| Lawn Alternatives: Ornamental Grasses and Sedges |
| "Plant a meadow instead of a lawn." -- John Greenlee |
From "Dirt On Gardening"
episode DDOG-111 |
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More and more homeowners are considering alternatives to the standard grass lawns, and there are a lot of good reasons why. And by lawn alternatives, we don't mean artificial turf or green indoor-outdoor carpet. Here's some information you may want to consider on natural and conservation-smart alternatives to the typical grass lawn. Lawn specialist John Greenlee talks withDirt on Gardening host Kristine Hanson about lawn alternatives and offers some genuinely expert advice. John is founder of Greenlee Nursery in Pomona, California and is author of The Encyclopedia Ornamental Grasses.
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"Meadow expert" John Greenlee advocates the use of carefully chosen ornamental grasses and plants as an alternative to traditional turf.
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Conventional Lawns: Time to Think Outside the Box- Conventional Lawns can be time-consuming with upkeep and maintenance-- mowing, edging, weeding, etc.
- Grass lawns are not especially eco-friendly. They require large amounts of water --a natural (and increasingly scarce) resource.
- Lawns can be chemical-dependent. The tendency is to use artificially produced fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. These can impact the environment in many ways that you may not be aware of and can cause harm to wildlife, pets and even your family.
- Lawns can be expensive to keep up--with special equipment and tools required, most of which run on another resource that's increasingly scarce--fossil fuel. Lawn mowers, lawn blowers, weed-eaters, grass seed, fertilizers and other chemical treatments, higher water bills. . .the list goes on and the money adds up.
- Turf can be temperamental. Soil quality can vary, rainfall is unpredictable. Even under ideal conditions--and even if you pour on the chemicals--you may have bad luck because of something that's beyond your control.
Lawn Alternatives You may want to consider liberating yourself from the perpetual care of a traditional lawn and regain time with native and ornamental grasses and other grass-like plants. Not only are they simpler and less expensive to care for, they offer a more natural look that many people find pleasing. Here are a few things to consider: - Think low maintenance. You water once a week and mow four times a year. Think of the time and energy saved!
- Think diversity. Part of your yard may be in the shade and part in full sun. By varying what you plant you can accommodate both.
- Think locally. Native grasses and sedges--i.e., species that are already native to your area--are practically self-sustaining. In addition, it's a more sound environmental practice to use naturally native species rather than introducing non-natives that can become invasive or problematic. (Just ask anybody who's had to battle kudzu or English ivy overtaking their yard. Neither is a North American native plant.) Talk with your agricultural extension or local native-plant society to get information on invasive plants and on natives that work well as ornamentals and ground cover.
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