Check out the January issue of Fine Gardening Magazine for this article by blogger/designer Pam Penick in Austin, TX. On the newsstands now!
Pam's also researching/writing as fast as she can her book about lawn alternatives for Ten Speed Press, to be published in the spring of 2013. Alternatives to lawn are HOT, I tell ya!
Austin's Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has developed a mixture of native grass species that works well in dry regions of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. The grass mix, named HABITURF™, contains these grasses native to the Southwest: Buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides), blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) and curly-mesquite (Hilaria belangeri) and depending on the source: Texas grama (Bouteloua rigidiseta,) hairy Grama (Bouteloua hirsuta), poverty dropseed (Sporobolus vaginiflorus). Here are instructions for establishing a native lawn for these climates.
“We created a lawn that needs less mowing and keeps weeds out better than a common American lawn option,” said Dr. Mark Simmons, director of the center’s Ecosystem Design Group. Simmons led the study comparing common Bermudagrass to the seven native grasses that will be published online this week in the journal Ecological Engineering.
The traditional turfgrass and the native grasses responded the same to mowing once or twice a month, to two watering regimens and to the equivalent of foot traffic. However, the turf of seven native grasses produced a carpet that was 30 percent thicker in early spring than the Bermuda turf. As temperatures climbed into mid-summer and all the lawns thinned, the mixed native turfgrass still stayed 20 percent thicker than Bermuda.
Although Buffalograss also retained its lushness into summer, the mixed native turfgrass beat both single species (monoculture) turfgrasses in weed resistance. When dandelion seeds were added by hand, those plots grew half as many dandelions as the Buffalograss or Bermudagrass plots.
To see if the mixed native turfgrass would also outperform the others under conditions such as very light watering, Simmons and his colleagues will conduct the next research phase later this year. The answer under some conditions will likely be a yes because the multiple species in natural grasslands are thought to allow them to respond better to different conditions over time.
Simmons and colleagues used funding from Walmart to establish multiple plots of grasses in an open field at the center. They intend to develop other mixes for other ecological and regional situations.
There is also more information up on their website. And here's the press release about Habiturf.
Lawn Reformers are hearing lots of questions about specific plants that can be used en masse to create a low lawn-like expanse in the landscape - to replace a lawn or instead of a lawn - and we're frustrated by the lack of detailed, regionally specific information about the plants people are asking about - Carexes, buffalo grass, low-input grass mixes like No-Mow, and spreading perennials like Sedums and thymes.
SO, we've created a new Flickr group for photos of these plants in landscapes, with details like shade, sun, drought-tolerant, region and what maintenance may be required. Check it out here - the Lawn Alternatives Flickr Group.
Our goal is to create a searchable database to act as a resource for those looking for lawn substitutions appropriate for their own specific cultural conditions.
PLANTS WE WANT PHOTOS OF
We are interested in low-growing groundcovers up to two feet tall. Ideally, they will have been in the ground for at least two years. They can be mowable or not, but should be appropriate planted en masse.
(We are NOT looking for garden design alternatives such as a mix of perennials, gravel gardens, etc. Design alternatives to lawns may be shared at our FLickr group for No-Lawn, Small-Lawn and Alternative Lawn Gardens.)
DETAILS NEEDED ABOUT EACH PHOTO
USE TAGS TO HELP PEOPLE USE THIS DATABASE
Again, the more the better, as this will greatly improve the search function of the site. Key tags to include are:
MORE ABOUT HOW TO POST
WHO MAY POST PHOTOS:
Growers and nurseries may not post, although we encourage them to have homeowners or designers who have experience with their plants share their photos.
GOT A GREAT DESIGN TO SHARE?
Like the one in this photo? Please upload it to our other Flickr group - for No-Lawn, Small-Lawn and Alternative Lawn Gardens.
Top photos, from left: Prairie dropseed, UC Verde Buffalo grass, and Liriope spicata. Lower photo and garden by Pam Penick in Austin, TX.
