Takoma Gardener

My Standard Disclaimer about Lawn Removal

There's just too much lawn-bashing going on nowadays.  While I'm among the throngs calling for less lawn and encouraging homeowners to lighten up, add some clover, and grow it all organically and let it go dormant in the summer, I shop short of painting it as all bad, as though by definition it's a monoculture kept alive by toxic products and mowed with super-polluting gas machines.  And it's true that I've recently removed every last blade of turfgrass from my own garden, but I don't want my stories about the transformation to contribute to the demonizing of this garden feature that isn't going anywhere, ya know. So can we NOT just substitute the old conventional wisdom about lawns for a new and politically correct one?

I'll be linking to this article every time I mention removing my lawn so I can stop but-but-butting every time.  A standard disclaimer seems in order.

IN DEFENSE OF LAWNS

• They CAN be grown and maintained in a healthy, environmentally friendly way.  Just ask the folks at SafeLawns.
• Organically grown and maintained lawns are reasonably low-maintenance.  And after all, compared to what?  Ground has to be covered with something, and what else ya got?
• They CAN contain a variety of species, even some that provide a little for wildlife in your garden.  I'm thinking particularly of clover, which not only is loved by the bees but is self-fertilizing because it "fixes" nitrogen.  That link explains how.
• Functionally, they're absolutely essential for a variety of reasons.  Where else can your kids play if you don't have a lawn?
• Designwise, they offer a place for the eye to rest, sometimes called a negative space.  The borders surrounding lawn can be busy as all get out but the overall effect isn't busy because of that nice calming lawn.
• On my hilly site, lawn has held rainwater like a trooper, though I understand that if it's grown in highly compacted soil it doesn't perform that function as well.  But then it's the fault of the soil, isn't it?

So I didn't rip out my lawn because I thought I should, but because I got tired of it and wanted to grow something new.  And I always hated lawn care and I'm happy to be free of it, though I'll bet anything my new lawnfree gardens will be more work than the haphazard care I gave the lawn.  Results coming soon.

Are we SURE we hate turfgrass?

Here's why I ask.  This is in my next-door neighbor's back garden by Holt Jordan.  With its sprinkling of evergreens, fabulous stonework, and two ponds with a waterfall between them, even winter looks damn good.

But imagine instead of these patches of cold season lawn there were just mulch, or bare earth above herbaceous plants that are hiding for the winter?  Or compare it to the muddy expanse where turfgrass used to be in my own backyard, which is now SO NOT PRETTY I won't even photograph it.  (It's sealed off from public display by its status as Work in Progress, I tell myself.)

Now that I've cavalierly, possibly rashly banned lawn as a groundcover from my property, is it really so terrible?  These patches may even be maintained organically - I know the folks at Safe Lawns promise it can look this good without the gardener behaving badly.  Not a bad deal, I say.

Streaks of Shame

The other day I noticed what looked like streaks across my front lawn, the cute little oval I've written about before.  My first, nonsensical thought was: Could it be the light?  But you've probably already ID'd the problem - sloppy fertilizer application, specifically by hand, not spreader.  Why, when I've read dozens of times that we're supposed to use spreaders - any spreader, even the hand-held kind - did I use the gloved-hand-in-bag technique that produced this result? Because I'm special; I can shrug off advice I consider overly fussy and mechanical. Real organic gardeners use their hands right?

See, after years of completely neglecting my lawn I discovered, while researching an article on organic lawn care, that lawns really DO need supplemental nitrogen; without it they get patchy, just like mine.  So like the dubie gardener I like to think I am, I applied a slow-release fertilizer in September and the results are in.  Turns out it really works - where it's actually applied.  Human error strikes again.

Toward a Biodiverse Lawn

First, to vent.  I haven't posted in a few days because my whole photographic world is in shambles.  I won't burden you with the details but think New Editing Program, New Pixel-Packed Camera, the Burning and Copying of countless CDs and their subsequent Storage for ready Retrieval, and finally, Old Editing Program that suddenly won't even talk to me, complaining of a "full scratch disk."  I've heard that one that before.  But because we Southerners know how to carry on in adversity, I'm choosing lawns as a good photoless topic and forging ahead.

Lawns are a huge topic these days, specifically how to reduce their size or even get rid of them altogether.  Then there's the more moderate approach that I took in my recent column, "Earth-Friendly Lawn Care Throughout the Year,"  in which I lay out the consensus among environmentally responsible experts - to use only organic products, mow higher, tolerate some weeds, and so on.  I think I even slipped in a promo for clover, to no one's surprise.

Next up is a column tackling a much more controversial subject: are turf grasses inherently bad, even if they're cared for using these environmentally correct techniques? And what alternatives really work?  I'm hearing totally contradictory statements by seemingly unbiased, well-informed sources - so I'm loving it!!  I'll let you know my take on the subject as soon as I have one.

