Flowering Lawns, No-Mow Lawns, Wildflower Lawns, and more

A “lawn” in my town is covered with blue and blooming forget-me-nots in the spring that takes your breath away with its beauty. Every time I see it I yearn for a lawn-free lawn. I yearn for low-growing flowers that don’t require mowing, and lawns that don’t inspire the need for herbicides. I’ve found one great solution for a lovely lavender flowering groundcover that is so tough that it can even be walked on, and can survive without much care and in most habitats. Over the years we have placed many articles relating to this quest (since I am far from alone) on Care2 on all aspects of natural lawn care, such as tips for the perfect no-mow lawn, eco-friendly lawn fertilizer, and more, and they are all here:

Try this beautiful low-growing lavender ground cover to replace your lawn, inch by inch, as you are able:
Creeping Thyme For A Low, Flowering Lawn

Sometimes a lawn doesn’t make any sense. Steep slopes, rocky stretches with inadequate topsoil, and sandy soil, are all examples of difficult terrain that don’t lend themselves to uniform grass covers. Forcing a lawn in such places forces most people to search for chemical fixes that harm the ecosystem at large. Choose instead maintenance-free groundcovers!
Beautiful Alternatives to Lawns

Lawn and garden fertilizers provide nutrients that may not be supplied by the soil. But excess nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilizers can be a huge source of water pollution.

Here are some easy ways to add nutrients to your soil that are safe for the environment.
Eco-Friendly Lawn Fertilizers

Given a large enough area to plough, or one small enough to dig over, it is possible to begin a flowering hay meadow from scratch with appropriate supplies from a reputable wildflower seed merchant.
The Blooming Lawn, How-to

The gushing exhaust from lawn mowing equipment currently contributes to a staggering 30 percent of overall U.S. vehicle pollution! By the year 2001, emissions from residential lawn mowers and tractors will have been reduced by 40 percent due to an agreement between the EPA and manufacturers. While an excellent step in the right direction, manual mowers reduce emissions by a perfect 100 percent.

Manual Mowers

It’s easy to convert our lawns into native prairies that will attract birds and butterflies, and provide restful beauty for the eye and spirit. After all, mowed lawns mean toxic emissions from mowers, money wasted on gasoline, the temptation to use herbicides, and many hours of work. Who needs it?

Instead, here are the simple steps for creating a beautiful, hassle-free no-mow lawn.
The Perfect No-Mow Lawn

You can have an organic lawn that is lush and lovely, and there are so many reasons to go natural—pesticides and herbicides are linked to neurotoxicity, birth defects, cancers, organ damage and more.

Find out five easy steps to maintaining a gorgeous, healthy lawn without resorting to harmful chemicals:
Five Steps to a Lush and Healthy Lawn