Backyard Out of Control!!

[Brandonb123]

Hello,

We recentlly purchased our home (in the winter), and much to our dismay, found it completely out of control come spring/summer. There is a "ground cover" which has completely taken over all the lawn area, and is at risk of suffocating some beautiful plants (especially peonies!). There are dandelions as far as the eye can see, and the lawn area is covered in mud patches from where another ground cover was ripped up.

Please help!!! We are new to any type of gardening/landscaping and are at a loss for where to begin. Ultimately, we would like to have grass throughout the backyard rather than the groundcover, and perhaps add some flower beds.

I've attached some pictures to give some visualization to exactly what we're working with (no judgment please - we blame the previous owners ).

Thanks in advance!

Brandon

 

[marlingardener]

Well Brandon, you are certainly facing an interesting challenge. I can see a lot of potential in your yard. Without knowing where you are (and if you could post that under your name to the right of your posts, it sure would help with advice) all I can say is take some vinegar and kill all the grass between the blue paving stones, which I am assuming is a patio. Then get rid of the pencil cedar tree/bush. It is out of place and doesn't look that healthy.
The ground cover--would it be possible to post close-up pictures of a plant, and of a leaf? It looks familiar but I don't want to hazard a guess and possibly mislead you.
You have a nice garden shed there. The area in front of it might make a good area for raised vegetable beds. Could you tell us if that area gets about 6-8 hours of sun a day?
If it's any consolation, bees love dandelions. After you decide where to put flower beds, what to remove and what to keep, then we'll worry about lawn. No need to waste effort and seed until you know where you want grass, and where you don't.
Your yard is not a complete disaster, just needs a bit of TLC and work.

 

[Brandonb123]

Hi Marlin,

Thank you very much for your input! We are located in Eastern Canada so in terms of sunlight, we don't get a whole lot here. Overcast/cloudy is typically the weather forecast. However, the areas you mentioned are not in the shade for the most of the day.

As for the ground cover, I have attached a couple close up pictures. I am thinking of using round up on the entire batch (would be hard to keep the near-by flowers/plants this way). Would a black plastic method be better? Or digging it up? If we wanted to sod it afterwards I assume I would have to dig out the roots, lay topsoil and then sod? Maybe a flower bed is a better option.

Thanks for your help!

Brandon

 

[Beth_B]

I also see lots of potential there! If weeds grow with wild abandon that means most other things will too.

I agree that planning flower beds should be job #1, and then you can get to working on the grassy areas. I can't identify that groundcover but be aware that Roundup doesnt work on everything, and pulling plants with deep invasive root systems can actually encourage future growth. So if you have the patience, black plastic would be a great option.

I'm guessing you're in a similar growing zone to me. When planning flower beds, I'd suggest native perennials, and choose things that flower throughout the season. Like bulbs and rhododendrons for spring flowers, Blackeyed Susan and coneflowers for midsummer color, butterfly bushes for all summer flowers, hostas for shade and later blooms, like that.