'Low Mow' grass seed mix from High Country Gardens, grown without chemical fertilizers or synthetic weed killers

AS A PART OF OUR year-long campaign to reduce the impact of the American lawn, we’re launching a new guest blog series with our sponsoring partners at High Country Gardens in New Mexico. Rethinking the Traditional American Lawn is a four-part series by High Country Gardens Founder and Chief Horticulturist, David Salman. Salman also writes The Xeric Gardener. We’re excited to have High Country Gardens and the Salman family on board with this mission to represent a part of the country where water resources, especially, are most precious. The great information provided, whether or not you live in an area where droughts are common, is superior.

News Flash: Americans Are Working Too Hard . . . Chemical lawn-care companies have us working a lot harder and spending a lot more money than we should.

SANTA FE, N.M. — As pressed as we are for time, it’s mind-boggling how much of it we spend mowing, watering, weeding, spraying and fertilizing our lawns, when the only real attention we need to give them is the long look of love that we planted them for in the first place. Some folks can barely find time to shave once a week, much less mow their grass.

The comic part is, we create this extra work for ourselves. Mega lawn-care companies, like Scotts Miracle Gro, led us into a bad cycle that we’ll have to pull ourselves out of if we want to stop overworking and start enjoying.

It starts with intolerance for dandelions, which inspires us to use numerous “weed and feed” products that are sold like lawn candy in every garden center and big box store across the country. These herbicide-loaded fertilizers weaken every non-grass plant (like trees and shrubs) with roots under and around the lawn. In this weakened state, insect attack is a common result. In response, Americans pour millions of pounds of nitrogen chemical fertilizers (with or without herbicides) on their lawns each year to counter the negative effects of weed-killing, and this eventually leads to the next rickety step in the cycle of insanity — water waste.

Chemical fertilizers go one dangerous step beyond simply rejuvenating our lawns after the weed-killing fallout — they send the grass into hyper-growth during the hottest time of the year, forcing us to water more and, subsequently, adopt an unceasing schedule of weekly mowing. And what’s the end result? A slew of other problems, including increased soil salinity, soil compaction, shallow roots, insect attack, more lawn diseases, more water waste and — what I sometimes find most tragic of all — more work.

High Country Gardens, in partnership with SafeLawns.org, wants to help lawn-lovers get off this hamster wheel of work, water and expense. In tandem with our four-part Natural Lawn Makeover e-zine, set to release to subscribers today, we’ll discuss the first of four eco-friendly alternatives to traditional grass selections.

Before considering a low-water, low-maintenance variety, please view the digital version of our Natural Lawn Makeover spring catalogue to:

1. View maps to find out which variety best suits your region (pp.90-94), and
2. Review the Eco-friendly Lawn Quick Comparison chart (p.90) to learn more.

Part One: Choosing low-work and low-water lawn grasses

Native grass species such as blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis) and buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) are well adapted to drier conditions and a variety of soil types. These are warm-season grasses that withstand moderate foot traffic and require about 2 inches of rainfall (or irrigation) per month to stay green. They are also very drought tolerant and have roots that will survive without water during extended dryness. These two native species are best for yards that don’t get a lot of foot traffic or hard use by dogs and kids.

NEW PLUG-GROWN buffalo grass varieties have been developed specifically for lawn use. These improved varieties like ‘Legacy’®, ‘Prestige’™ and ‘UC Verde’® are dense, low-growing types planted as plugs and spread via runners growing across the soil surface which eventually knit into a beautiful, low-care lawn.

‘Hachita’ blue grama grass is a bunch grass that’s grown from seed. Seeded at a rate of 3-4 pounds per 1,000 square feet, it forms a dense carpet of grass that needs infrequent mowing or that can be left to seed out with its very ornamental eyelash seed heads in late summer.