FOR MY OWN LAWN I do have a position and a plan:  I've reduced the size considerably but will keep what's left for utilitarian reasons - like walking, hauling a garden hose in every direction, and occasionally mowing.  And I'm keeping my lawn because - don't let anybody fool you - most alternatives are more maintenance than the lawn itself!  Yes, as heretical as it sounds, ask people who've gone lawnless how much less maintenance they have now and they'll laugh.  Seriously.  That's because it's really the traditional, perfect lawns that are so much work, not the profoundly imperfect kind of lawn I have.  And most borders, god love 'em, are a lot of work.

And here's the other part of my plan: to gradually transform the lawn I have left into a healthy patch of biodiversity, to include turf grass, clover, attractive weeds like violets, and anything else I can find that might work.  So what do you suggest?  Remember it can't be so tall that a garden hose would catch on it, and it has to be drought-tolerant, walkable and mowable.  Perhaps a touch of thyme?

Living Life in Clover

The old-fashioned idiom to be "in clover" means living a carefree life of ease, comfort and prosperity."  Okay, count me in.  And everyone knows that clover of the four-leaf variety is good luck.

But we're gardeners here, so what about planting the stuff in our lawns?  Here's what Less Lawn has to say about it:

"Clover is often planted by gardeners as a soil conditioner. It grows quickly and easily, chokes out weeds and is easily 'turned in' to the beds when planting time draws near. The deep root system reduces soil compaction. Clover is also a nitrogen-fixing plant, which   enriches the soil with natural fertilizer.  Clover also works well, however, as a replacement for turf - consider the benefits: 
Low Maintenance  - Clover needs little to no watering or mowing.
No Fertilizers - Chemical fertilizers are not needed to grow clover.
Color - Clover stays green even in the driest part of summer.
Inexpensive  - It costs about $4 to cover 4000 sq. ft. of turf area.
Comfortable  - Easy to walk through or play on, although not as durable as grass."

Did you catch the bit about clover being a "nitrogen-fixing" plant?  Now I'm no botanist, as Readers here have surely noticed, so I looked it up for you and it goes like this.  Bacteria that live in nodules on the roots of clover convert nitrogen in the atmosphere into a form that's usable by plants.  There, that's as technical as you'll ever get from me.  Cool stuff, though.

And if you care about biodiversity (and who doesn't?), clover also supports more wildlife by providing nectar for those pollinating bees we all love and even attracts small, non-stinging but aphid-eating wasps.

So what's not to love?  I'll concede that the romance of running barefoot across fields of flowering clover is sometimes ruined by the screams and curses of the newly bee-stung.  But isn't that why God created gardening clogs and TEVA sandels?

One More Front w/o Lawn

Here's another of Takoma's lawnless frontyards, one of my favorites.  The berm is brimming with rock garden plants of all sorts and even a petunia-filled treasure chest.  The owner/gardener, a local artist and art teacher, has an infectious sense of fun.

And speaking of fun, I promised you this shot of the beloved cow sculpture in the garden of local landscape designer Margaret Atwell.  You can't tell from the photo, but it's nearly life-size and adds the right touch to the pastoral feeling of her backyard.

Fronts Without Lawns

Here's a delicious preview of tomorrow's  house and garden tour here in town; I couldn't wait till these lovely gardens are crawling with tour-goers in bright sun.  You all expect better than that and I'm just trying to please.

First up is a really cool example of house and garden colors working together.  And this professional landscape designer's front garden is jam-packed with small trees, shrubs, and perennials.  Best I recall, her back garden holds a 6-foot cow sculpture, which you'd better believe I'll be burning up the pixels over tomorrow on the tour.

The garden next door uses plants and color in the same way, and has this amazing bottle tree as a focal point.  I'm told this is a Southern tradition but it must be farther south than my native Central Virginia because it's the first I've ever seen.  Here's another one courtesy of the Worldwideweb.

And a tour through the Town of Takoma wouldn't be complete without this popular political message, which preaches to the choir here but that's okay; it's nice to see.  It says "Don't Legislate Discrimination" and refers to laws that prohibit gay marriage.

The Delawning Movement

In my relentless quest to keep readers up to date on lower-maintenance, more nature-friendly gardening, we return to the exciting topic of lawns. They've fallen out of favor because of the vast amounts of herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers people dump on them (so much of which ends up in our Bay), plus all the water that's used to keep them green and the super-polluting mowers needed to keep them under control.  And they're SO boring to look at.  Need more reasons?  On slopes they're dangerous to mow and in the shade they're ratty-looking, at best.  Ironically, this symbol of upper class leisure also requires intense labor on the part of the homeowner.  Men in particular are often swept up in the spirit of competitive lawn care and devote insane hours to caring for them.  My message to Torojockeys across America: Get over it!

