When I moved into the house in May 2013, the live oak's roots crawled along the surface, above the grass, over a large area.
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On October 19, 2014, small forbs and grasses were hugging the okk between its roots where the lawnmower couldn't cut them down. A patch of dichondra was on the west side, joined by yellow woodsorrel and bermudagrass.
In another area on October 19, 2014, some flat-top mille graines was mixed with common purslane.
in another pocket by the oak, a tuft grass takes refuge.
Here is the eastern edge of the main lawn on January 24, 2015. The area to the left with the pipe running near the surface is the neighbor's property.
[More to come...]
Here is the main lawn seen from the driveway on May 16, 2017, with the oak casting its shadows over the entire front yard.
Its primary element is the live oak, and its most visible ground cover is St. Augustine grass. However, several other plants live there:
- Oriental false hawksbeard (Youngia japonica)
- Flat-top Mille Graines (Oldenlandia corymbosa or Hedyotis corymbosa)
- Virginia buttonweed (Diodia virginiana)
- Dichondra (Dichondra carolinensis)
- Annual Bluegrass (Poa annua)
- Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon)
- Rescuegrass (Bromus catharticus)
- Dallisgrass (Paspalum dilatatum)
- Black Medick (Medicago lupulina)
- Bur Clover (Medicago polymorpha)
- Yellow Woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta)
- Goldenrain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata)
After rains, I have occasionally found mushrooms there, including a chanterelle under the oak tree in 2017.
The main lot has changed little since I moved here in May 2013. However, I had root barriers added all the way around the main lawn area, and I had the oak's surface roots ground down, in January 2016.
In the summer of 2016, there was a heavy infestation of tropical sod webworms all over this part of town. When I walked through the grass, many of the moths would fly up and resettle elsewhere in the grass. I had some problems with the grass, but it mostly recovered after I mowed it very short. There is still a curved band where the grass has not grown well, but I'm not sure of the cause. The grass in the easement and the west front yard grows faster than the grass in the main lawn, probably because those areas get more sunlight.
The main lot has changed little since I moved here in May 2013. However, I had root barriers added all the way around the main lawn area, and I had the oak's surface roots ground down, in January 2016.
In the summer of 2016, there was a heavy infestation of tropical sod webworms all over this part of town. When I walked through the grass, many of the moths would fly up and resettle elsewhere in the grass. I had some problems with the grass, but it mostly recovered after I mowed it very short. There is still a curved band where the grass has not grown well, but I'm not sure of the cause. The grass in the easement and the west front yard grows faster than the grass in the main lawn, probably because those areas get more sunlight.
