Lawn recommendations - Dog/Children

Hey guys

We live in Carramar, Perth. We've currently got some sort of couch down, I believe, and it's dead in patches, weeds through, and it's taken over some of the garden beds.

We're NOT gardening people. We tried to be, but we just want something with very little maintenance. Don't mind getting out and mowing it etc but we don't enjoy the maintenance that comes with lawns and garden beds.

SO.... We want to put in a new lawn, and I'm after ideas.

- Out the front we just want something that looks nice, will hold up to weather/conditions and doesn't need us out there constantly weeding and fertilising etc

- Out the back - we're seriously considering fake grass (I know, I know, you guys hate it), but our dog is ball-obsessed. As in, he'll run back and forth playing ball for HOURS if you let him. That leaves a worn down track where he runs, along with the ripped up bits along the edge where sand is that he likes to dig and lie in.

We're going to totally minimise garden beds because we get sick of plants dying etc (again, I know it's easy to do but we just don't want to bother), so thinking river stones or something in most of it and perhaps a few succulents.

Suggestions??

Plastic grass and dogs, I know how that ends. The smell will be unbelievable. Infection risk for kids becomes serious and disinfectants, chemicals and water are needed to control it all. There is no micro organisms growing in the soil to break down the nasty stuff and make it safe with out unloading a fortune on treatments to achieve that. The cumulative effect of those treatments is a serious concern for the environment. It will also be a contributor to your homes carbon foot print and each house has a cumulative effect on the urban thermal mass. Yeah, I could go on and on.

Your concept of pebbles in the garden etc is going to achieve the opposite for you. You want easy care, do the same soil prep as you would the lawn area and all you get is success and it oozes easy.

Narrow hedge for privacy, Step the hedge out form the fence to give the dogs a run. It is their natural instinct to monitor their territory and when we stop them from doing it, the problems will start. A couple of possies around that have some nice big shrubs growing where they can see the yard, the kids and the house. There you'll no doubt find they dig a shallow hole and sit in the cool soil to rest . They just will. They will be happy.

You want a lawn to cope, all we have to do is get the soil to allow it too. If I were to do a turf from recommendations of many lawn contractors, turf farms and especially most soil places, I'd expect problems almost straight away and say 3-4 years later, you will be scratching your head as to what to do.

Soil amendments, zeolite, spongolite, a bit of sand in clays, and especially organic compost. Gardens too.

Mulch heavily with natural tree lopper mulch, no mess from the dogs or the kids compared to mud. It will sustain the garden and the whole thing perpetuates with each mulching of it. No fertilisers no pesticides, it just isn't needed. Use them and watch the problems start. A good mat e of mine has had hassles with mess from the dogs and even though he has been in my industry for a great many years, he's never used that mulch. You know what happened? It stopped. No mess anymore. The garden went nuts and looks better than it ever has at a time when he can do less to it than ever before.

Varieties, I love Empire Zoysia and am a big advocate of it while others poo poo it because a turf farm finds it harder to make money from. Kikuyu would be a another good one for you. Emerald is a lovely soft one and wont cause rashes. Having said that the Kike lawn we had as kids never did me any harm and I have the scares to prove it

The other option is to buy say Emerald Kike and then plant into it over the years bits of other varieties. You will get a lawn blend that has the strongest of each type well in hand to perform. Some Buffalo and Empire Zoysia.

I hope your kids get to grow up remembering the smell of soil and the cooler grass in summer, the feeling of it. Not the smell of a plastic chemical cocktail that gets so hot in summer its hotter than the road. No burnt feet, dogs paws, chemical treatments to stop smell and infection.

We are onto our 4th garden with dogs-and have started planting kike runners! We have two active Staffys and have found from past experience that the Kikuyu is the only variety which stands up to them Yes, you have to take a firm hand to it at times-but for a control freak like me that's not an issue!

Out the front I'd be choosing Empire Zoysia from lovegroves.

Follow the soil prep advice you won't go wrong. It is all in accordance and more with waterwise principals. The best thing you can do around a home is not use fertilizer, weed sprays and the pesticides. You'll go backwards like everyone does.

Fu meister-if I ever get around to a front lawn I shall cheerfully choose the Zoysia-or anything else you recommend! At the moment I'll be cheering the day I see the Kike pokin'it's head above the wtaer!