Can I Replace My Lawn with a Natural Alternative?

Q: I'm tired of the work and water needs of my old lawn. Can it be replaced by a more natural alternative?

A: Americans from coast to coast are rethinking their lawns. These resources consuming patches of tortured grass are maintenance intensive and offer very little benefit to wildlife. Lawn chemicals can actually harm the environment as they pass into the soil and run off into storm drains. Turf grass demands an inordinate amount of water, and as a result, turf grass is becoming more scarce in many regions.

Many people are exploring alternatives which use locally native plants that are already super adapted to the local conditions. In some cases they rarely need water because they have evolved to thrive under natural rainfall.

Before there were lawns there were meadows and prairies. These blends of grasses and wildflowers burst into bloom in spring and summer all by themselves. They have become the icon of the Midwest, but meadows are found in high mountains and along the sea shore. These grasslands are vital habitat for birds and butterflies whether they grow in the wild or in your backyard.

It's ever-changing beauty. As the seasons progress, different flowers bloom and then go to seed. Later on the grasses themselves flower and set seed that lures migratory birds. Even the spent seed heads with their coppery autumn coloring is beautiful under snow. In fall or spring simply mow away the chaff just once and the meadow renews itself.

Prairies and meadows used to be rare in landscapes but many landscape contractors and landscape architects have become authorities on the subject. They understand the native species and which ones naturally belong together. Moreover, they can design your meadow for the longest span of blooms from spring through fall.

Landscape contractors know where to get the sometimes elusive native plants not often found in retail garden centers. They understand the creative ways and seasons in which they are planted. Most importantly, these contractors really believe that planting a meadow is beneficial to the environment. They are in tune with nature, practicing their own form of conservation by replacing one resource demanding lawn at a time.