NEW TYPES OF non-native lawn grasses are also excellent for planting lower water, low-maintenance lawns. These new dwarf fescue and blue grass varieties have been developed to grow much more slowly and, given an organic care regimen, produce a durable, low-care lawn that requires little or no mowing. While not as drought-tolerant as the native grama and buffalo grasses, they use considerably less water than Kentucky blue grass or tall fescue types.

A. ‘Bella’ blue grass is a dwarf lawn grass with very deep roots that spreads via runners to form a dense, bright green lawn thriving in sun, partial sun and dappled shade. ‘Bella’ only grows to a height of 3 inches and never needs mowing. It is especially useful where mowing is difficult, such as enclosed, tight spaces and slopes.
B. The ‘Low Work and Water’ and ‘No Mow’ grass mixes are seed grown, dwarf fescue types and are excellent as low care lawns. They are quick to establish with the seed germinating in both warm and cool weather. The ‘Low Work and Water’ lawn is ideal for play and higher foot traffic areas over much of the country. The ‘No Mow’ lawn is an excellent choice for informal lawns in sun and partial shade in cooler climates. Left unmowed, the ‘No Mow’ grass blades lie down and swirl, creating a soft, graceful texture. It can be mowed monthly to maintain a more formal look.

Check back here next Monday for the second part of our series, in which we’ll discuss the concept of meadows and prairies as eco-friendly alternatives to the traditional lawn, as well as how to go about deciding which kind of lawn planting is best for your plot. Till then, happy lawning!

The Arts quad at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

Here’s a great quote from this article in a San Francisco newspaper: “We had succeeded with the old model of landscaping with beautiful manicured lawns and gardens and trees. However, it’s resource intensive. It takes lots of inputs from the outside and at a macro level, some of our urban biology — like birds and pollinators — has really suffered. The paradigm has changed. We are now redefining urban land stewardship as creating complex landscapes with intricate ecological webs.”

Some folks take the idea of reducing the size of lawns — whether it be college quads, hospital grounds, condo commons, public parks or their back yards — as sacrilege.

It’s nice to see at least some people rethinking this paradigm: http://www.sfsu.edu/~news/2010/fall/27.html

This photo of the groundcover golden creeper comes from PlantCreations.com.

Week 4: Golden Creeper

Among the fair criticisms of our national organization is that much of our information is geared for the northern part of the country. As the SafeLawns founder, I have traveled North America extensively, from the Florida Keys, to the Hawaiian Islands and most of the provinces of Canada. But as someone who has resided in Maine for 49 years, the cold-weather plants have become part of my fiber.

It’s our goal here, though, to be fair to everyone and to represent all corners of North America. So in honor of the late Rodger Keller, a retired botanist from Michigan, who spent the last years of his life in Key West, I’m going to focus this edition of Groundcover Wednesdays on a plant that only grows in the very warmest regions of our nation — where winter temperatures usually never dip below 40 degrees.

Rodger introduced me to this plant, golden creeper, when we filmed our television show, People, Places & Plants in the Keys back in 2006. I asked him for the absolute toughest groundcover that he knew of it without hesitation he offered up this one. Native to beach areas, this plant has small, light green leaves on red stems. That’s really all you need to know when you come from a place like Maine, which really has no similar plant. Golden creeper has flowers and attractive golden berries, from which it gets its common name, but it’s really the stems of plants that turn heads.

Here’s a rundown:
Botanical name: Ernodea littoralis
It does not appear to be widely available in the national trade, but Florida garden centers carry the plant and it can be purchased from www.plantcreations.com.

Plant Characteristics: If you have areas of thin, sandy soil, this is your plant. Appearing more like a perennial, but technically a shrub, it will also grow in heavy clay soils, gravelly soils and just about everything in between. It can bake in the heat and take full sun and, although it is suited for dry landscapes away from the coast, golden creeper is most noted for its ability to tolerate salt spray and reduce beach erosion. Don’t overwater, or the foliage may die back.

