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Re-imagining Lawns: Creating Less Resource Intensive Landscapes
“According to a 2020 CNN report by Matthew Ponsford, residential lawns make up two percent of U.S. land or 49,000 square miles (roughly equal to the size of Greece), but require more irrigation than any agricultural crop grown in the country.”
How the Perfect Lawn Became a Symbol of the American Dream
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Water
Lawns require a lot of water
Lawns need 1-2” of water a week on average
Protect our Waterways
- Reduce water usage
- Reduce fertilizer, pest and disease control products
- Reduce fuel and equipment maintenance
- Save money and water
Multi-stream rotational nozzles (finger sprays)
- Reduces evaporation – less misting
- Avoids runoff because water is applied at a slower rate
Slopes
- Cycle and Soak
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Don’t Rock Your Landscape
Rock Mulches hold heat – almost 100 degrees more heat than hardwood mulches – and then release it over night
Rock mulch can reach 140-170 degrees in the summer
Organic mulches 80-85 degrees
Have no nutritional value
Are not maintenance free
Places river rock does work well:
- Dry river beds for water movement and erosion control
- Gutter drainage
- Gutterless overhangs
- Parking areas
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Lawns should have a purpose
Determine how you use your space
- Sports
- Play Area
- Large Dogs
- High Foot Traffic
Create Useful Areas
- Meditation
- Sitting area
- Garden stroll
- Wildlife Habitat
- HOA requirements
Ideally as little lawn as possible – small enough to use a reel mower
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Paths can be lawn – rivers of lawn
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Determine problem areas
- Heavy foot traffic
- Deep shade
- Repeated pest and disease issues
- Shallow soil depth – cap rock
- Slopes
- Poor soil – Black Walnut or China Berry? allelopathic properties
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Reduce turf where it has no purpose
- Dig Deep
- Add quality Soil
- Adjust irrigation
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It’s Not a Weed
- Wood Sorrel
- Basket Grass
- Horseherb
- Dandelions
- Daisies
Once you embrace the weeds as lovely plants it gets much easier to maintain the lawn.
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Native grass mixes
Buffalo grass – High maintenance! Monoculture
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Mass Plant Anything Else
Monoculture
Keep in mind – lack of Biodiversity leaves room for pests, disease, more noticeable undesirables – aka weeds
August Tasks
Check Irrigation – Do a full system check looking for breaks and poor coverage. Make sure the box is set properly and each zone will provide about 2″ of water per run.
Pruning – Cut back perennials by 1/3 if no bloom set and deadhead. Prune any dead, damaged, or diaeased limbs.
Liquid fertilizer – A gentle liquid fertilizer with seaweed will help plants get through the rest of the summer. Soil activators will also improve soil texture.
Hardscaping – Start the heavy tasks now so that you are ready to plant as soon as the temperatures cool down.
Planning for fall planting – Fall is the best time to plant!
Enlarge beds and reduce lawn
Resources
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center https://www.wildflower.org/
– is the best place to visit to see native plants doing what they do best: thriving. It is also a great place to take the kids for a day out.
The Natural Gardener
– has a beautiful butterfly garden just off the parking lot next to their pottery area. It is an excellent example of plants for all seasons. They also have vegetable and herb gardens behind the main shop as well as some perennial planting throughout the property. Of course, there are also many many plants for sale and a wonderful, knowledgeable staff.
Grow Green Austin https://www.austintexas.gov/department/grow-green
– is an excellent source for landscaping, particularly within the Austin city limits. They have information on city rebates, water restrictions, and educational opportunities for homeowners and landscape professionals.
Native and Adapted Landscape Plants: an earthwise guide for Central Texas http://austintexas.gov/department/grow-green/plant-guide
– is my go to guide for most of the landscape plants I include in my design plans. I adore this book. It is available for free at most garden centers, or you can download it as a pdf from the Grow Green website. It is also available as a searchable plant guide from the link above.
Native American Seed https://www.seedsource.com/catalog/
– has a huge selection of native seeds and extensive information on native plants. If you have an area that you want to naturalize, this is a wonderful source for seed.
Central Texas Gardener https://www.centraltexasgardener.org/
Monthly Gardening Calendar for the Austin Area
https://travis-tx.tamu.edu/about-2/horticulture/monthly-gardening-calendar-for-austin-area/
Articles referred to in this presentation
How the Perfect Lawn Became a Symbol of the American Dream
https://www.history.com/news/lawn-mower-grass-american-dream
Don’t Rock Your Landscape