Lawn Alternatives - How to Transform Your Yard into a Better Place

With today's gas crisis, as well as the danger we have put our environment and ourselves into, one place that we can all make a change is with our lawn. By planting groundcover instead of grass, we can reduce the amount of fuel and water consumption needed and still have a beautiful yard. A gas mower pollutes in one hour as much as a car does that drives 350 miles. Thirty to sixty percent of our drinking water goes toward watering our lawns. We use 67,000,000 pounds of synthetic pesticides on our lawns every year. A survey done in 1998 showed that fourteen pesticides were found in house dust. Chemicals that are supposed to dissipate with exposure to rain or sun take a lot longer than when left behind on our carpets. There are several diseases that may be caused by outside chemical residue in our homes.

We need to consider how much personal time is spent caring for our lawns. Hiring lawn contractors will save us time and energy, but we still have not changed the damage to our environment or our health.

How many of you have looked at pictures painted by Thomas Kincaid? What makes you attracted to these pictures? If you are like me, you see natural beauty with all of its rough edges, not some perfectly manicured lawn. You feel at peace, with nature as it was intended to be. Groundcovers can bring back the natural beauty and still give you a look of a maintained lawn.

Groundcover forms a uniform layer just as turf does. You can have different colors, textures, flowers, or berries. Once you chose the right groundcover, it will take less maintenance and less water once they are established. Groundcover also acts as mulch, and will choke out weeds once it is established. You will have to do some weeding during the first year, but less, if ever, afterward.

There will be some situations were removing turf can be disastrous, such as in areas where you have a problem with erosion. Also, the amount of foot traffic, and the use of an area can determine whether you should plant turf or groundcover.

First, you want to study your entire yard and look for problem areas that would benefit from changing to groundcover. Such places would be areas with soggy or gritty soil, or too much shade. Steep slopes and hart-to-get to areas are good places as well.

Next you need to take the section that you would like to change and answer these questions: how much sun or shade, how much natural moisture, type of soil, how much foot traffic, and size of area. The answers to these questions are critical to picking out proper plants.

When you start to consider different plants, you must think about how much maintenance is needed for its survival, its features, if it is native to the area, what it will look like in winter, and is it considered a nasty plant by your state.

It is best to pick only a few types of groundcover. If you pick too many types, your yard will look busy, much like putting too many different prints into a room. Also, it is much easier to care for a few types than many. If you are planting a large area, groundcover with large leaves works best and will be able to control the weeds. Use small leaf groundcover in small areas to avoid a look of overcrowding. You also want to group together plants that have the same requirements for planting and care. You also may need to dig small trenches to keep the groundcover in a particular area, or use bricks, stone or wood.

Some groundcovers are edible, such as strawberries or low-growing herbs. Other types, such as oregano and thyme, will only work for a certain period of time and have to be replanted. Clover is great to use, and is often added by landscapers. It is very low maintenance, needs no fertilizer, and keeps its color even during the hottest part of summer, inexpensive, and comfortable underfoot. If you would like to have a yard filled with tiny flowers, there are many types that will produce small flowers that will spread over your yard.

The best time to plant is in the spring, when you have a lot of rain, and with temperatures gradually get warmer. If you plant in the summer, you may need to water the plants until they are established, especially during extremely hot weather. Planting in fall is also possible, but you will need to cover the plants with mulch to protect them from colder temperatures.

It is important to remove all grass and weeds from the area you plan to convert. Of course, you could use a chemical product to accomplish this. But since the idea is to get away form harmful products, there are several things that you can do that will accomplish the same thing, but just takes longer.

If the area is small, it is best to remove the grass by hand, since a sod cutter also removes the topsoil. If you must use a sod cutter, then you will have to replace the topsoil. Rototilling or spading will help eliminate stubborn weeds. The decaying roots will add richness to the soil. Just take care that you do not disturb any of the nearby tree roots. You can also cover and area with black plastic for 2-3 months.

Once you have removed unwanted vegetation, add any amendments to the soil, such as sand, organic compost, or lime. Plant immediately, because weeds will quickly come back and you will have to remove them a second time.

Again, during the first season, while the plants are trying to get established, you will want to pay attention to this area. Check for weeds trying to re-germinate. Make sure that the plants are receiving the correct amount of moisture. You can also fill in the spaces between plants by planting annual flowers, until the groundcover takes over.

You can also add more flowerbeds or ponds to reduce the amount of lawn care needed. By adding bird and butterfly friendly plants, you will see your yard come alive. By planting trees, you will be able to reduce energy usage to heat or cool your home. If you have absolutely no trees around your home, you can actually transplant fully-grown trees to speed up the process.

By transforming your yard, you will be helping yourself and the environment. You may also be pleasantly surprised at the haven you have constructed, so much so that you never want to leave!