Possible Replacements

• The Veggie Garden.  Watch for news about Edible Estates, a national nonprofit that's creating regional prototypes in 9 cities, including Baltimore. These front yard gardens, though sometimes a jolt to neighborhood aesthetics, harken back to earlier times when even front yards were put to good use.  For useful information about the "fine art of radical gardening," see www.EdibleEstates.org.

• The Meadow.  Frequently recommended for sunny spots, they usually contain drought-tolerant grasses and flowers that are either native to this area or well-adapted to the site. Butterfly-attracting plants can be included, as well as an underplanting of spring-blooming bulbs. Just don't assume that meadows are easy or cheap, or waste your money on those "meadow-in-a-bag" products supposedly suitable for anywhere.  Careful plant choice and good soil preparation are necessary, as well as frequent watering and weeding in the first season or two, at least. Once established, proponents claim they need mowing only once a year, in the fall, and that eventually watering can be eliminated completely.

• Woodland Garden.  If lower maintenance is your goal, a shade garden may be your best bet, since shade reduces both weeds and the need to water. If your yard is sunny, start with a mix of trees to create shade, then add shrubs and woodland plants that are native or drought-tolerant, like ferns, hostas, liriope, mosses or sedges, plus spring-blooming bulbs.  Suggestions about species selection and design are available on www.LessLawn.com.   

• Hardscape.  Seating, paving, gravel and mulch can all replace lawn, especially over landscape fabric or another weed-reducing layer.  While low-maintenance, this option is missing the plants we need to clean our air and water and just to look at, smell and enjoy.  And clearly it wouldn't be the first choice of the local birds and bees.

• Astroturf?  Don't you dare.  Even the NFL players demanded it be declared hazardous.

Ways to Reduce Lawn

• If you remove some turf in order to create beds around your existing trees, there are ancillary benefits, like protecting the trees from the ravages of your mower and keeping them away from any lime you may be adding to your lawn.

• You might cut out your lawn's corners for planting areas, using the curved lines that make mowing easier.

• The lawn-reducing technique I recommend most often is to create curved beds around the perimeter of the yard and fill them with small trees, shrubs, and spring-blooming bulbs.  Homeowners who enjoy caring for plants might also include perennials, annuals and groundcovers.  And be sure to keep any bare soil well mulched.

Why Keep a Lawn at All?   
Because nothing beats lawn for family recreation and just plain walking across.  Designers point out that it rests the eye, meaning it makes everything around it look better.  It also absorbs water well, thus preventing erosion.  Admittedly there are reasonable people who disagree with this assertion but as a long-time gardener on a hillside, I'm here to tell you it works.  Another almost counter-intuitive assertion comes from Ron Barnett of American Plant Food, who told me that turf produces more oxygen per square foot than "anything else" and replacing it with a patio or a single tree would be a net loss to air quality.  Judy Tiger of Garden Resources of Washington also reminds us that research has shown that humans prefer open areas surrounded by larger plants because we're "savannah animals." Makes sense to me.

Keeping some lawn but going natural
As Sylvia Wright wrote in Washington Gardener Magazine, "The problem is not the lawn space itself but the overdose of everything from fertilizer and pesticides to water." And though the Chesapeake Club in their terrific Baysafe Program cites our "improper and excessive fertilizing of lawns" as the biggest cause of nutrient runoff into the Bay, they still recommend an organic feeding in the fall because thick, healthy lawns hold more water than thin ones.  So DO stop using chemicals like synthetic, fast-acting fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.  (For more details about "Earth-Friendly Lawn Care Throughout the Year" see my April 2006 article at www.voice.com.)

To go even more natural, plant some cover and do less weeding.  Some weeds actually look good, with a little attitude adjustment.  Horticulturist Mitch Baker at American Plant Food flies in the face of the American lawn-care addiction when he brags that his own lawn is more than half weeds. 

What I Do                     
If you're hoping to reduce maintenance requirements, think twice about removing your lawn because the notion that lawns are more work than their alternatives is largely a myth.  Just ask the owners of the many beautiful lawnless front yards in our community and they'll laugh at the notion that it takes less work.  What does work for me and most of my clients is to use the lawn reduction technique mentioned above - borders.  Then, to fill them up, I choose plants that can do all these things in their new location:

• Look healthy and beautiful.
• Resist disease and other pests.
• Require little or no supplemental watering, even in droughts.
• Require no staking.

And not forgetting wildlife, I make sure to provide plenty of feeding, nesting and cover opportunities for the animals I want to encourage. Then I let my lawn morph into a lively biodiversity of plants that looks brown and scruffy by late summer but greens up again after rain and an organic feeding in the fall. And the imperfect and infrequent mowing I do is performed with the kinder and gentler electric mower that's now an option for this much-smaller lawn.

If something else works well for you, tell me about it. 

