Question:
How do I choose the best alternative lawn for my landscape?Answer:
Choosing the right alternative lawn requires evaluating how the space will be used, how much maintenance and other inputs you're willing to provide, and understanding what "look" or aesthetic you are willing to accept. Below are some uses for lawns that are achieved with both traditional and alternative lawns. By understanding what factors are most important, the most appropriate type of lawn can be selected and planted.
What Will It Be Used For?
While many homeowners would like to accomplish many or all of these things for their lawn, it's important to select one (maybe two) that is the priority. Understanding the main objective will help ensure the best type of alternative lawn is selected.
Recreation
- Lawns serve as great spaces for kids and pets to use and play
- Lawns also allow recreational activities like picnicking and sports
Erosion Control & Filtering
- Turfgrass is exceptionally good at holding soil in place and slowing water runoff (often to the point of effectively no runoff)
- The extensive fibrous root system and fast growth also mine excess nutrients like phosphorus and nitrates from the soil.
- Provided we apply nutrients appropriately, there is much less nutrient run-off from lawns as compared to agricultural fields
Provide More Pollinator Resources
- Increasing pollinator resources by incorporating plants that provide habitat and floral resources can help support populations of native bees, butterflies, and other important insects.
- Additional pollinator habitat can enhance pollination of nearby vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and ornamental plants.
- Pollinator-friendly plants can help create habitat corridors that connect larger pollinator plantings in the landscape or neighborhood.
Important Design Element
- The lawn provides a uniform, neutral backdrop for garden beds and features
- It frequently provides paths and circulation through landscapes
- It provides the “negative space” in a landscape design, filling in the spaces between beds, designs, and elements
Beauty & Aesthetics
- While it is not flashy or colorful, when well-maintained, a green carpet of turfgrass is quite beautiful
- The "look" of a traditional lawn is often what most people perceive to be the ideal aesthetic (for better or for worse)
- The addition of flowering plants or alternative turfgrasses can achieve a different standard of beauty that is more desirable.
Benefits & Challenges of Traditional & Alternative Lawns
A good understanding of the pros and cons of each lawn type will allow you to select the best option for your lawn that meets the goals and uses important to you.
What are the benefits and challenges of traditional and alternative lawns?
After addressing each of these factors, you can determine what is best for your landscape. Learn more in this article: Lawn Alternatives to Turfgrass.