Planning

This is the plan.

First, I will kill the grass with layers of cardboard or newspaper. I've been doing that in my kitchen herb/flowerbed and it is very effective.

Then, I will lay out the shape of the Santa Rosa labyrinth using these edgers.

When it is all outlined, I will cover the paper stuff with some decent topsoil.

Last, I will use plugs to plant the paths with Zoysia grass. It is heaven to walk on and thrives in very sunny yards. There was a big patch of it between me and my neighbor in the last house I lived in.

I may put some low growing flowering things in the corners of the turns.

It is always easy to get BIG cardboard boxes from work that can be broken down for the sheet mulching. I can do that all winter while the yucky grass is dormant. And I can buy some edgers each payday and then fiddle with the layout. I am thinking that I will start it around October and (hopefully) be ready to plug in the spring.

My yard is a brick full of huge chunks of quartz growing crappy grass and there is an obvious outline of the septic lines through the middle of the backyard. Putting the layer of topsoil in it rather than just letting the zoysia fill it in is a better way to insure that it will all grow well and evenly, I think.

I made an Excel spreadsheet to fiddle with the sizes of the Jerusalem and the paths. I think I want the center to 7' in diameter and the paths to be 2.5'. But, actually laying it out may change my mind.