Easy Ways to Populate an Empty Backyard
Question: We’re going to be moving to a new house in Culver City, which has an empty backyard. We’re also expecting our first child, so we will be strapped for cash and energy. Do you have any guidelines on dealing with a backyard of dirt? My husband wants to “just throw out some grass seed.”
--C.H., Culver City
Answer: With a child on the way and a lot of ground to cover, your husband’s idea is a good one. Children are the best reason for a lawn.
For areas near the coast like yours, a tall fescue lawn grass, such as Marathon or Medallion, is probably the best choice. Sow the seed in fall or early spring.
Before planting, invest in soil amendment or planting mix (available at nurseries). Improving the soil texture will make everything easier later on, from weeding to watering. You will also need to water the lawn, so sprinklers would be nice, though you can always add them later.
If budget allows, break up the lawn with paths or patios and save a good, sunny place for vegetables. Teaching children how to grow their own vegetables is one of the joys of parenthood for anyone interested in gardening. That’s when many of us first got the bug.
Perhaps plant fruit trees if you have the room--a lemon is a good choice since every good cook needs one.
Consider planting shade trees, since it takes so long for them to grow and your child will need a place to hang a swing or build a treehouse. My grandfather planted a tree (a California live oak) in my parents’ yard the day I was born, and its growth kept up with mine, so it was always the perfect size for climbing or forts. I did something similar with my kids.
The simplest way to choose a tree is to walk the neighborhood and find trees whose texture, shape and size you like. Then take a small branch to a good nursery and find out what it is. That way, you know what it looks like after a few years and that it thrives in your neighborhood.
Be careful about which trees you plant. Don’t plant fast, weedy ones. To make sure, look them up in the “Sunset Western Garden Book” (Sunset, $29.95). Don’t plant too many, or kinds that will get too big for the property. You want to site them properly--not too close to the house or shading the yard, although shading the house is an energy-saving idea--you want them on the south-facing side of the house.
Don’t let grass grow close to the base of trees or shrubs, as it can affect the health of those plants and it is difficult to grow grass in their shade anyway. Keep the lawn at least 5 feet away, and mulch that ground instead, with fallen leaves or shredded bark (not chunky bark).
As for other plants, take your time finding ones you like. There is no need to completely surround the house with plants, what is called “foundation plantings.” That’s an awkward and dated scheme. Ditto next to the fence. It’s nice to see part of the garden wall or the house. It keeps the garden from looking hemmed in, so it appears larger.
But I would start with the lawn. You can always dig out parts for future plantings, but at least the dirt will be covered.
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Q: Can you help me with my lemon tree? It’s over 40 years old and still produces wonderful lemons. Our problem is with the continual growth of suckers, which grow very long.
--E.S., Van Nuys
A: What you are calling suckers are actually watersprouts. Suckers arise from the roots of the tree, watersprouts from branches higher up. Lemon trees are notorious for making watersprouts.
These long shoots are the norm, especially on older lemon trees. It’s how lemons make new branches, which begin long, tall and straight, but bend down in time as they become laden with fruit. The ‘Eureka’ variety is especially prone to this.
The only thing that might curb watersprout production is to water and fertilize less often so the tree is not so vigorous. Mature lemons need little water or fertilizer.
Also, when you do cut off a watersprout, make the cut close to the trunk or branch so it doesn’t immediately resprout. You can remove watersprouts to keep the tree from getting too tall, but it’s also OK to leave them.
On other trees, watersprouts often arise from large pruning cuts, severe pruning, sudden exposure to sunlight or as a result of some injury to the tree.
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Feedback: In response to one reader’s query about troublesome squirrels, another wrote to tell us how she keeps squirrels, birds and other critters out of her apricot tree.
Said Sharon Clark of Pasadena: “I have been saving all those free AOL installation CDs. When the apricots started to ripen this year, I tied 50 shining discs to the branches of the tree. In every sunlit breeze they sparkle and shine. I’ve lost not one apricot--canned 60-plus pints, shared with neighbors and friends, dried some, froze some, ate some.”
She added, “And every single day the dancing reflections (off the discs) bring smiles of joy.” She called it her “Tree of Lights”.
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