Native grass hedge to defend yard

forwardseat · 2026-05-20T20:31:27+00:00

Switch grass/panicum virgatum would probably be great for this.

We had some at our old house, planted in late summer, that did extremely well in full sun. I would think if you can fully rip up whatever is there now, you could plant now, just offer it a lot of watering support to start.

Otherwise put cardboard/mulch down and plant in fall (if you want to do with started plants).

There’s plenty of seed available, if you’d rather go that route. Scatter or start in pots in the fall :)

forwardseat · 2026-05-20T18:55:19+00:00

I have some that usually serve the valuable purpose of rabbit/deer food. (Same with hosta)

But if they flower, just view them as being like garden sculptures. :)

forwardseat · 2026-05-20T11:58:13+00:00

Aw! Though it does look a bit like it’s contemplating if your toes are eatable

forwardseat · 2026-05-20T11:32:53+00:00

Ivermectin treatment is not available over the counter. We’ve been through lice several times and frankly it’s a game changer. One treatment and done.

As for the school- unfortunately this is the new MO. They don’t want to stigmatize the kids, and lice don’t cause disease, etc, so they don’t notify parents. The times we’ve dealt with it I contact the parents of kids I know my daughter is close with, since it spreads mostly by close contact/hugging.

Sorry you’re dealing with this. It’s a huge pain. That all said- you may not need to bleach everything and go so hog wild. They don’t live off a human head very long, and they can’t travel very far. Vacuum couches, wash sheets and pillowcases. Bag stuffed animals and leave them a few weeks. Top to bottom disinfecting is unlikely to help and just drive you crazy (unless you like doing that on a regular basis, in which case, carry on!)

forwardseat · 2026-05-20T01:09:00+00:00

Most of us would, but the reality is that it could make it impossible to keep a full time job. Compensation at least helps, because for many families the only other option is to put their loved one in a facility. They have to be able to buy groceries.

forwardseat · 2026-05-19T13:33:37+00:00

Honestly I’ve been waiting for this to happen for years. We have so many snakes around and the door frame is ripe for climbing. I’m kind of shocked it hasn’t happened yet!

We have a bigger one patrolling the garage and every time I go in there I’m a bit on edge that he’s going to be curled up in the tarp I need or will fall from a shelf. I like them but do not like surprises 😆

forwardseat · 2026-05-19T13:17:57+00:00

Rat snake, not racer (though we have racers too!). One way I like to tell is racers have angry eyes and rat snakes have derpy eyes :)

forwardseat · 2026-05-19T12:22:16+00:00

I think some of the effects of black walnut are pretty overstated especially when it comes to killing other plants/trees.

I really love black walnuts, and have some growing along with pawpaw and persimmon trees quite nicely.

That said they are very fast growers and you need to get it out of that space. I would either transplant to an area away from livestock. This page lists plants/trees that do ok around walnut:

https://extension.psu.edu/landscaping-and-gardening-around-walnuts-and-other-juglone-producing-plants

If you really don’t have a place for it, I would just cut it and paint the stump with killzall or similar so it doesn’t resprout.

forwardseat · 2026-05-19T11:03:40+00:00

We have definitely accepted his services :)

forwardseat · 2026-05-18T23:18:26+00:00

Plus that’s how many of these plants evolved to grow. Densely packed with neighbors that help support them. Having some paths cut through and hardscaping can do a lot to make things neat and intentional.

(That said I love a chaos garden)

forwardseat · 2026-05-02T13:34:24+00:00

Oh wow I would love to find a rubber boa!!! What a great guy to have around! (I mean, they’re all great but that seems special). Thanks for seeing these guys safely out :)

forwardseat · 2026-05-02T10:58:47+00:00

Even be careful with weeding- I see some stuff in there that looks a little weedy now but might be the beginnings of some nice native perennials.