Foliage Characteristics: The almost delicate inch-long light green leaves might appear frail, but this plan is tough throughout the year when grown in its proper climate. Because it is a subtropical plant, the foliage won’t change throughout the year. If the overall plant appears too leggy for your taste, it can be whacked back with a scythe or hedge trimmer.

Flower Characteristics: The flowers range from white to pink, but are relatively inconspicuous. The plant will flower year-round; if you cut the stems and trim back some of the foliage, the flowers work well for cutting. They also attract all sorts of native insects.

Fruit: One of the alternative common names for this plant is miniature pomegranate due to the tiny fruits that are shaped like, well, pomegranates. They taste more like apples, though, if my memory serves.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 10-11

Light Range: Part Shade to Full Sun

pH Range: 5.5 to 7.5

Origin: South Florida

Soil Range: Mostly sand to clay loam, but prefers thinner soils.

Foot Traffic: Golden creeper can serve as a grass substitute on lawns, but it’s not something that you’d plant where you walk every day. Just know you won’t hurt at all if you chase your dog through it.

General Comments: you score major points with naturalists when you consciously include golden creeper in landscape. There’s just no way to lose with a native plant that is tough, flowers year-round, produces edible fruit and requires almost no maintenance.

Stonecrop sedum adorns the grave of President John F. Kennedy

The low-ground plant will spread quickly.

Week Two:
Stonecrop Goldmoss Sedum

I remember becoming fascinated with this plant when I visited the grave site of President Kennedy in Arlington, Va., a few years ago. Just before the plant went into bloom, the foliage had a warm, rugged appearance cozied in between the granite stones quarried on Cape Cod. Later that year, when I put down a walkway at my home in Maine, I ordered a flat of the plants — which ended up being way more seedlings than I needed. They absolutely spread like crazy and are ideal for home walkways due to their ability to take reasonable foot traffic.

Here’s a rundown:
Botanical name: Sedum acre L. or Sedum acre var.aurea ‘Goldmoss’

Plant Characteristics: Low maintenance, disease, insect and drought tolerant. Tolerates wind and slopes, but grows downhill, not up. Resists deer and rabbits.

Foliage Characteristics: Slightly fragrant, shimmering green with egg-shaped small leaves.

Flower Characteristics: Bright yellow. Blooms early summer.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9

Light Range: Part Shade to Full Sun

pH Range: 6.5 to 8

Origin: Europe

Soil Range: Mostly Sand to Clay Loam, but prefers thinner soils.

Foot Traffic: It will tolerate most reasonable traffic from “stepping,” but avoid “scuffing” due to the shallow roots. It probably won’t do well in a more commercial setting with foot traffic all day long.

General Comments: Like last week’s creeping thyme, this plant is self-sufficient. Just water it a few times after planting and you may never need to water it again. In fact, too much moisture is one of the few things that will do in this plant.

Troubleshooting: Avoid too much moisture or the plants may rot. Keep up with weeds until the plant is fully established and at least make a reasonable effort to keep the area weeded thereafter. Don’t apply more than a single application of balanced organic fertilizer per season; some folks don’t both fertilize at all.

Thyme remains evergreen all winter in our Zone 4B climate

From Estabrook's Greenhouses, Yarmouth, Maine

With the onset of summer and in honor of beginning our second year of the blog, we’re adding a new feature beginning today: Groundcover Wednesdays. Offered up under the premise that properties shouldn’t be designed with turfgrass alone, these weekly posts will focus on some of the best grass replacement plants, or plants for those places where grass just doesn’t do well. Special emphasis will be given to plants that never, ever require pesticide applications.

As we build up our list of great groundcovers through the year, we’d love to hear your suggestions, too. And please feel free to share any photos you have. I’m sure our members would love to see them.

Week One:

LEMON THYME

Unquestionably my favorite groundcover, I simply adore this plant for its scent, its appearance, its durability and the fact that it’s also edible. What more could you ask for?

