A picture can inspire so many thoughts. Here is what this one, by photographer Jacqui Hurst, makes me think about: Maybe the best way to get rid of a lawn is to not get rid of it at all, but rather, add to it…underplant it with bulbs, introduce other plants (like clover, moss and other tiny flowers) and then mow just a simple path. It would save on maintenance and the labor of ripping it out, be more horticulturally diverse and in my opinion, a whole lot prettier. What do you think?
This makes a lot of sense. If you rip out an entire lawn, you’ll just have to replace it with something else, and it might end up being more labor intensive than the lawn.
This is exactly what I’m doing with my lawn. The white dutch and crimson clover is slowly overwhelming it, and sunflowers and poppies are coming up wild from last year’s single stand. It’s looking so nice, and I can use a manual push mower to maintain the path instead of having to mess with edgers or hire the services of some horribly noisy gas mowing team. I’m slowly adding bigger plants and trees to the borders. Keeping some grass makes it a flexible and walk-friendly landscape, as well as being wild and woolly-looking.
I think this is great. I have seen more and more articles wanting to absolutely do away with the modern American lawn. While I understand the maintenance and environmental concerns, the lawn maintains open space on any property from individual homeowners to large metropolitan areas that function as usuable space for recreation, sports, etc. Meadow gardens and related ideas can’t offer that same function. This seems to be a nice compromise.
Makes sense to me.
But don’t let the lawnless zealots get wind of it.
They’ll blow their 2 stoke gasoline engine head gaskets over it.
I think this is going to look a bit messy in a month or so. I do like the meadow look which would be left in its’ place but I think the major problem with a lawn is the owner’s over attention to its’ care. Really, lawn can be quite a low maintenance groundcover and perfection should be left to golf courses although St. Andrews might disagree.
Excellent picture illustrating, again, a gentle approach to ‘Kill Your Lawn’..he, he