Tiarella cordifolia – one of my favorite lawn alternatives for shade.
Many homeowners would like to reduce the size of their lawns but they have no idea how to begin, what’s involved or what makes sense for their own gardens.
Let’s face it, while lawns are resource intensive, most of us have a basic idea of how to grow a lawn. But the idea of growing a ‘lawn alternative’ is foreign and seems difficult, maybe not even worth the effort.
Regardless of where you live, whether you garden in Connecticut , California or points in between, shrinking the size of your lawn is easier than your think.
Getting Started Kissing Your Lawn Good-Bye
♦ Easy Ways to Shrink Your Lawn ~ An article I wrote for the May/June edition of Connecticut Gardener magazine with all sorts of plants possibilities to use instead of lawn grass.
♦ Lawn Alternatives ~ A collection of posts on the Garden Designers Roundtable from garden bloggers across the country filled with ideas on how to green your garden and shrink your lawn all at the same time. This is a great place to find regionally appropriate lawn alternatives no matter where you garden.
♦ Lawn Alternatives ~ An interesting look at using weeds as a lawn alternative from the Ecological Landscaping Association.
♦ Planting a Meadow ~ Planting a meadow is a wildlife-friendly alternative to a lawn. Take a look at one community’s efforts to revitalize their streets in this post over at Native Plants & Wildlife Gardens.
♦ Reinventing the Lawn ~ A look at ‘eco-friendly lawns and lawn alternatives’ from the New England Wildflower Society.
♦ Shade Gardening as an Alternative to Lawns ~ Stop struggling with growing lawn grass in the shade and embrace these native plant alternatives from the Ecological Landscaping Association.
Have you started shrinking your lawn? If so, please share your experiences, both good and bad…
This is a great list of resources, Debbie. We have been shrinking our lawn a bit each year. Some happily reverted to native grasses and moss. Now low bush blueberries are establishing in these areas. Some found a shed plopped atop and the area around the shed will soon have less mowable area and more work areas. Another spot will become raised beds for veggies. It’s so much nicer to not have so much to mow!
Joene, Your strategies sound similair to ours. A little here and a little there makes a big difference in the long run.
I removed all of the grass in the front and back of our house and am slowly adding more and more goodies! fig trees, banana trees, sweet potatoes, herbs, and flowers can be found out front and more and more being added
Brittany, It sounds like you have a delicious garden. I don’t grow lots of edibles but I do love the idea of figs and bananas!
I did the shade garden instead of grass in my old garden…now I chip away at it and oh yes I planted that meadow!
Donna, I find getting rid of grass in shady spots to be so liberating. And the garden looks better without all those thin patches of grass and bare spots.
We stopped watering the lawn the moment we bought this house. We now have an edible garden in part of the space, and plan on adding a pond (maybe) more fruit trees and so on. I still haven’t solved the issue of what to plant (or lay) instead of lawn so that the kids can have a play area.
I am definitely shrinking my lawn, Debbie. It’s entirely gone in the back and has been halved in the front. And as you know I’m writing a book about the subject too! Thanks for putting up this great list of resources to help people get started.
The first project in our new house involved laying many square feet of black plastic sheeting over the entire all-grass front yard. (A sweet neighbor came over to tell me that I’d kill my grass if I left the plastic there too long!) Then came the mother of all rototillers. I’m now in the process of choosing (mostly) native shrubs and perennials to go under the existing shade trees. An expensive, but rewarding, endeavor.
We planted nearly two acres in native Buffalo Grass. (South Dakota) It’s taken nearly three years for it to fill in and choke out the weeds, but there’s hope in sight! Looking forward to being able to mow only a few times a season, if at all.
I’ve also planted nearly half an acre in organic veggies, but that’s another subject!
This is a great start. The Lawn Reform Coalition (www.lawnreform.org) has more resources and ideas for lawnfree landscaping. And we even have good ideas for more sustainable lawns.
Wish I had known about this when we lived on north Newfield Avenue in Stamford. But better late than never as we just replaced our lawn here in Texas with rock work, a dry creek bed, and plantings.
Sula, WOW, you must be in horticultural shock – from CT to TX! You must check out Pam Penick’s blog, Digging (http://www.penick.net/digging/) for some great ideas on lawn replacements for TX gardens. Good luck.
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