Here’s a rundown:

Botanical name: Thymus citriodorus

Plant Characteristics: Low maintenance, disease, insect and drought tolerant. Tolerates wind and slopes. Resists deer and rabbits.

Foliage Characteristics: Fragrant, shimmering green, although some cultivars are variegated.

Flower Characteristics: Fragrant pink or purple. Scented. Blooms early to late summer.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9

Light Range: Part shade to Full Sun

pH Range: 5.5 to 8

Soil Range: Mostly Sand to Clay Loam

General Comments: This plant is about as self-sufficient as it gets; in fact you should avoid most temptations to give it fertilizer or other care, other than maybe a shot of organic fertilizer once in the fall. It’s most fragrant and flavorful when grown in dry, lean soil.

Troubleshooting: Avoid too much moisture or the plants may rot. Try to obtain well-rooted cuttings from existing plants and space them 4-6 inches apart in the beginning, although you can start the plants from seed if you have patience. In southern climates the plant can get more shrub-like, so give it a hard pruning in the spring to get it low to the ground.

Strawberries that grow wild on our pesticide-free lawn are just coming into season in Maine.

I mowed my lawn last night. After a long day that included dropping the children off at daycare, registering the car, driving said car 350 miles and then dashing back to the office to answer a few dozen emails, I came home and took out the mower. I like the machine well enough, mind you. It’s an battery-powered Black & Decker model that gives me about 50 minutes of cutting time, which is just about enough to do my whole lawn if I hustle.

And as much as I don’t mind the exercise, I still often wonder why I have so much lawn. So I daydream while I mow about what I’d plant where if I only had the time. Usually I think about food, and how it makes so much more sense to be growing something harvestable than something that requires regular mowing. Or maybe I think about food because I usually mow the lawn right before dinner time . . .

Just about finished with the lawn, I bent down and plucked the season’s first daylilly blossom and munched on it. The plant didn’t bloom until almost July last year, but with our ridiculously mild winter and spring here in the Northeast, most plants are flowering two weeks early. The delicious daylily, with a mild, if slight peppery taste, got me thinking about what other flowers I ought to be growing for their culinary or snacking possibilities. I came up with a dozen or so in my head, but figured many more could be placed on the list.

So with the lawn mowed, dinner finished and the children tucked into bed, I typed “edible flowers” into Google. Combing quickly through the first 50 of 357,000 results, I came upon this list from Melissa Breyer: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/42-flowers-you-can-eat.html. As you read through, it’s both visually stimulating and mouth watering — which is way more than you can say for the average lawn:

Allium
All blossoms from the allium family (leeks, chives, garlic, garlic chives) are edible and flavorful! Flavors run the gamut from delicate leek to robust garlic. Every part of these plants is edible.

Angelica
Depending on the variety, flowers range from pale lavender-blue to deep rose and have a licorice-like flavor.

Anise Hyssop
Both flowers and leaves have a subtle anise or licorice flavor.

Arugula
Blossoms are small with dark centers and with a peppery flavor much like the leaves. They range in color from white to yellow with dark purple streaks.

Bachelor’s Button
Grassy in flavor, the petals are edible but avoid the bitter calyx.

Basil
Blossoms come in a variety of colors, from white to pink to lavender; flavor is similar to the leaves, but milder.

Bee Balm
The red flowers have a minty flavor.

Borage
Blossoms are a lovely blue hue and taste like cucumber!

Calendula / Marigold
A great flower for eating, calendula blossoms are peppery, tangy, and spicy–and their vibrant golden color adds dash to any dish.

Carnations / Dianthus
Petals are sweet, once trimmed away from the base. The blossoms taste like their sweet, perfumed aroma.

Chamomile
Small and daisylike, the flowers have a sweet flavor and are often used in tea. Ragweed sufferers may be allergic to chamomile.

Chervil
Delicate blossoms and flavor, which is anise-tinged.

Chicory
Mildly bitter earthiness of chicory is evident in the petals and buds, which can be pickled.

