Deciding How to SHRINK Your Lawn
by
Evelyn J. Hadden
September 2, 2001
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This corner between two sidewalks was converted from nondescript lawn to an eye-catching feature. Boulders surround a low-maintenance planting of sedum, russian sage, and black-eyed susans.
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What do you want?
That's all you have to know to start redesigning your landscape. Muse on your priorities as you look through this list of common frustrations, and follow the links to read about LessLawn.com's suggested landscape solutions.
- If you'd like to work on a small area at first, you might start with a lawn-covered boulevard, slope, or fragment.
- If you want shade from summer's heat, carve out an area on the southwest side of your house and plant a deciduous woodland garden. This will reduce your energy use too.
- If you want privacy from the street or distant buildings, build a fence or hedge the edge of your property.
- If you want privacy from taller neighboring houses, set up a fifteen-foot-wide (or more) border around your property and plant with a mix of trees and shrubs. Consider evergreens first for year-round privacy on the north, northwest, and northeast, but on the south, southwest, or southeast, you may want to trade off less winter privacy for sunlight, so go deciduous. If you don't have the space for trees and shrubs, try a wooden structure draped with vines.
- If you want to attract more wildlife to your propery, create a wild area or connect isolated plantings.
- If you want to significantly reduce lawn chores, try installing a native grass lawn or a landscape patterned after nature.
- If you want to use your outdoor space more often--for meals, sitting around with friends, or solitary musing--then create a tea garden or convert part of your lawn to a patio.
- If you want to explore your landscape, try a stroll garden.
We here at LessLawn.com wish you the best of luck in your landscaping projects and invite you to visit often to check out new ways to SHRINK your lawn and GROW your pleasure!
Happy landscaping!
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The idea of SHRINKing your lawn appeals to you, but what do you do first? Should you put up a border, or something in the center of the yard? Should you plant trees? It all depends on your answer to one simple question... what do you want?
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