Today is another crazy day in the neighborhood. This morning there was still a little work to be done in preparation for the sod, but the sod is here.
12 pallets waiting to be installed in the front and back.
I went with Zeon Zoysia. I have plenty of sun out front but the back is kind of shady. Zeon is the most shade tolerant of all the warm-season turf grass varieties. It’s a fine-textured zoysia grass and reportedly thrives in both sun and light-challenged environments.
Per the The Turf Grass Group, Zeon is now considered the “first choice selection of landscape architects and homeowners.” It makes for a beautiful lawn so I’m excited to see the results.
I’ll be watering it like crazy over the next 2-3 weeks. Now is when I could use some of that insane rain we’ve had all summer. Thank goodness I had an irrigation system installed 18+ years ago. It’s will definitely come in handy since the sod will need to be watered at least twice a day.
One end of the perennial bed has sunk down a little over the years, so the guys took some of that rich topsoil I had delivered and filled in that area. The plants on that end had fizzled out for the most part. I think they got a bit too much shade. Now that all the Leylands are gone toward that end (taken out years ago when Hurricane Opal came through) I’m hoping once I replant this end, it will do much better. That will be a job for this fall.
I transplanted one of the tall Rudbeckia Herbstonne from the area where they were going to be adding dirt and it was so tall it fell over and sort up uprooted itself. You can see it there in the center where there’s a gap and some dead foliage. I need to trim off the dead flowers that didn’t appreciate my transfer and replant the base. Will do that as soon as I complete this post.
The guys are almost done with this side so I should be able to turn on this zone and give the sod a nice drink of water soon.
So, we’re in dirt-moving, sod-laying, bed-designing mode here today. Every so often the door bell rings and a design decision or clarification is needed. “How far does this bed need to come out?” “Do you like the way this curves or would you like it to go in a bit further?” It’s crazy…but crazy fun! 🙂
I just wanted to give you a little update today. I should be posting some completed pics tomorrow, so keep your fingers crossed all gets finished today. The weather is so perfect for this right now, sunny but not too hot. See you tomorrow with some “After” views!
XO
Wow Susan, Can’t wait to see pics of the finished lawn. Should be amazing.
It’s looking great and that sod is beautiful!
How exciting .. to be on the home stretch! Your flowers look so pretty and happy! It has been fun to watch the unfoldment of your beautiful yard, I can’t wait to see the finished picture! Hope the rain finds you at the right time and glad the weather is cooperating today.
Thanks, Nancy! Me, too! 🙂
Susan, I am so excited for you. S-day is finally here. Have fun being a happy gardener.
Susan,
This is so exciting… It’s like Christmas in July!!! Your home will look so beautiful with your new landscaping project. Removing the trees made such a difference. Can’t wait to see the pictures.
It really feels that way, as long as I’ve wanted to sod. I told my landscape guy this was 5 Christmases to me. 🙂 Thanks, Marlene! I so don’t miss the trees, not one tiny bit!
Looking good, can not wait until it is all done and we get to see the “after” pics. 🙂
Looking so great! Love that Zoysia sod! Will be checking tomorrow for your photos, we are all excited to see the finished landscape!
Thanks, Sonia!
Love you home, so exciting to do something new. Hope you get it all done so and can enjoy you new lawn. Love you site.
Thanks so much, Bonnie! ♥
I have been so excited for you getting sod! I can’t wait to see the finished pictures. I have just killed off my front yard and we are going to be reseeding it so I am very much in “lawn mode”. 🙂
Lynn, that sounds exciting! This is a good time to do it with fall around the corner!
Boy is that beautiful grass..your lawn is going to look so nice..what are ya putting in that open end of garden…looks like a nice spot for a birdbath…in the circle…looks like your street has some nice front yards…that’s nice to see.
Wende, it will probably be more perennials. I need to spread out some I already have…divide them up, but I’ll probably purchase a few new ones this fall. The whole bed needs some major weeding. I have a few really invasive weeds in there. Ugh.
I have to dig up one myself..when I planted it I used that preen & green it worked like a dream..ha yeah I know..i didn’t have any weeds 2 yrs then just random weeds the 3rd summer it’s a really mess now..I smashed my foot last sept and hope to get to it soon..I’ll have to call in some recruits as using a shovel isn’t so easy anymore…look forward to the before & after’s of this yr to this time next
What fun! Isn’t it grand to get big major projects underway and the hardest part is answering the door? I’m thrilled for you and your new yard. SOD is amazing; one day it looks like little doormats and the next day it is a beautiful lawn!
Looking forward to the next post.
I did a bunch of work today…about to fall asleep now. I transplanted a whole bunch of lirope that I didn’t want to get bulldozed down. I also took a bunch of the scrap pieces of sod and put it in a place that we never talked about sodding…but would look good with some. I am exhausted! Glad to be getting it all done, though. They do look like little doormats, green hairy doormats. 🙂 Thanks, Mary!
