Gardening Sweet Spots
By Donna Hessel
I’ve been thinking about turning a portion of my one-acre property that is grass (hardly a lawn; I’m not a lawn perfectionist and anything goes as long as it stays green) into a beautifully-designed area of low-growing ground covers that don’t need weekly mowing, connected by curved, wood-chipped pathways that lead to gardens situated in other areas of my yard. This is not an overnight project and is one that requires a lot of strategic planning. And there are reasons other than eliminating that weekly mowing chore for pursuing the goal.
If you need incentives other than eliminating mowing, here are a few to consider:
~ Turf grass is maintained by the regular use of inorganic chemicals, mowing, and lots of water.
~ Pollution runoff from herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers is harmful to the environment.
~ Gas mowers produce harmful emissions and air pollutants.
~ The cost of regular irrigation can quickly add up.
~ Traditional lawns offer no benefits to the ecosystem and are a virtual desert when it comes to supporting
soil organisms and wildlife.
If you have areas on your property that could be alternatives to grass, here are some suggestions on how to achieve an attractive, no-mow landscape that is environmentally friendly and more cost efficient. I invested in a book that has been very inspiring – “Beautiful No-Mow Yards – 50 Amazing Lawn Alternatives” by Evelyn J. Hadden. It covers design, conversion process and planting suggestions. Because sustainability and eco-friendly property management is trending, garden magazines are also including articles on this subject.
The first step in the process is to analyze your property from a fresh perspective. Where could you incorporate areas of low-growing ground covers, native plants or a wildflower meadow that would create a pleasing alternate texture to smooth surrounding lawn and be both a pleasure to view from inside your home as well as from the street? You definitely need to keep in mind your neighborhood and immediate neighbors when considering where to eliminate lawn, as their attitudes and opinions on curb appeal and sustainability may differ from yours. I’m lucky in that the area I’m transitioning is bordered by a strip of trees and shrubby bushes, largely blocked from street view. Still, I’m thinking design-wise of “throw rugs” – areas of low-growing grasses, sedges and ground covers separated by hardscape paths – versus wider “gardens” of native plants or a wildflower meadow, both of which require more maintenance than I am willing to commit to. Here are some alternatives you may consider:
Native Plants. Growing plants that are native to this region helps restore soils as well as support complex ecosystems and wildlife. Once native plants are established, they need little supplemental care. There are many varieties of native plants that look beautiful in different seasons. Lots of information on native plants is available online and in my April Gardening Sweet Spots blog post.
Wildflower Meadows. I’m sure you’d love to look out your window and see the wall-to-wall carpet of colors commonly depicted on wildflower seed packets. Promo for wildflower gardens sounds promising – they attract pollinators, are a low-impact addition to the ecosystem that require little extra watering, are low maintenance, etc. etc. Beware! Wildflower seeds are sold as mixes, often based around a theme like shade-loving or pollinator-friendly, and are sold countrywide, or even worldwide. So the seed pack you buy (or have acquired as a gift-with-purchase) may be totally unsuitable for your yard, your light conditions and your soil. It may include annual flowers that will bloom one year and then disappear, leaving invasive non-native plants and weeds for subsequent years. Unfortunately, wildflower meadows are difficult to establish and maintain and commonly take a larger area than you may be willing to commit to as an alternative lawn. In doing the research for this blog, I found the following website to be insightful and beneficial: https://lweanerassociates.com/wildflower-meadows-lets-get-real/.
No-Mow Alternatives. Ground-hugging plants such as small sedges, succulents and walkable ground covers simulate the look of a lawn and require less water and no mowing. Low-growing, clumping grasses planted in masses are attractive and provide textural interest. If reliably green color and lower maintenance are your goal, consider drought-resistant grass seed mixtures, clover, wild violets or ajuga varieties. They need less water and little to no fertilizer or mowing. If replacing grass with artificial turf sounds inviting – don’t do it! It’s bad for the environment, is made using fossil fuels, retains heat, emits toxic fumes and allows water to run off vs. permeate the soil. Artificial grass has no benefit to wildlife.
