Turn your lawn into something beautiful

Lose that lawn and create a gorgeous new garden. On this week's episode of the Gardening Tips podcast, the Chicago Botanic Garden's Jacob Burns talks about how to give new life to your lawn.

Using flooring paper to smother turf is a clever and eco-friendly way to kickstart new garden beds this fall. This heavy-duty paper, often used in construction, blocks light and kills the grass underneath. It cuts smoothly and quickly covers large areas.

If you don't have flooring paper, cardboard or newspaper works well too. Lay down your chosen material, overlapping the edges for full coverage. Then pile on compost, soil or mulch to hold it in place and enrich the soil.

Over the fall and winter, the grass will die off and the paper and cardboard will naturally break down, leaving behind fertile soil ready for planting in the spring. It's a simple, low-effort way to prepare your garden.

Every Saturday, listen to a new episode of the Gardening Tips podcast for timely tips on all things plants, gardens and the great outdoors. Look for the latest episode here.

Make sure to subscribe to Gardening Tips on WBBM Newsradio on the Audacy app; leave us a review & rate on Apple Podcasts, too!

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