Looking for a Grass Alternative? Try a Peanut Lawn

This lawn, of ornamental peanut plants, almost thoroughly outcompetes other plants.

The blossoms will persist year round if the plant is mowed once per year.

Still in Florida with my family, I can admit to my blog followers that my mind never completely shuts off from this lawn crusade. When I took my 8-month-old daughter for a walk yesterday in an old neighborhood in St. Petersburg, I was fascinated by a lawn with bright orange-yellow blooms. The homeowner, perched out front for what he said was his once-a-year hand weeding, called his creation a peanut lawn.

He allowed me to snap a few photos and when I got a chance to go on-line today, I learned more about Arachis glabrata, a member of the pea family. Here’s a description from a University of Florida Cooperative Extension agent: http://leon.ifas.ufl.edu/News_Columns/2004/070104.pdf.

In addition to being the most beautiful lawn in my sister-in-law’s Florida neighborhood, it was also one of the most low maintenance. The homeowner says he mows just once a year and never fertilizes, since the plant “fixes” its own nitrogen from the atmosphere.

Here are a couple of great web sites to find other lawn alternatives: www.jeeperscreepersusa.com and www.stepables.com that will help you find other plants suitable for other climates (the ornamental peanut is only hardy to Zone 8). Don’t get me wrong: I’m not trying to be anti-lawn. Grass has its place and purpose in the North American landscape. But you need to know that there are so many more environmentally friendly alternatives.