Relandscaping boulevard and yard

[Rabbit929]

So, after excavating the basement to repair a drain line, resheath/reshingle roof, we tore up the yard somethin’ fierce.

so, being my sod was about 4” higher than the sidewalks and curb, I stripped the sod with a skid-steer to bring it back down to level with the sidewalk.
we are going to roto-till a portion of this to blend it off, and allow for better leveling. I am aware roto-tilling is slightly frowned upon, but I live on a clay ball, and this ground is hard.

the idea is to ship out several loads and replace some with manure, level, and replant. I’m in North Dakota, just thought it a good idea to ask for some advice.

what would a person plant that would be -40F - 105F, violent winters but somewhat drought resistant? Something that’s overall lower on the maintenance scale but with reasonable curb appeal? And how would you go about planting? Seed and roll?

staying on the cheaper side of things so I’m ok with doing more work, this would be the 3rd house I’ve reseeded, the other two with great success, but just thought I’d like to hear from the pros if there’s something I should do before seeding time or as such.
appreciate any info you have to offer!




again, I’m on a cell phone. Have no idea why cell phones invert images on forums.

 

[bertsmobile1]

In your situation I would consider doing the same as our neighbour over the road has done and go for low shrubs

 

[sheilaf]

So, after excavating the basement to repair a drain line, resheath/reshingle roof, we tore up the yard somethin’ fierce.

so, being my sod was about 4” higher than the sidewalks and curb, I stripped the sod with a skid-steer to bring it back down to level with the sidewalk.
we are going to roto-till a portion of this to blend it off, and allow for better leveling. I am aware roto-tilling is slightly frowned upon, but I live on a clay ball, and this ground is hard.

the idea is to ship out several loads and replace some with manure, level, and replant. I’m in North Dakota, just thought it a good idea to ask for some advice.

what would a person plant that would be -40F - 105F, violent winters but somewhat drought resistant? Something that’s overall lower on the maintenance scale but with reasonable curb appeal? And how would you go about planting? Seed and roll?

staying on the cheaper side of things so I’m ok with doing more work, this would be the 3rd house I’ve reseeded, the other two with great success, but just thought I’d like to hear from the pros if there’s something I should do before seeding time or as such.
appreciate any info you have to offer! View attachment 62009




again, I’m on a cell phone. Have no idea why cell phones invert images on forums. View attachment 62011

Hello there, I worked as a landscape contractor for several years, and had the same problem in the winter, with my clients always complaining about the ground being too hard and it killing the grass so they were always calling me to bail them out. My solution was to rent a skid steer from an equipment rental providers. It plows up the top layer and brings up a lot of weed seeds and nutrients from the subsoil. Then I would go ahead and seed the lawn as normal. This method worked very well for me, and I never had another complaint about the ground being too hard for me to pitch the seed. If you do use a rod tiller, you want to work it into the upper layer of soil, that way you are not cutting up your newly planted grass seed. You will want to keep the weed seeds and nutrients from getting on the grass seed. In the spring, go ahead and use a regular aeration method, like renting an aerator from your local home improvement store. This will help to loosen things up and promote a healthy lawn. Let us know if you have any more questions.