These two photos show the lawn and cactus garden before I made any changes. Initially, my plan was only to widen the path to the compost area to make room for the wooden pallets on which to store my bags of mulched leaves.

                     
   Then I decided that I really liked having a walkway between the grass and the flower beds so I extended the area a second time. A path makes it easier to get around, both for me and for the wheel barrow. I scalped the extended area with the lawn mower each time I mowed and waited for the blazing August sun and the lack of rain to kill the St. Augustine. By extending the pathway around the entire lawn, I was able to widen the ornamental grass bed on the opposite side and add a border of Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima) which will draw the eye over the Gulf muhly ((Muhlenbergia capillaris) when it is not in bloom.

   Above, left, is a view of the new turf area as seen from the upper end of the cactus garden. The lawn is now easier to mow (15 minutes), easier to water (width is same as sprinkler), and does not have to be edged (I just place the wheels of the lawnmower on either side of the flagstones/bricks, and mow over them). Above, right, is a view of the lawn from the opposite end of the yard.

          
   A view from within the fenced garden showing the flow of the newly mulched areas which makes the fence almost invisible. I had mulched various areas over time and the areas were a patchwork of colors.  I spread 5 truckloads of free mulch from Schreiner park over the entire area unifying all the mulched areas.

   The garbage can lids represent placement of skullcap Leguminosae Scutellaris suffrutesscens which had been buried by the prostrate rosemary Rosemary officinalis 'Prostratus' before the bed was extended.
I used landscape fabric in this area because the armadillos have been digging up the areas where I used newspaper and bringing the newspaper pieces and dirt to the surface of the mulch making an ugly mess.
   The yard looks very different. The focus is now on the beds which are wider (enough for the ten-foot spread of the oleanders) and the lawn is a place to rest the eye.

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