Looking good! Happy for you that you have such great weather. Your home will look gorgeous after it is all done.
Thanks, Peggy!
Hi Susan, YAY!! Sod day! This is going to look so beautiful. I can’t wait to see how everything looks. I love that you can see your lovely house better.
You are correct a project like this is frustrating but oh sooooo fun!
xo Ginger
Thanks, Ginger! I really do like having those trees gone. The River Birch roots were so awful…so much work to get rid of them all stretching across the lawn. Never planting one of those again!
Things are looking great-know you are excited and having fun!
~Susan~
How exciting !! Will you be going barefoot soon ?!?!! 🙂
Paula
IN
I did a little of that today, by necessity. 🙂
Can not wait to see all the sod in place. Wow , by cutting down those trees you can really see your beautiful home. Looking good.! Yarlette
Thanks, Yarlette! Definitely a big improvement and glad they are G.O.N.E. 🙂
Perfect timing! Hope you get some of that “scattered and isolated” rain we are supposed to get over the next two days.
LuAnne, me too! Got my fingers crossed!
Susan, that sod is gorgeous! Going tell my hubby about it – now we have fungus, thanks to all the rain central FL has had – 50-60% chances every day thru Sat this week, so if you have sunny weather, great for you! South of us almost had a tornado – they broke into regular programming just to update the people down by the Tampa area. Sure is a crazy weather year! Can’t wait to see the finished product – you picked the right people to do the job for sure! ~Faith
Oh, no. I hate that stuff. I hope I don’t over-water and get it…hard to know just how much is the right amount for watering. So sorry you guys have had to deal with all that! We get a lot of tornado here, too. Don’t like them! Thanks, Faith!
This is so exciting! I can’t wait to see the finished product! I love landscaping and watching it all come together is so awesome! I would especially love this – not having to do all the work! Looking forward to seeing more pics! Hugs, Leena
Thanks, Leena!
The yard is really coming along and is just gorgeous!
LOVE watching this all take shape, Susan! What FUN!!!!! 🙂
xoxo laurie
You must be having so much fun Susan! It’s going to look so beautiful when it’s finished and I can’t wait. 🙂
Our deck at the cabin was started last week. By the time I get back up there in ten days it will be finished and I’m so excited!
Doreen, I know you can wait to see it and USE it. 🙂 A cabin sounds so romantic and wonderful. I would rather have one of those than a beach house!
This is better than HGTV!!!! I went back and looked at old pics of your house and once your yard is done, it will look like a newly built house. So much better with those trees gone, gone, gone! Looking forward to more pics. Hope you get rested and are up bright and early taking more pics. This voyering is addictive!!!Ha ha ha
Thanks, Linda! It really is a drastic change, isn’t it? I had forgotten how the windows on my house looked. It’s nice to have all that light inside again. 🙂
Perfect timing…all this rain today will be great! Cant’ wait to see the after pics. This is something we will be doing soon….well as soon as I become employed…lol.
Susan, did you do a rain dance? If so, it worked! Funny, I don’t even know you, but when I woke to the rain storm at 4am, I immediately thought of you!
This is already starting to look pretty. Can’t wait to see it when everything is done!
Looks like you’re making great progress with it all! It is going to be gorgeous once it’s finished… and all that extra light! 😀
Hugs,
Beth P
It is like having a golf course type lawn in the summer. It is wonderful to walk barefoot on! However, in the winter, it turns a depressing hay color…at least here in KY it does. Best wishes!
Wow! Looks amazing! I know this post was from years ago, but do you remember which sod supplier you used? Also, would love an update on how your Zeon Zoysia is doing? Do you love it? Did it preform well for your shady backyard? Any maintenance troubles?
I live in Georgia and we are trying to decide which variety of sod to put in our partially shady backyard (+ we have dogs and kids– so that is a consideration as well).
We are also trying to decide where to buy our sod from. A local company (NG Turf https://ngturf.com) sells Zeon Zoysia and has a one year warranty, so that gives me a little peace of mind if something goes wrong.
I don’t remember the name of the sod farm now, but I I believe it was located in Carterville, GA. The only thing that I didn’t like was some of the sod had nutsedge in it which is hard to get rid of. They sent replacement sod pieces but I still have some in other areas of the yard that continues to pop up from time to time. I don’t know if it’s from the original sod now or just nutsedge that has maybe come in from a neighbor’s lawn. Overall, I was happy with their sod.it feels great underfoot. I wouldn’t recommend the guy who installed my lawn…not overly happy with him.
We have Bermuda in our front yard and it has nutsedge in it as well. Can’t seem to get rid of it! Drives me absolutely crazy, especially since it grows faster/taller than the Bermuda!
Good to know that you like the feel of the zeon zoysia! I definitely want something soft for the kids to walk barefoot on.