Green Tip: Grow a Low-Maintenance Lawn

The sounds of summer don't have to include the purr of lawn mowers and the patter of sprinklers. Lose the grass--cultivate a chemical-free lawn that drinks less and grows low.

Moss is an easy alternative to grass--it needs some moisture, but it requires little maintenance once it's established. Moss thrives in shady areas with compacted, acidic soil. Another option for greening your lawn is to encourage clover, a nitrogen-fixing plant, which enriches soil while providing a low-growing ground cover. Additional eco-friendly ground covers include strawberries and oregano--edible plants for lawns that taste as good as they look.

--D.W.

Sources:  NY Times, Eartheasy

Comments

[Gregory]

Another good option, especially in hot climates, is Woolly Thyme. You can mow it once or twice a year if you want, but it won't get more than a few inches tall on its own.

[Sara B., Norfolk]

I have a friend who calls her neighbors lawns "green deserts" and her own lawn "the meadow" because she doesn't use chemicals on her grass. All the "weeds" (AKA: beautiful little flowers) are actually quite pretty, particularly in the spring. However, her neighbors hate her for the dandelions (seeds disperse so easily). I think clover would be a sweet smelling alternative to grass! Oh yes, my point...doesn't a meadow sound so much better than a green desert?! We should all strive to let our meadows flourish!

[Ruth Busch]

My "lawn" is whatever is there after traffic and occasional mowing. Not all nice "weeds" will take the traffic. Grass does better than most if you do badminton on your lawn. Since lawns are often the only sunny spot in a southern yard, I encourage planting veggie circles on the lawn using "lasagna" methods to get a raised bed, poking in tomato cages in a small circle, and planting tomatoes or peppers in the cages.

[Loren]

I've been working all winter to get some clover established in my compacted angled front lawn, but it's starting to look quite nice. It does seem to grow lawn-like after it gets established, mine spreads with runners too and the grassy spots seem to do better with the clover interspersed.

[Laurie]

The suggestions here are great! I fear that the Wooly Thyme mentioned by Gregory will do well only in sunny spots, not my shady yard. I encourage the clover and violets that grow there naturally, but every fall, I also overseed with grass seed that is meant for shady areas. Grass is not a "bad" ground cover, as long as you avoid fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. I have enjoyed my yard much more since we fired the lawn service and got a push mower to cut it ourselves! However, I do need my weedwhacker (with a rechargeable battery) for the times when the grass grows too tall for my push mower. In the spring, cutting twice a week is not always enough!