28 Jun 2013 13:00:30 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Landscaping]]></category> <category><![CDATA[grass]]></category> <category><![CDATA[seed]]></category> <category><![CDATA[yard]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=1681</guid> <description><![CDATA[It’s been 5 weeks since the start of Yardmageddon 2013. Yardmageddon is our annual effort at DIY landscaping. We don’t know a damn thing about plants. Yardmageddon Part 1 – Planting shrubs Yardmageddon Part 2 – Planting grass seeds Our yard is pretty average Some [retired, wealthy] people around us have made their yard their […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1>It’s been 5 weeks since the start of Yardmageddon 2013.</h1> <p>Yardmageddon is our annual effort at DIY landscaping. We don’t know a damn thing about plants.</p> <p><a href="/2013/05/yardmageddon-2013/">Yardmageddon Part 1 – Planting shrubs </a></p> <p><a href="/2013/05/yardmageddon-2013-grass-seeds/">Yardmageddon Part 2 – Planting grass seeds</a></p> <h1>Our yard is pretty average</h1> <p>Some [retired, wealthy] people around us have made their yard their pride. Others have so much yard it’s difficult to see the house hiding inside it.</p> <p>We have the misfortune of living among the former sort, who are keen to remind us of their disdain for our landscaping. (It’s not bad, really. They’re just jerks.)</p> <h1>Doing it ourselves</h1> <p>But anyway, in effort to improve our resale value (and getting jerks to STFU), we’ve been working on the “beautifying” landscaping more this year. Our first year here we removed hazardous shrubs, picked up fifty pounds of dog crap from the backyard, and weeded like it was going out of style. Our second year we removed hazardous trees and weeded again. Finally, in year 3, we are ready to beautify.</p> <p>This is where well-heeled people obsessed with appearance would hire a landscaping designer and pay thousands of dollars for a yard that will cost thousands of dollars to maintain. I am neither of those things. And while I don’t know a lot about making yards pretty, I do know how to photograph pretty yards and then try to copy elements of them into my own yard. DIY landscaping at its finest, folks.</p> <h1>Here’s how things are growing.</h1> <p><strong>Backyard shrubs:</strong><br /> The arborvitaes haven’t died. Yay! Small success there. We’ve been watering twice a week, deeply. Our arborvitae watering technique:</p> <p>1) Point hose at base of arborvitae<br /> 2) Wait 8-10 minutes<br /> 3) Re-position hose at base of next arborvitae</p> <p>4) Repeat twice a week, skip if it rains heavily.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/june_water_arborvitae.jpg"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1684" alt="diy landscaping: watering is so easy, even a hose can do it " src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/june_water_arborvitae.jpg" width="384" height="512" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/june_water_arborvitae.jpg 384w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/07/june_water_arborvitae-225x300.jpg 225w" sizes="(max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" /></a></p> <p>These little accent shrubs I planted in the backyard are also thriving. They are named <a href="http://www.provenwinners.com/plants/sedum-hylotelephium/autumn-charm-stonecrop-sedum-sedum-hylotelephium-hybrid">Stonecrop Sedumn Autumn Charm</a>. The middle one has stayed small but its two siblings have grown larger. Dunno why.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/yard_shrubs_5_weeks.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1685" alt="diy landscaping: shrubs? shrug" src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/yard_shrubs_5_weeks.jpg" width="512" height="384" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/yard_shrubs_5_weeks.jpg 512w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/07/yard_shrubs_5_weeks-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></a></p> <p><strong>Side: </strong></p> <p>This dude’s doing well, too, although he hasn’t changed much in terms of size. Since this side of the house is the sunniest, I expect him to do well over the long haul.</p> <p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/side_shrub.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1686" alt="side_shrub" src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/side_shrub.jpg" width="512" height="384" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/side_shrub.jpg 512w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/07/side_shrub-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></a></p> <p><strong>Grass:</strong><br /> Our grass seeds are starting to sprout and fill in, but it’s pretty slow going. We water at 8am and 8pm, about 10 minutes each session. The grass that found its way here naturally is doing super well. I hope it spreads to the bald areas. :P</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/new_grass_seeds1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1688" alt="diy landscaping: grass seed starting to sprout" src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/new_grass_seeds1.jpg" width="512" height="384" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/new_grass_seeds1.jpg 512w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/07/new_grass_seeds1-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p>Close up of the grasslings:</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/grass_stump.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1689" alt="diy landscaping: growing grass from seeds" src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/grass_stump.jpg" width="512" height="384" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/grass_stump.jpg 512w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/07/grass_stump-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p>We’re about to enter the dry season (we’re on Seattle’s eastside) in which we’ll go a good 2-3 months without rainfall. Traditionally, this is when our yard turns yellow until the rain returns in September/October. We’ll water through the dry period (like we did last year to establish the sod) and hope that all these plants thrive with the combination of sunlight and regular watering.</p> <p> </p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> </channel> </rss>