Jeez, I just noticed it’s been over a week since I’ve posted here – bad blogger! Well, my article in Fine Gardening finally arrived, so here’s a teaser photo.
In the article, I cover a bunch of options for replacing turfgrass with similar-but-easier short groundcovers. Like? Thyme, mazus, creeping J
enny (where it can be contained), dwarf cinquefoil, Sedum acre, and good old Dutch white clover.
I posted an overview of the backyard transformation to Sedum acre and clover here, with before, during and after shots, and wide views from the deck. And on the right is another view of the same garden, just how it’ll look in a couple of months when 3 feet of snow is a distant memory. Cannot come soon enough.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Congrats, Susan!
I saw it and enjoyed it.
I have the mag and read the story. A shovel! WOW!
Cameron
I read it~loved it!
Thanks for promoting alternatives to lawns. As a former landscaper in California, I can tell you that grass is the worst thing you can have in a landscape (water consumption, mowing, etc.). It’s the first thing people should replace, but also the last landscape feature they want to give up. Plus many of the alternatives you mention look better than grass anyway!
I totally want to replace my lawn! I hate my bremuda grass and have been thinking of what I can put in to replace it. Maybe some of that synthetic stuff…..Cheers~
I’m on the board of Metro Blooms (www.metroblooms.net) in the Minneapolis/St Paul area. I’m big into reducing my impact on the planet. Within the last couple of years, I added a couple of raingardens and removed all the turf in my lawn. Now, if there is grass in my yard, it’s a weed! Consider writing about raingardens and their impact at reducing storm water runoff. Keep up the good work.
Dang I missed this. Will have to look for back issues. Lawn replacement is unheard of here in GA and I am really wanting to get rid of the last bit of my grass.
Had high hopes that I could read it online, but was disappointed. Steve did give you some nice comments though. http://www.finegardening.com/item/13844/lawn-problems