Peachtree Road trip taught me something about my own lawn

I drove out to that big new development off Peachtree Industrial last weekend. Just curious. Looked at the model homes. But what got me was their landscaping. They used this ground cover between the sidewalk and the street instead of grass. Creeping thyme I think. Smelled amazing when I walked by. Made me realize my strip of grass there is always half dead from heat and dog pee. I'm ripping mine out this spring. Has anyone else swapped curb strip grass for something else? Did it hold up to Atlanta clay?

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewgonzalez23d ago

My neighbor tried the creeping thyme thing but his HOA made him rip it all out because it "didn't match the street aesthetic" or whatever. He was so mad he planted a whole row of mondo grass instead out of spite. I just let whatever wants to grow in my strip do its thing. Right now it's mostly wild violets and some kind of moss that showed up after the last big storm. Not pretty but the bees love it and I haven't touched it in two years.

the_sandra24d ago

Pulled mine out two summers ago and never looked back. Went with creeping phlox instead of thyme because I read it handles the clay better. Yeah it took a full season to really fill in, but now it's a thick mat that laughs at my dog's urine. No more dead patches or having to edge that stupid strip. Water bill dropped too since I barely have to irrigate it. Just make sure you really dig out all that bermuda grass first or it'll come back with a vengeance.

aaronrobinson23d ago

Yeah @the_sandra my buddy tried the same swap last spring and his dog still digs up half the phlox but at least the lawn strip doesn't look like a war zone.