Do you even need a lawn? Exploring Turf Alternatives

Have you ever wondered if there are viable alternatives to grass? The fact is that attractive landscaping greatly enhances the real estate value of your property. However, many lawns die each year due to a lack of rainfall, causing some to look for options that offer low maintenance, i.e. grass alternatives. Homeowners are getting tired of seeing their lawn turn brown and shrivel every summer, and they’re getting tired of paying a landscaper to try and prolong the life of their lawn. All of this effort costs time, money, and effort, as does the need to continuously water and aerate the lawn.

Gardens can be beautiful, but the cost can be too high. Large lawns, and especially the many golf courses in our communities, require incredible amounts of herbicides and chemical fertilizers to maintain their pristine condition and appearance. Lawnmower fuel, harmful emissions, potentially harmful fertilizers and pesticides, water consumption, and your valuable time are all variables in the cost of lawn maintenance. Finding and hiring a lawn care service may save you some time and energy, but the environmental costs still linger. Consider reducing the overall size of your lawn. Doing so can benefit the environment while saving you time, energy and expense. We owe it to ourselves and future generations to experiment with grass alternatives, or at least try to reduce the total grass area of ​​our yard.

There are many steps you can take to reduce the size of your lawn and reduce the time and resources for lawn maintenance. For example, try turning part of your lawn into a display of ornamental grasses. If you have a small nuisance area on your property that you’d rather not have to mow anymore, consider replacing it with a mixed mix of ornamental grass and mulch. Adding a few raised beds to your garden will not only look good by highlighting your plantings, but will also provide a barrier at the edge of your lawn and deter ground-based pests. Plant your shrubs closely to minimize weeds, and wider beds allow you to reduce lawn size. Maintenance can be greatly reduced by placing beds so that grassy areas are in continuous, easy-to-mow strips. An edge such as tile or brick can be used to define the border. Placing this edging below grass level makes mowing easy and no further trimming is necessary. Any tree on your lawn can be given a wide skirt around the base, using a combination of mulch, some ground cover, or native plants.

Contrary to the neighbors, you may not need a lawn at all. For example, if you enjoy the open space feel of a lawn, but not the maintenance or water requirements. Also, areas where a traditional lawn is difficult to establish can work well with some alternatives. For example, if your garden is suffering from too much shade, moss may offer a solution. Once they get past the lawn grass label, many people find moss attractive. Moss shade gardens are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to lawns.