Why have a lawn when there are so many other options!!!!

Did you know that the mowing of lawns creates more than 5% of our worlds greenhouse gases?

Not to mention the water consumption and how much pesticide and fertilizer leach into our waterways and oceans. ...... Ugg, it sickens me to even think about it!!!!!!

Today there are so many other options to create a beautiful outdoor space, why settle for such a passe thing like lawn!!!

Here's a couple of options to think about when designing or redoing your garden .........

#1 Meadows

Most people have lawns because well ...... isn't that what your supposed to have? and besides that, it's what people know, have a green space surrounded by garden. What if we incorporated the green space as part of the garden by creating meadows? These can utilized just like a lawn and are much more interesting, environmentally friendly, lower maintenance and beautiful!

John Greenlee from California has a book out on how to create different types of meadows called the 'American Meadow'....... and I have to say, his work is breath taking.

#2 Ground covers

There are many plants that can be used instead of grass that tolerate foot traffic,are scented, flower, are drought tolerant and can live in all types of situations. Check out this web site for what would work in your garden!

http://www.stepables.com/

#3 Interesting gravel, sand and stone

Gravel, sand and stone can be used in so many ways and can turn mediocre garden into a stunning one ..........

replacing grass with sand is great for children and pets and requires virtually no maintenance, while using different types of stone and gravel can create multiple styles of gardens from Japanese to contemporary.

Pamela Burton Landscape Architects created this award winning garden with drought tolerant plants, native plants and natural sand pathways.

http://www.pamelaburton.com

And Andrea Cochran uses pea gravel and native california grasses as ground cover.

http://www.acochran.com/

There are so many ways to beautify our homes, no matter what your design style may be so have fun with it .... think outside the box ...... and lets see what you can create, all the while preserving our precious earth!!!

Post your designs on this blog or on my facebook page and show others how its done.