It's called Olly Olly Oxen Free! Get Outside and Play the 40 Greatest Lawn Games of All-Time and Coalition member Paul Tukey co-wrote it with actress and best-selling author Victoria Rowell. Click here to learn more.
Congralations, Paul!
The Lawn Reform Coalition heard from Dallas about this event and they assure us that these seminars will include information about replacing/reducing turf areas and planting with native or adapted plants. Also, the use of certain grasses such as buffalo grass instead of St. Augustine or Bermuda grass. Here's more:
Plan to attend one or both of our FREE seminars Saturday, September 10, at the Performance Hall (Building “E”) at Mountain View College, 4849 W. Illinois Avenue, Dallas 75211. For directions click here to see a campus map.
Landscape designer and author Bonnie Reese of Beautiful Landscapes will be the speaker at both sessions. The first 100 attendees at each session will receive a copy of Ms. Reese’s book, “Common-Sense Landscaping.” A drawing for one free rain barrel will be held at the end of both the morning and afternoon seminars. Rain barrels generously donated by Catch the Rain. Also, we will have 6 drawings to give away a bag of Green Sense organic fertilizer from Rohde’s Nursery and Nature Store.
Water-Wise Landscape Design 101
Saturday, September 10 • 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Whether you have a new landscape or plan to update an existing area, it is critical to begin with a good design. This program teaches the principles of landscape design with an emphasis on how to create a beautiful landscape that will save resources - natural and financial!
Fantastic Plants for North Texas
Saturday, September 10 • 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Using colorful photographs, Bonnie demonstrates the natural beauty of native and adapted plants that thrive in the North Texas region. Learn when, where and how to plant each of the recommended plants, their size and height at maturity, seasonal color, texture and more. This program provides information on trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, groundcovers and turf grasses.
Making a reservation: Space is limited, please register online at SaveDallasWater.com or by calling (214) 670-3155. Let us know which seminar(s) you would like to attend, and how many will be attending in your
group.
Seminars sponsored by Dallas Water Utilities Conservation, City of Dallas Stormwater Management, and Mountain View College.
Of all the picture-perfect lawns I've seen, some of the most puzzling are located in ditches. Yes, some folks are spending time, energy, and resources to keep their ditch bottoms covered with short green carpets of turfgrass. Are they doing it for the rest of us? I don't know about you, but when I see a person riding their lawnmower into their ditch, rather than thinking, "What a good citizen and neighbor," I generally imagine the fabulous garden that could be growing in that ditch. Or sometimes I just think, "Ooh, I hope they won't tip over."
If you get no pleasure from maintaining the lawn in your ditch, here's a suggestion: convert it to a beautiful low-maintenance garden that will benefit you and your local environment too.
The Benefits, In a Nutshell
Swale Gardens (also called Bioswales) are added to landscapes to help channel stormwater runoff. Like their popular Rain Garden cousins, they collect rainwater from nearby roofs, pavement, and/or lawns and absorb that water into plants and soil. Unlike Rain Gardens, they also direct the flow of the excess water.
A well-planted ditch makes an ideal Swale Garden, which will benefit you and your local environment by:
They Work in Dry Climates Too
In arid landscapes, you can easily spot the waterways--even when they contain no water--because they support relatively lush plant life. You'll see stripes of green winding down reddish slopes and snaking through flat, tawny plains.
Bioswales mimic these waterways. Their physical shape allows them to catch more water than flat gardens. Being self-watering, they offer dry-climate gardeners a prime opportunity to grow a wider variety of plants with less work.
Redesigning Your Ditch
Whether your ditch flows for months on end or only fills occasionally, take advantage of its aqueous bounty. Add rocks and plants to slow the flow; this gives soil and roots more time to soak up more water.
What to plant? Trade that lawn for ornamental flowers and grasses, woody plants, and plants native to stream banks and shorelines in your region; these will develop deeper and denser root systems over time, so they will be able to absorb more runoff each year. (Frequently cut lawns can't expand their root systems because they keep losing their leaves to the mower blades.) Include moisture-loving shrubs and trees to anchor the banks against erosion.
