Cameron wrote:
I'm getting ready to plant a row of shrubs (mostly Nellie Stevens
Holly) along the fence in the back yard of my new home in Austin. The
builder laid St. Augustine sod so I'm trying to decide whether I
should just make a small round bed for each shrub or just take out all
the grass for the first few feet depth along the fence. We had a bed
like that in our old yard, and I hated pulling weeds all the time.
I'm thinking the grass will just die back naturally as the shrubs take
over. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Merrill

I cleared it all out and mulched heavily for my fence row of Nellies.
You can cut back on the mulch as they grow in over the next couple of
years. If you let them get higher than standing cutting height then it's
a bee-otch. I also keep a foot clearance from the fence to enable me to
get behind them for easier cutting and fence tending.