Lawn Reform

I loved your post. I gave my blog its name because I feel the same way about lawns. They just don’t work in the parched soil of Silicon Valley and probably in few other places in California yet we spent a fortune poring precious water into the ground for a lush lawn. It seems senseless to me!

Especially in California or any place that requires supplemental water just to keep a boring lawn. – Saxon

I got rid of my front lawn years ago, though my reasons were not particularly altruistic–I needed more room for plants . The back lawn is almost gone, and it serves only as a pathway around two beds-both of which used to be grass. It is rarely fertilized, if it’s lucky it gets some water once a week, and is mowed with a reel push mower. It is the de facto savanna for my felines , though they would have many other options if it were gone. I am always glad to see homes in my neighborhood choose a non-lawn option , though it is regrettably rare.

I am afraid some folks are so set in their ways that don’t realize the lawn can give way to other plants. – Saxon

Thank you for the Laurie Anderson link — I have always loved her work. On the topic at hand, our meadow is my favorite part of our property. It’s coming into bloom now – time to get the camera out.

And I bet it looks good for many months. – Saxon

I would like to do something like that … I’ll have to actually look into it. I live surround by woods and they like to take over anything I plant other than grass.

Woodland meadows occur naturally in nature as clearings but are quickly reclaimed. For the gardener it is simply the work of keeping it the way you want. – Saxon

No lawn is a good lawn, but I feel heavy pressure thinking about resale in a few years when–fingers crossed–I get a professorship somewhere. I’m already afraid my 1500 foot garden will overwhlem future buyers, or they will simply see more space for more grass once the bobcat moves in.

I think the core issue here is what happened to our sense of wonder and awe we had as children? I am on my hands and knees for hours looking at bugs and birds and frogs in my garden, I’m discovering somethign new everyday that connects me beyond and to myself. That sounds a bit wishy washy. Part of me says lead by example, rip up the fescue. the other part says insane insane insane.

All gardens are only as sustainable as the gardener’s energy allows, and there is no predicting what a future owner of your piece of land will do, no matter what sort of garden you have or how long you tend it yourself. Few of us expect The Garden Conservancy to rescue it.

Do what pleases you, not what anyone else says is right or wrong. If whatever you do seems a bit odd to your neighbors, laugh with them and share your passion. It’s OK to be a little bit insane. And by the way, fescue lawns make marvelous meadows. I have 3 little ones (each about 200 sq ft) myself. Start by not mowing a part of what you already have. – Saxon

Thank you for your words of encouragement. My next task is to get the support of my Dear Husband, who will be happy to have less grass to mow.

The support of my neighbors will be easy. The Civic Authorities are a different matter entirely. A more hide-bound and conservative bunch would be hard to find. Imagine the worst of the Gold Old Boys you can, and then double that and that is what we have in this community. Slowly we are trying to leaven them, but it is a tough row to hoe.

Anyway, when I put in the original wild flower strip that is exactly what I did, notified them. All was fine until we had a change of administration. The New Good Old Boys found my wild flowers to be nothing but tall ugly weeds. They wore me down, and I finally gave in. However, I have rested and I have renewed energy and a better plan, thanks to the Lawn Reform site, so I may just try again. I worry that notifying them of my intentions may actually act more like waving a red flag before a bull, but the strategy of using rocks and shrubbery to create a “landscape” rather than a “meadow” (which often looks like a “weedscape” to the uninitiated) may just work.

Also, I may find myself in the unfamiliar role of Civic Activist. Good thing I am self employed and work out of my home so I have lots of spare time. LOL.

Do include some ornamental bunch grasses, even if you are not trying to create any sort of official meadow, they look great summer to winter and can really help to knit together the “tall ugly weeds” when they are done and the birds have picked all the seeds. And all gardens do require maintenance. Trim back what is ugly. – Saxon

– Saxon

While I’ve been struggling to establish a prairie planting on a dry clay hillside (and by “struggling” I mean “coping with my impatience as the grasses establish on their own schedule”) it was those spectacular photos of Amy’s garden that convinced me to get a couple of bunch grasses for my main flower beds. I had been somewhat ignoring grasses, since…y’know…flowers! Pollinators! but it was such a visually stunning effect that I figure it’s worth a try. And probably there are bugs out there just as happy with muhly grass as with flowers.

And the grasses look so great for such a long time. – Saxon

I don’t think of myself as anti-lawn, I think of myself as pro-thoughtful lawn. Too many people go with lawns as the default choice without really considering alternatives, because that’s what they grew up with, or what they think is expected, etc. I followed the gardenrant discussion and am not surprised there was some push back on suburban meadows. If your idea of garden perfection includes a giant mowed lawn, it’s a fairly challenging about face to embrace a meadow garden as an alternative. But the more gardeners and designers talk about them, and install them, and explain them and post pictures of them, the more others will be converted.

My first front yard 20 years ago was a big lawn surrounded by thirsty flowers and shrubs and I thought it was pretty great. I figure if I eventually saw the light, others will to.

Susan – Thanks for your support. I think it is part of my job to find and show alternatives, not as anti-lawn but pro sustainability. Mowed lawns can be the easy default in some places, and may be all that many property owners can do, but if you are a gardener you are likely to want to do more. – Saxon