[Junebugs]

Has anyone seen a CYV with only pine straw on the front yard -- no grass,no rocks?

[LndLocked]

yes, plenty of them.

[Junebugs]

Can you give an idea of where -- I would like to drive by and take a look before we decide on what to do with our house.

[PJOHNS2654]

Originally Posted by Junebugs

Can you give an idea of where -- I would like to drive by and take a look before we decide on what to do with our house.

Do your research re: Pine Straw, especially if you have pets. We removed ours and replaced it with red bark mulch.

[billethkid]

HAve you had pine straw before?
If not be aware that it does decompose and has to be replaced/redoneevry year or sometimes every other year.
Also it is a perfect domicile for bugs/snakes/critters of all kinds.
Looks nice in the beginning but looses it's color and tends to mat down as it decomposes.

Rock may be more expensive but much cleaner and you buy it once. If you are do it yourself capable or desire to do so you can save over 50% of what a contractor will charge you. Rock is available from several sources around TV at substantially lower prices than having it brought in, etc.

btk

[Junebugs]

I went to Dirt Cheap yesterday and pick up some rock samples. One problem is having the grass pulled up in the front yard -- I don't think I can do that. The other concern is that my house has vinyl siding with shutters - not exactly a Florida looking house. If I had stucco, I would add rocks. To me, the siding and the rocks don't blend as well. (its a personal thing like preferring wood or carpet in a living room over tile). I want to keep a natural look to the front of the house and I enjoyed pine needles at our home in NC.

[billethkid]

As far as pulling up the grass, there are places around TV that rent a machine that literally slices/removes the sod with very little physical effort.

There are very many choices as you have seen at Dirt Cheaps lot (where I buy my rock).

Good luck in your decision making.

btk

[njbchbum]

pine straw burns!

[BogeyBoy]

To answer the OP question -

Adriana Villas in Hemingway started with all pine straw. I am not positive but I believe there are still some that have not changed to some other ground cover.

[Ohiogirl]

Originally Posted by Junebugs

I went to Dirt Cheap yesterday and pick up some rock samples. One problem is having the grass pulled up in the front yard -- I don't think I can do that. The other concern is that my house has vinyl siding with shutters - not exactly a Florida looking house. If I had stucco, I would add rocks. To me, the siding and the rocks don't blend as well. (its a personal thing like preferring wood or carpet in a living room over tile). I want to keep a natural look to the front of the house and I enjoyed pine needles at our home in NC.

We have a vinyl CYV and originally had part grass and part pine straw in the front. We took out the pine straw and added weed mat and pine nuggets first, then later had the grass removed by a contractor and river stones (yellow tone to go with our siding) and some plantings (we used pacifica juniper to keep low and spreading) and camellias by the neighbor's siding (that's our shadier side). Got the shrubs at Marion Market from the guy who is a master gardener. Did this about a year ago and shrubs all doing great.

I like the natural look as well. Do yourself a favor and just drive thru several CYV neighborhoods that are vinyl and get some ideas you like.

[bonrich]

Have you had the opportunity to watch the mow, blow & go guys do your "lawn". I did. The mower guy unloaded his rider, took one swipe in the front, loaded it back on the trailer. Then the other worker, "mowed" the back lawn with a weed wacker. Final touch up with the blower. Changed to stone, made tiers of the walls, added flowers in different decorative pots, pulled weeds when needed and no more blow and go guys.

[Sparty6971]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

pine straw burns!

Yes it does, and very quickly becomes not a smoldering fire but a roaring fire if the winds pick up as they do here. Probably wouldn't be a problem very often but you would only need one time to be unlucky. Plus you do have to at minimum fluff it up yearly and better replace it yearly to keep it looking half-way good.

If you walk around the area much, it won't take long to see the cigarette buts lying along the curb area and just up on the "grass/rock" front areas. Most of them don't come from trash bags that get ripped open by cats - they are from walkers, cart riders, and contractor people that don't think what they are doing is dangerous.

Think long and hard about pine straw vs. rock.

[elevatorman]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

pine straw burns!

Yes it does. Check this out. RALEIGH: Fire revives questions about pine straw safety | Wake County | NewsObserver.com

Pine Straw Ordinance - The Official City of Raleigh Portal