The lawn that came with our house had potential--a generous half acre of land (the upside to buying ...

1. Basic Lawn Care and Yard Maintenance
The lawn that came with our house had potential--a generous half acre of land (the upside to buying
a forty year old house,) established shade trees that dotted the yard, surrounding the house in a
mini-forest, and two flower beds that stretched the entire length of the house--but it was a far cry
from the beautiful picture we had in mind. The shade trees and hedges, neglected for years, had
become overgrown, and the trees' densely packed branches snuffed out the grass below leaving
moss to grow in its place. Dandelions, white clover, crab grass, and a host of other weeds that I
neither have the ability nor desire to name ran rampant throughout the grass, which was tinged
mossy-brown, looked tired and fragile. In the flowerbeds, derisory hostas and daffodils offered feeble
blooms, and were quickly ravaged by slugs, which spent their nights feasting on the delicate leaves.
The backyard had no flower beds, just weeds and moss and sad, droopy grass.
Then we moved in, and out went our dogs: two sixty-pound mutts who spent their days running the
fence line, chasing squirrels, and the occasional digging. By the end of our first winter, the
backyard's perimeter was completely void of grass, except of course for crab grass, which
apparently was unharmed by the clop-clopping of our dogs. It seemed that every time we let the
dogs outside, more and more grass turned to mud. We had to do something.

2. Over a year's time span we worked--adding flowerbeds, over-seeding, fertilizing, weed controlling,
pruning, and planting--and now we are well on our way to having that beautiful, lush, vibrant
landscape we have been dreaming about. It takes time, but anything worthwhile does, and the
satisfaction we get from knowing that we created the beauty around us makes our patience and
dedication completely worth it. Here's how you can do it too!
http://modernhousewife.hubpages.com/hub/Basic-Lawn-Care