Clover
Ornamental Grasses
Flowers/Shrubs
Lawn Shape
Xeriscape
Natural lawn care
Nontoxic weed control
Compost and turf ecology
How to reduce lawn size
Sign up for Eartheasy's free email newsletter.
Fuel for power mowers, toxic emissions, fertilizers and pesticides, water consumption and your weekend time are all part of the cost of lawn maintenance. Hiring a lawn care service will save you the time and energy, but the environmental costs remain.
These are plants which spread across the ground but do not grow tall, so no cutting is required. Areas planted in groundcover need little to no maintenance. Groundcovers are usually chosen for texture, density and how well they spread and choke out the weeds. They enhance the soil by acting as a mulch, and some groundcovers are nitrogen-fixing.
Some groundcovers are edible, such as strawberries or low-growing herbs. Ever-bearing strawberries produce fruit most of the summer and tolerate marginal soils and light shade. Dwarf dogwood (also called bunchberry), and herbs like thyme and oregano work as groundcovers for limited areas.
During the first year, new plantings of groundcover will require weeding and mulching, but once established, little care is needed.
Groundcovers
need an edge barrier to contain them. A low brick or wood edging, or any lawn
edging which cuts down a few inches into the soil will usually be sufficient.
Your garden center can recommend local groundcover varieties and their characteristics.
A wide variety of ground covers is available online at Spring
Hill Nursery.
Pictured below, from left: Alyssum,Tapien (Verbena), Cotoneaster, Bishops Weed, Juniper. These are all perennials.
Clover................................................................................................................
.... ...top
Clover is often planted by gardeners as a soil
conditioner. It grows quickly and easily, chokes out weeds and is easily
'turned in' to the beds when planting time draws near. The deep root system
reduces soil compaction. Clover is also a nitrogen-fixing plant, which
enriches the soil with natural fertilizer.
Clover
also works well, however, as a replacement for turf - consider the benefits:
.....Low
Maintenance - Clover needs little
to no watering or mowing.
.....No Fertilizers
- Chemical fertilizers are not needed to grow clover.
.....Color
- Clover stays green even in the driest part of
summer.
.....Inexpensive
- It costs about $4 to cover 4000 sq. ft. of turf
area.
.....Comfortable
- Easy to walk through or play on, although
not as durable as grass.
Commonly
available clovers are Dutch White, Yellow Blossom and Red Clover.
Of these, Dutch White is
best suited for lawn-type use. (Yellow Blossom and Red Clover grow taller,
from 18 - 36". They are more suited for pasture application.) Dutch
white clover is often blended with lawn seed for its value as a natural
fertilizer and because it grows well in poor clay subsoil common around
new home construction.
Dutch White clover is an effective alternative to lawns because:
- it is relatively low-growing, at about 4 - 8" high
- tolerates low mowing well
- stays green through droughty periods of summer
- tolerates dog urine
Clover is not durable enough for playing surfaces or high use areas.
sow anytime, survives drought, grows well even in poor soil
Price: $14.99 for 1.5 lbs (covers 6000sq ft)
White Dutch Clover
You can convert part of your lawn to a display of ornamental grasses. These grasses are low maintenance and grow well in most soils. They seldom require fertilizer, and have few pest and disease problems. Ornamental grasses are also drought-resistant and low maintenance. When choosing ornamental grasses for your yard, consider the characteristics of each variety. They are categorized as:
Warm-season grasses prefer temperatures ranging from 26 to 35° C ( 78 to 95° F). New growth begins after the soil warms up to 16° C. Growth slows and flowers starrt to bloom by mid-summer, and continuing through fall.
Running-growth habit: Ranging from slow creepers to agressive spreaders, running grasses are useful for erosion control on slopes or as ground cover.
Clumping-growth habit: These grasses grow in tufts. They make fine specimens and are also effective planted in groups or masses. Most ornamental grasses commonly used in gardens today are clump-forming.
Water new plantings. Drought-resistant grasses still require watering while getting established.
Space generously. When planting, allow room between clumps for movement.
Trim. Clump grasses can be cut back with a shears each spring to allow for fresh new growth. Grasses which turn brown in winter (deciduous) can be cut back to a few inches of the ground. Evergreen grasses, however, should not be cut back too drastically.
Divide. Clump grasses may need to be divided if they get too big or have die-back in the center of the clump. Use a pointed spade (or a hand trowel for smaller clumps) to cut larger divisions; pull apart by hand into smaller sections. Be sure to water replanted divisions.
Flower
& Shrub Beds
Flower and shrub beds can be strategically located to add color and interest
while expanding the "low maintenance" areas of your yard. Terraced
beds are a good solution for sloped areas which are difficult to mow.
Beds of shade-loving varieties can be planted beneath trees with low-hanging
branches or protruding roots which cause mowing problems.
Here are a few suggestions for designing and locating flower and shrub
beds:
.....Choose
native perennials. Ask
at your local nursery for recommended local varieties. Native plantings
will require less attention, less fertilizer and guarantee good results.
Perennials will require occasional dividing and replanting as they grow.
Divided sections can be given to friends as gifts.
.....Choose
low-maintenance varieties. Ask
your nursery to recommend varieties which don't need to be pruned, regularly
divided or staked as they grow tall.