   

Possible Replacements

• The Veggie Garden.  Watch for news about Edible Estates, a national nonprofit that's creating regional prototypes in 9 cities, including Baltimore. These front yard gardens, though sometimes a jolt to neighborhood aesthetics, harken back to earlier times when even front yards were put to good use.  For useful information about the "fine art of radical gardening," see www.EdibleEstates.org.

• The Meadow.  Frequently recommended for sunny spots, they usually contain drought-tolerant grasses and flowers that are either native to this area or well-adapted to the site. Butterfly-attracting plants can be included, as well as an underplanting of spring-blooming bulbs. Just don't assume that meadows are easy or cheap, or waste your money on those "meadow-in-a-bag" products supposedly suitable for anywhere.  Careful plant choice and good soil preparation are necessary, as well as frequent watering and weeding in the first season or two, at least. Once established, proponents claim they need mowing only once a year, in the fall, and that eventually watering can be eliminated completely.

• Woodland Garden.  If lower maintenance is your goal, a shade garden may be your best bet, since shade reduces both weeds and the need to water. If your yard is sunny, start with a mix of trees to create shade, then add shrubs and woodland plants that are native or drought-tolerant, like ferns, hostas, liriope, mosses or sedges, plus spring-blooming bulbs.  Suggestions about species selection and design are available on www.LessLawn.com.   

• Hardscape.  Seating, paving, gravel and mulch can all replace lawn, especially over landscape fabric or another weed-reducing layer.  While low-maintenance, this option is missing the plants we need to clean our air and water and just to look at, smell and enjoy.  And clearly it wouldn't be the first choice of the local birds and bees.

• Astroturf?  Don't you dare.  Even the NFL players demanded it be declared hazardous.

Ways to Reduce Lawn

• If you remove some turf in order to create beds around your existing trees, there are ancillary benefits, like protecting the trees from the ravages of your mower and keeping them away from any lime you may be adding to your lawn.

• You might cut out your lawn's corners for planting areas, using the curved lines that make mowing easier.

• The lawn-reducing technique I recommend most often is to create curved beds around the perimeter of the yard and fill them with small trees, shrubs, and spring-blooming bulbs.  Homeowners who enjoy caring for plants might also include perennials, annuals and groundcovers.  And be sure to keep any bare soil well mulched.

Why Keep a Lawn at All?   
Because nothing beats lawn for family recreation and just plain walking across.  Designers point out that it rests the eye, meaning it makes everything around it look better.  It also absorbs water well, thus preventing erosion.  Admittedly there are reasonable people who disagree with this assertion but as a long-time gardener on a hillside, I'm here to tell you it works.  Another almost counter-intuitive assertion comes from Ron Barnett of American Plant Food, who told me that turf produces more oxygen per square foot than "anything else" and replacing it with a patio or a single tree would be a net loss to air quality.  Judy Tiger of Garden Resources of Washington also reminds us that research has shown that humans prefer open areas surrounded by larger plants because we're "savannah animals." Makes sense to me.

Keeping some lawn but going natural
As Sylvia Wright wrote in Washington Gardener Magazine, "The problem is not the lawn space itself but the overdose of everything from fertilizer and pesticides to water." And though the Chesapeake Club in their terrific Baysafe Program cites our "improper and excessive fertilizing of lawns" as the biggest cause of nutrient runoff into the Bay, they still recommend an organic feeding in the fall because thick, healthy lawns hold more water than thin ones.  So DO stop using chemicals like synthetic, fast-acting fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.  (For more details about "Earth-Friendly Lawn Care Throughout the Year" see my April 2006 article at www.voice.com.)

To go even more natural, plant some cover and do less weeding.  Some weeds actually look good, with a little attitude adjustment.  Horticulturist Mitch Baker at American Plant Food flies in the face of the American lawn-care addiction when he brags that his own lawn is more than half weeds. 

What I Do                     
If you're hoping to reduce maintenance requirements, think twice about removing your lawn because the notion that lawns are more work than their alternatives is largely a myth.  Just ask the owners of the many beautiful lawnless front yards in our community and they'll laugh at the notion that it takes less work.  What does work for me and most of my clients is to use the lawn reduction technique mentioned above - borders.  Then, to fill them up, I choose plants that can do all these things in their new location:

• Look healthy and beautiful.
• Resist disease and other pests.
• Require little or no supplemental watering, even in droughts.
• Require no staking.

And not forgetting wildlife, I make sure to provide plenty of feeding, nesting and cover opportunities for the animals I want to encourage. Then I let my lawn morph into a lively biodiversity of plants that looks brown and scruffy by late summer but greens up again after rain and an organic feeding in the fall. And the imperfect and infrequent mowing I do is performed with the kinder and gentler electric mower that's now an option for this much-smaller lawn.

If something else works well for you, tell me about it.