If some lawn areas is a must, artistically places slabs may cut down on water use, as shown in this yard area from FreshDesignPedia. While some irrigation may be necessary, water falling on the slabs will runoff into areas between the slabs. The slabs may also limit evaporation by trapping water underneath, further reducing water required for irrigation.
This image from OutDoorGoods.info shows another use of slabs in conjunction with grass to create a livable outdoor space:
A lawn may be closely linked with the idea of leisure time….but how many leisure spaces do you visit outside of your home that are made up of lawn?
In many parts of the world, an area planted with grass with offer a squishy or dirty area to lie down much of the year. Not anybody’s idea of fun.
In this areas, from OutdoorGoods.info, owners have created a livable recreational space with a bit of planking, lawn furniture, and plantings.
To maximize the lifetime of the planking, consider using a composite decking certified for direct soil contact, or use gravel underneath to provide drainage.
In many areas of the world, lawns draw the most resources during summer, when high temperatures create the demand for irrigation.
While letting the lawn go dormant may be an alternative, it’s not always feasible in some areas, given home owners associations, neighbors, etc.
One solution? Lawn paint.
A recently introduced product is shown being applied in the image below from CTVNews’s web site.
Why do we love our lawns when they don’t love us back? We pay a gardener or mow every week. We weed, edge, and blow. We aerate and add chemicals that pollute our waterways. And still, our lawns need more—often a lot more.
What’s more, a tremendous amount potable water is used to irrigate our landscapes. And because grass and the soil under it are often severely compacted, many lawns act like a paved surface that water just runs off. Even under the best conditions, our lawns’ root systems are very shallow. Plants with deeper root systems allow for healthier soil. The healthier our soil, the more water it can absorb, so there’s less runoff….read more
An American tradition is losing ground to the new kid on the block: edible gardens
No crop captures the American soul more than lawns.
Forget amber waves of grain. Envision, instead, emerald waves of turfgrass that stretch from sea to shining sea, a continental carpet that leapfrogs from home to home, park to park, campus to campus. Unlike amber grain, a green lawn is equally likely to exist in Portland, Maine; Portland, Ind.; Portland, N.D.; or Portland, Ore. Read more…..
Urban homesteading requires a certain type of landscaping that is not popular in urban and suburban neighborhoods that reveres the smooth, green homogeny of well cared for turf grass. Regardless of whether you want to start a potager garden, or convert to xeriscape, many of you will still have to deal with your turf grass. And there’s no way around it, the grass must die. ….. read more
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