Low-growing plants to consider include creeping thyme (Thymus spp.), an herb that forms a dense, durable carpet tolerant of poor soils and drought that needs full sun; lilyturf (Liriope spp.), which grows in full sun to partial shade, is low maintenance and will spread in a wide range of soil conditions; moss (various species) that will provide a lush carpet in moist, shady areas, needs no fertilizer and thrives in clay on compacted soil. You’ll want to avoid these plants, which may be attractive but are invasive: Ground ivy, Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea), Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis), Bishop’s Weed (Aegopodium podagraria), English Ivy (Hedera helix), Yellow Archangel (Lamium galeobdolon), Chameleon Plant (Houttuynia cordata), Common Periwinkle (Vinca minor). Japanese Spurge (Pachysandra terminalis).
Ornamental grasses and sedges include Fescue (Festuca), Japanese Silver Grass (Miscanthus), Sedge (Carex) and Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa). Grasses need full sun to partial shade and feature tassels or fronds that sway in the breezes and offer winter interest. A pretty low growing woodland plant is Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum), which has fragrant white flower mid-spring.
Hardscape. Areas of plants can be broken up with hardscaping – pathways using permeable materials that allow water to percolate back into the soil. Consider permeable pavers, crushed stone, pea gravel or wood chips for paths. Avoid non-permeable materials, such as poured concrete patios and sidewalks that divert water rather than allowing it to percolate back into the soil. You might also like to incorporate a bench, other seating, tree stumps or garden art in this area to add interest and provide a variation in heights.
Totally removing sod will facilitate new planting growth
After you have envisioned your alternate lawn area, walk through it to get an idea of where paths would be most logical. The next step will be to physically lay out paths and planting areas, which can be done with stakes and twine, spray paint (if you’re pretty sure of your design), or hoses – any material that will indicate borders. Total sod removal from the area will assure that most of the grass and weed seeds will not re-germinate. A straight-edge spade works, but renting a sod removal machine will be faster and involve less back-breaking effort. Hiring a landscaper at this point, budget permitting, would be ideal. Another slow-but-sure sod-removal method involves smothering – layering cardboard, newspapers or other biodegradable materials over the area, adding several inches of mulch; and waiting. Smothering takes two to four months and sometimes up to a year to accomplish, but plants can be planted into the area in the meantime by cutting planting holes in the layered materials. Removing sod from the planned paths and piling it grass-side down on planting areas will increase top soil in those areas when the grass deteriorates.
Using an herbicide is quick and probably the method a landscaper would suggest. If you don’t use chemicals on your lawn regularly, a one-time application of an herbicide is not going to be too detrimental. However, it will deplete the soil of good microorganisms as well as unwanted ones. One benefit is that you can add soil and plant over the dead grass without removing it.
When it comes to planting, choose small plugs of your selected plants rather than large plants as they will adapt more quickly. As with any new garden, keep areas adequately watered until the plants are established. Adding compost will be beneficial to both soil and plants; and mulch will keep down the weeds. Check the area frequently and pull any weeds that appear when they are small and easily removed. While low maintenance is a benefit, remember that no garden is completely maintenance free.
This is a huge project unless you are moving into a newly built home and can incorporate no-mow planting areas into your initial landscaping plans. For most of us this will be a project taken in small steps – and that is OK. The ultimate reward – an attractive view, a sustainable garden that invites pollinators and wildlife, and less time and money spent on achieving and maintaining a lush green lawn — is well worth the time and work involved!
Photos courtesy pexels.com
Article references: Garden Design Online Newsletter, June, 2022; “Lawn & Grass Alternatives for an Eco-Friendly Landscape” by Janey Loughrey.
lweanerassociates.com/wildflower-meadows-lets-get-real/
“Beautiful No-Mow Yards – 50 Amazing Lawn Alternatives” by Evelyn J. Hadden
