What Should I Know About Non-Traditional Lawns?
Over the last few years, low maintenance lawns have become increasingly popular throughout the State of California. For those who don’t know low maintenance lawns are typically made from a diverse mix of hardy and low-height turfgrasses and ground covers. They require less mowing fertilizing and watering than a conventional lawn, and in turn produce savings in time, money and environmental impact. The truth is, that although up until recent years they were fairly uncommon, there are some great alternatives to the traditional ‘grass’ lawn. Take a look and see if any of these will work for you.
Clover
Ground clovers are low-growing plants that spread throughout an opens pace and can form a uniform layer of foliage when planted close together. They typically appear less uniform than a conventional lawn but to make up for it they are hardy, slow growing and drought tolerant.
Plant your own Meadow
A fairly new trend in lawn alternatives, some people have developed an interest in using native grasses and low-growing prairie-type plants, in place of a traditional grass lawn. Throw in some wild flowers and you will have your own natural, beautiful and romantic meadow. Local greenhouses are a fantastic resource to find out which grasses are native to your area.
Create A Rock Lawn
Depending on the climate that you live in and the size of your yard you might want to consider putting in a ‘rock’ garden. Just make sure that you use a blend of sizes, shapes and colours of local rocks to avoid it looking like an old ugly concrete surface.
Build a Deck or Patio
A deck or patio can be a very enjoyable alternative to a lawn, but it does have its drawbacks. Depending on the size of your yard, it can be fairly expensive to build a deck that covers the entire yard. If your yard is large enough you could use a combination of alternatives: deck, rock garden and meadow for a beautiful and complex low-maintenance yard.
By building a patio or a deck in place of having a traditional lawn you are also making the choice to impact your ability to do a lot of outside activities. If you have kids for example, having a large deck or patio could make it tough for them to play outside, toss the football, or play volleyball.
Do Your Research
Now, these are a just a few of the many options available for people that are looking to switch out their traditional grass lawn for something more environmentally and financially friendly. The cost for each of these styles can vary greatly. For this reason it is important that you take some time to do your research and look into the budget and timeline required to make these lawns a reality.