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Loading...Flowering Lawns, No-Mow Lawns, Wildflower Lawns, and more
- Annie B. Bond
- July 14, 2005
- 6:36 pm
- 25 comments
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.
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
Read more: Nature, Lawns & Gardens, groundcover, lawns
By Annie B. Bond
Annie B. Bond
Annie is a renowned expert in non-toxic and green living. Named one of the top 20 environmental leaders by Body and Soul Magazine, Annie has authored four books, including "Home Enlightenment" (Rodale Press, 2005) and "Better Basics for the Home" (Three Rivers Press, 1999).
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may
not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
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25 comments
+ add your ownWildflowers are wonderful - also for our small bees!!
ty
Thank you Annie, for Sharing this!
Lots of good links. Thanks
Thank you for sharing.
Wonderful ideas, all so much better than control freakery, conventional, manicured lawns, all cropped to within a millimetre of their life.
Thanks for posting.
Grande articolo.
I love meadow lawns and am still working on persuading the other half that this is what we should do but I think he's clinging on to it as the last area of garden under his control ....ah well time to wave this under his nose and see if it disengages a few fingers :D
I have creeping Thyme on my property and it is so beautiful. Grass is Grass, and other combinations of ground covers can be so much more beautiful.
Thank you
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