.....Mulch
plantings. Spread mulch around
base of plants at least 2 inches deep. This will save water and keep the
soil loose and aerated. Mulching slows water evaporation and prevents
weeds from taking over. Common materials used for mulching include:
Bark: Can be a bit acidic for flower beds, but bark is commonly used for larger plantings, such as trees and shrubs. Lime can be added to reduce acidity if required.
Leaf Mold: A thick layer of leaves will help retain soil moisture and prevent root exposure and surface drying. Maple and Alder leaves are best, as they return nitrogen to the soil during decomposition. Large leaves, however, tend to mat together; they work best when dried and shredded. Leaf mulch will need to be renewed periodically, usually once a year.
Sawdust: Coarse sawdust works as a mulch, and the light color of sawdust helps reflect heat. Check the source of the sawdust - chainsaw sawdust contains oil. Sawdust from certain wood species, such as cedar, may be too acidic for good growing conditions. Avoid using thick layers of sawdust, as it tends to clump together and block air and nutrients.
Straw: A good light-coloured mulch, which will reflect heat away from the soil. Straw, as opposed to hay, contains fewer seeds which could sprout in your soil.
Seaweed: If you have access to seaweed, it makes an excellent mulch and soil additive. Seaweed shrinks considerably on drying, so use a thick layer and cover with grass clippings. This will retain moisture and reduce shrinkage of the seaweed, which can otherwise leave bare spots for weeds to poke through. Seaweed is also a deterrent to slugs.
.....Plant
in raised beds.
Raised
beds will not only
look good by highlighting your plantings, they'll provide a good edge
barrier from the lawn, and a deterrent to ground pests. Raised beds will
also contain your soil from erosion and make best use of your water and
fertilizer.
.....Plant
fewer varieties. A few varieties
can make a big impact with less cost and effort. With many varieties,
you'll be preoccupied with the specific needs of individual plants. Keep
it simple.
.... Keep
flower beds narrow, but shrub beds wide. For
flowers which need occassional tending, keep beds no wider than 3' (1
meter), so it's easy to reach the back of the bed. Even if you have room
to work on the back side, it gets tedious going back and forth to work
the bed. With shrubs however, make beds wider. Planting shrubs closely
will minimize weeds, and the wider beds allow you to reduce lawn size.
Use local or regionally adapted shrubs for lowest maintenance.
By eliminating corners, mowing becomes quicker and easier. Corner areas can be replaced with shrub or flower plantings.
In
the example to the right, the dark green shaded areas are plantings of
low-maintenance shrubs, groundcover or even small xeriscapes. Although only about 25% of the original
lawn area is given over to these plantings, the time and energy saved
in cutting the lawn is almost 50%.
Continuous swaths, with no corners.
The narrow strip to the right of the driveway and the garage can be ground
cover, bark mulch, gravel or a xeriscape.
"Islands"
in the lawn, such as trees or flower beds will slow down the mowing; better to
have one or two large islands than a number of smaller ones. Trees will
do better with bark mulch or ground cover planted beneath, as grass will
compete with the tree roots for nutrients. Trees
with low-lying branches can have ground cover planted beneath,
so the person mowing doesn't have to duck below.
Trees in the lawn can have a wide skirting surrounding the base, using
mulch, groundcover or native plants. A flagstone or brick border can be
used to define the edge; set this border below the level of the lawn,
so mowing is easy and no other trimming is required. This looks attractive
and cuts down considerably on maintenance
Edges of the lawn can also be defined with inset flagstone, landscaping
brick or slate. Set the edging below the level of the grass so the mower
can go right over. This eliminates the need for edging.
With careful planning, you can do without
a weedeater for edging.
Large
Lawns and Golf Courses
Large lawns, and especially golf courses,
require large amount of herbicides and chemical fertilizers to maintain
their condition and appearance. The impact on the environment is considerable.
Recent experiments using organic
compost have shown this method to be very promising. Generally,
researchers and practitioners recognize that incorporating high-quality
compost does several things:
1. Adds food
and nutrients for plants and organisms,
2.
Adds a diversity of organisms to the soil,
3.
Encourages plant growth promoting substances in soils.
For a detailed report
on the science, application methods and results,
read our article.
Natural, organic lawn and garden supplies
An online source for natural lawn and garden products, natural pest control, nontoxic weed control.
To visit the Garden's Alive site, click here
Looking for a non-toxic way to kill weeds in your lawn? Corn gluten acts as a natural "pre-emergent" - it inhibits seed germination by drying out a seed as soon as it cracks open to sprout.Corn gluten is safe, effective and even adds nitrogen to your soil.
Visit our page on corn gluten for more info.
Ground
covers - low-maintenance way to reduce lawn size
Reduce
the size of your lawn with low-maintenance ground covers. Many different
types of ground covers are available - shade tolerant, drought-resistant,
flowering and evergreens. These perennials only need to be planted once.
Click the 'ground cover' link at
Spring
Hill Nursery.
You can easily perform a soil test whenever the need arises -- and get immediate results. This kit includes test strips that measure pH, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium; activating solution; a mixing vial and soil scoop. Booklet explains how to identify soil types, how to analyze test results and correct soil imbalances for garden plants, lawns and potted houseplants.
Price: $39.95 AccugrowT Soil Test Kit
Compost Tumblers - sealed composting units
Makes compost from
kitchen, yard and garden waste in as little as 13 days. The fully sealed system
is also ideal for urban gardens and homes with small yards.
Click here for more information.
.
....top
.Eartheasy.com
© 2000-2008
.All Rights Reserved
