Much has been written about this method in past posts....some as recently as "PJ's new house" that is still active. Plantmaven posted pics on this thread of what she did ............ before and after pics that should be helpful to you. She did a great job, and it should work for you........take a look.

It's my understanding that the lasagna beds need a while to sit and "cook" before you can plant in them, but the other posts that Carrie mentions should be able to give you a time frame.

Depending upon the grass that you have, you may have to remove the grass no matter what you do. Bermuda is notorious for surviving no matter how deep it's covered.

Are you sure you're in Zone 9b? I've always thought San Antonio was Zone 8b.

I used round up to kill the sod, thick newspaper to smother what didn't die or returned, then covered it with mulch. I also dug trenches and added edging I'm hoping to cover with plants. I've also "solarized" with plastic (cooks grass in warm summer months), smothered with newspaper and mulch. It was not edged so the grass was a constant, mostly losing battle.

After trial and error, I decided to use cheap roofing paper. Very easy to roll across a large area and hold down with rocks, bricks or logs. Being as it is almost black, it heats the soil much faster.
I know, I know, there was some mention re what is on the paper. But it was a county ag. agent that advised me to use that. 4 or 5 months I had lots off earth works under there. I think they would be like the canary in a mine.

As Carrie was nice enough to suggest, look at my pictures on PJ's post. I went from paper in Nov 2007 to Yard of the Month in Sept. 2008.

These asters grew this much in about 7 months. I had potted some prior to the move and divided them in the spring of 08.

Oct. 2008

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As you dig a hole for a plant, you will find our "lovely" caliche or limestone rocks. It is easier to get them a few at a time rather than the whole area at a time.
I was 60 years old when we did this. Plus 3 back surgeries. So, it is not that difficult.

It is unfortunate that so many who become enthused over the prospect of streetfront gardening start off in a blaze of glory, only to lose interest and create something akin to a public nuisance. When you put plants, particularly blooming plants, adjacent to Central Texas concrete, they are going to require attention and yes, adequate water. And I really don't think lining the public ways waist high with dead foliage is an appropriate way of expressing that your heart beats as one with the natural order. I could show you several such examples within easy walking distance.

One mistake I made was planting a vitex at a corner. But I keep it cut back. With lots of mulch these beds take less water than the St. augustine grass.

I posted my age younger, I was 64 when we did this.

Easter 2010, even with the hard freezes we had, every thing except the blue potato bush had come out. After I cut it back it finally came out.

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June 2009
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March 2009 - back yard

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Kathy, isn't Dr. Seuss amazing??? That is such a great pic ...........thanks for sharing.

It's always an inspiration to see the gorgeous and quick transformation Kathy made with her yard. We have a new area to work on this spring and I plan to use the lasagna method since it's the best way to plant over limestone rock.

You are likely in zone 8 and some parts of your yard could be even colder. I'm 8a in San Antonio and Boerne is usually at least 5o to 10o colder.

Converting lawn to planting beds is a great idea in this area. There were a few weeks last spring when the large lawns were green and looked nice for the first time in several years but generally lawns look pretty bad around here. Most of the year a nice garden of flowers with a background of evergreen plants can look good even when the flowers fade and the foliage turns brown. Salvia greggii, copper canyon daisy, and blackfoot daisy continue to bloom on sunny days throughout this unusually cold winter.

If you are new to Boerne be sure to find out about deer in your neighborhood to avoid disappointment. They can cause a lot of damage.

That is just so gorgeous. Thank you for sharing more pictures :).

whitecap, I have NEVER understood why some homeowners allow their homes to look seedy,sidewalk garden or no flowers anywhere. A home costs THOUSANDS of dollars. A person LIVES there, even if the home were free. I can't understand wanting to come home to a junky,nasty weedy mess everyday. We are so lucky in the country to have access to a home, land, and the means to fix our homes up. I've seen homes I know weren't section 8,had a decent car in the driveway, and still the homeowner wouldn't even add an inexpensive neutral coat of paint. Sorry for the hijack and I'm getting off my soapbox now.

The worst of it is that, even if they create a horrible mess, they wear themselves out patting themselves on the back for having taken a giant step for ecological correctness.