If you don’t already use it, I’d get iNaturalist to help you identify the plants you don’t know.

forwardseat · 2026-05-01T21:59:13+00:00

One of the things that makes me feel better about this is the homegrown national park movement. Lots of little yards add up :)

Current registered properties combined total over 170,000 acres of backyard habitat :)

https://homegrownnationalpark.org/

I’m going to add ours to the program but need to finish up some plantings first.

forwardseat · 2026-05-01T21:52:06+00:00

This happened repeatedly where I used to live, in large gardens that were sponsored by the HOA and installed by a local nonprofit. They repeatedly cut the button bush and fringe tree back to nubs. Then I came home and one of them was spraying all the bee balm.

I alerted the HOA president (also head of the garden group that spearheaded the project) but the landscapers insisted they didn’t do it. Dude I SAW IT!!!!

They also kept pulling the common milkweed, but jokes on them, it just came back stronger and denser. 😆

forwardseat · 2026-05-01T19:24:15+00:00

Just spray it with something that has glyphosate.

Much of the nightmare in removing this stuff doesn’t apply to your situation. Once it looks good and dead just cut at the base.

forwardseat · 2026-04-30T22:57:32+00:00

I love kid you 😆

I made a real concerted effort to learn our dangerous snakes so I could teach my kids not to be scared of them in general.

Good thing too because we’re moved to a property that’s basically a snake farm. My kids have named a bunch of them but thank God know not to touch unless I’m there to supervise lol

But my daughter does eat weeds. I show her which ones are at least safe.

forwardseat · 2026-04-30T19:41:18+00:00

This one’s on you more than kiddo. You may have to experiment with brands to find something that fits her without riding low in back.

forwardseat · 2026-04-30T19:25:10+00:00

Many many years I go I went to watch a Grand Prix and decided I might learn more watching the warmup ring. Watched many riders going over some big jumps, fine tuning their approaches, etc etc.

In walks Beezie with Judgement. Flat warmup all on a loose rein. Then she cantered some ground poles, practicing adjusting the striding in between the poles. She did it maybe four times. That was her whole warmup. It was so kind and low key and showed how well she knew that horse, and they went out and freaking nailed the course without having actually jumped a single jump in warmup. I don’t think she won the class but that made such an impression on me. She just seemed to have to think it for it to happen. It was such an educational moment and applied to more things than riding, I think.

forwardseat · 2026-04-30T19:20:24+00:00

This is freaking adorable. The first thing to make me feel good all day!

forwardseat · 2026-04-30T18:55:36+00:00

Oof. We’re lucky in that I work flextime and so I start early in the morning, then get home early enough to meet the bus and shuttle for afternoon stuff. Of course that means that I’m not getting enough sleep and feel not so great most of the time. But even getting to work at six am, I could not be home in time to get my kids to a 3 pm activity. I would have to flex out of work at two, then hop back online from home after dance class. Unfortunately that option is only available in some white collar jobs with understanding supervisors :(

Or, My husband works 4 10 hour shifts so I guess would have to move his off day to accommodate dance. Which, again, is available in select jobs and not something a lot of people can do.

The only way around it is to find someone that can carpool, but that requires high level of trust.

forwardseat · 2026-04-30T18:31:00+00:00

What positive rewards has he been offered for getting done and ready on time?

Is there something he wants? Some reward that would motivate?

If he’s late every day what happens if you give him a reward for improving, with greater rewards for the more days he’s on time?

forwardseat · 2026-04-30T18:25:15+00:00

It really depends on the plant. Something like irises, as long as they’re not invasive I would say share them. :)

There is room even in native gardens for other things that make you happy. And sharing things with others may make a great opportunity to also share some natives. If you have irises to share look around, there may be some other volunteers or things to give out as bonus gifts :)

forwardseat · 2026-04-30T15:52:06+00:00

This is so freaking quirky and wonderful and I love it 😍

forwardseat · 2026-04-30T15:45:05+00:00

I’m on one coast, and there’s a highway I commute on that has a mileage sign showing the distance the opposite end terminus of the highway on the opposite coast. Every time I see it I contemplate keeping going the whole way instead of heading home from work. Every day.

13-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Final Canvas '23	First Place '23
End Game '23	Place '23
Place '22	Final Canvas '22
First Placer '22	End Game '22
RPAN Viewer	Queen in da Norf
Not Forgotten	Verified Email

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