Now's your chance to increase your garden's biodiversity -- that's right, you'll be needing some new and different plants! If your Swale Garden is bordered by lawn, you can plant "indefinite spreaders" in it and use the mower to contain them. (In a dry climate, control spreading plants by refraining from irrigating outside your Swale Garden.) Also plant tall flowers... and for once, you'll get a chance to look them in the eye.
Well-chosen plants will attract animals as well. Native plants create the most effective wildlife habitat, as your local animals have evolved alongside the plants. Berry-producing native shrubs are particularly valuable for adding bird habitat to your yard, while native flowers and grasses will invite pollinators, butterflies, and insect predators.
Comfortable, Healthy, Beautiful
Your new garden--unlike the lawn it replaces--could make a friendly screen for a seating area. More and taller foliage will trap airborne pollutants and oxygenate the air, making it healthier for you to breathe, while underground roots and soil will remove pollutants from stormwater before it recharges nearby lakes, rivers, and aquifers.
As with any conversion from lawn to garden, planting your ditch gives you a chance to add colorful blooms, fragrances, fluttering and swooping creatures, seasonal changes, and winter interest to your yard. The window that overlooks your Swale Garden could soon be your favorite window!
Who knew that a ditch could be so rewarding?
Evelyn Hadden, founder of LessLawn and founding member of the Lawn Reform Coalition, is a nationally known speaker and best-selling author focused on low-maintenance, nature-friendly, soul-satisfying landscapes. Her book Beautiful No-Mow Yards will be published in February.
Be sure to read the other posts from the Garden Designers Roundtable's collective blogging event on the theme of Lawn Alternatives:
Lawn Reform Coalition member Paul Tukey reports on the announcement July 1 that Scotts Miracle-Gro will begin selling Roundup-Ready grass seed next year. Click here to read the story, which includes how to take action to stop GMO grass seed.
I've long been a fan of Hort and Extension Professor Linda Chalker-Scott, whose jobs it is to teach horticulture to regular gardeners - a job she accomplishes by writing award-winning books and on her Garden Professors blog, in addition to her usual duties. But my fandom reached new heights last week after seeing her gorgeous and totally lawnless garden in Seattle, and picking her brain over dinner at Seattle's best vegetarian restaurant.
Now about Linda's garden. This is the front yard, y'all! Notice how the fence (the handiwork of Linda's husband Jim, shown above) provides privacy from the street and even screens the cars in the driveway. Theirs is a strange lot with almost no back yard, so it would be a waste to devote the front to the usual lawn-and-nothing-but.
Now for the plants. The blooming groundcover is Blue Star Creeper, which grows to just 1" and is hardy to Zone 5 but (sadly for me) only evergreen in Zone 8 or warmer. The other dominant plants here are a Weeping Larch shown above to the left of the Japanese maple, and in the foreground above, an Arctic Willow (Salix arctica), which is prostrate and surprisingly large. It does drop its leaves but Linda says its form is so interesting, you want to see it without leaves sometimes.
In this shot of the front of Linda's house, notice all the wood chips. They prove that she walks the talk of debunking the notion that wood chips shouldn't be used as mulch because they leach Nitrogen from the soil. She assures us that except for very shallow-rooted plants - annuals and some vegetables - they do no such thing. What's more, for many of us (and for her) they're free. Pile it on thick enough and voila - no weeds.
Coalition member Paul Tukey is featuring drought-tolerant grasses on his SafeLawns blog, and first up is the Blue Grama.
This great grass wouldn't be happy where it's wet, though.
Before the folks in the Eastern part of the country salivate too much, however, Blue grama doesn’t like too much rain — and that means any region that receives more than 15-20 inches of rainfall per year. It’s much like Buffalo grass in this regard, although certain cultivars of Buffalo grass have been bred to handle a bit more water.
But you dry-climate gardeners, have at it!
