Like the ones that have come before it, this season will change everything forever.  The dust will eventually settle under the humidity of summer, and we’ll be a little older, a little wiser, and a little closer to the place we really want to be.  Some premature reflection half way through:

Mix of Buffalograss, Curly Mesquite, and Blue Grama

We’ve been testing a new mix of native grasses, as an alternative to the options that just don’t seem to cut it.  Bermuda is invasive, St. Augustine can’t take the sun, Buffalo is too weedy, and Zoysia doesn’t live up to it’s hype.  Turffalo is expensive, and native beds take way more effort than most people want to give.  Can the Wildflower Center’s new solution be the answer?  We’re testing it out.

Jose and Roberto Breaking Rock

Rocks, on the other hand, don’t need much maintenance.  So we use them to take out lawn areas plagued with problems, and convert the space into a shady hangout, equipped with a fire pit and bordered with raised veggie beds.

Lawn Sedge

Thanks to Pat McNeal, we’ve used alot of sedges this season.   He grows dozens of native sedges as a tough, low-maintenance, low-water alternative to turf grasses that can take a variety of conditions from wet to dry to sun to shady.  It’s the real future of lawns in Austin, no doubt, and they look cool too.

Andreas and Juan, on an Unsupervised Day

I’ve had several occasions to almost cry this season, when I’m reminded by how much ass the BG crew has busted this and every year. 

New Patio from Old Concrete

Our favorite project of the season, we basically threw the original design out the window and figured it out as we went.  Including what to do with all this concrete we busted up from an old patio, which we converted into a much more baby-friendly space.

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