Chrysanthemum
A little bitter, mums come in a rainbow of colors and a range of flavors range from peppery to pungent. Use only the petals.

Cilantro
Like the leaves, people either love the blossoms or hate them. The flowers share the grassy flavor of the herb. Use them fresh as they lose their charm when heated.

Citrus (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, kumquat)
Citrus blossoms are sweet and highly-scented. Use frugally or they will over-perfume a dish.

Clover
Flowers are sweet with a hint of licorice.

Dandelion
Read a whole post about dandelions here: Eating and Harvesting Dandelions. (I am nuts about dandelions.)

Dill
Yellow dill flowers taste much like the herb’s leaves.

English Daisy
These aren’t the best-tasting petals–they are somewhat bitter, but they look great!

Fennel
Yellow fennel flowers are eye candy with a subtle licorice flavor, much like the herb itself.

Fuchsia
Tangy fuchsia flowers make a beautiful garnish.

Gladiolus
Who knew? Although gladioli are bland, they can be stuffed, or their petals removed for an interesting salad garnish.

Hibiscus
Famously used in hibiscus tea, the vibrant cranberry flavor is tart and can be used sparingly.

Hollyhock
Bland and vegetal in flavor, hollyhock blossoms make a showy, edible garnish.

Impatiens
Flowers don’t have much flavor–best as a pretty garnish or for candying.

Jasmine
These super-fragrant blooms are used in tea; you can also use them in sweet dishes, but sparingly.

Johnny-Jump-Up
Adorable and delicious, the flowers have a subtle mint flavor great for salads, pastas, fruit dishes, and drinks.

Lavender
Sweet, spicy, and perfumed, the flowers are a great addition to both savory and sweet dishes.

Lemon Verbena
The diminutive off-white blossoms are redolent of lemon–and great for teas and desserts.

Lilac
The blooms are pungent, but the floral citrusy aroma translates to its flavor as well.

Mint
The flowers are–surprise!–minty. Their intensity varies among varieties.

Nasturtium
One of the most popular edible flowers, nasturtium blossoms are brilliantly colored with a sweet, floral flavor bursting with a spicy pepper finish. When the flowers go to seed, the seed pod is a marvel of sweet and spicy. You can stuff flowers, add leaves to salads, pickle buds like capers, and garnish to your heart’s content.

Oregano
The flowers are a pretty, subtle version of the leaf.

Pansy
The petals are somewhat nondescript, but if you eat the whole flower you get more taste.

Radish
Varying in color, radish flowers have a distinctive, peppery bite.

Rose
Remove the white, bitter base and the remaining petals have a strongly perfumed flavor perfect for floating in drinks or scattering across desserts, and for a variety of jams. All roses are edible, with flavor more pronounced in darker varieties.

Rosemary
Flowers taste like a milder version of the herb; nice used as a garnish on dishes that incorporate rosemary.

Sage
Blossoms have a subtle flavor similar to the leaves.

Squash and Pumpkin
Blossoms from both are wonderful vehicles for stuffing, each having a slight squash flavor. Remove stamens before using.

Sunflower
Petals can be eaten, the bud steamed like an artichoke.

Violets
Another famous edible flower, violets are floral, sweet, and beautiful as garnishes. Use the flowers in salads and to garnish desserts and drinks.

Melissa also had some other tips about eating flowers fresh from the garden that are definitely worth remembering:

1) Eat flowers you know to be consumable–if you are uncertain, consult a reference book on edible flowers and plants.

2) Eat flowers you have grown yourself, or know to be safe for consumption. Flowers from the florist or nursery have probably been treated with pesticide or other chemicals.

3) Do not eat roadside flowers or those picked in public parks. Both may have been treated with pesticide or herbicide, and roadside flowers may be polluted by car exhaust

4) Eat just the petals, and remove pistils and stamens before eating.

5) If you suffer from allergies, introduce edible flowers gradually, as they may exacerbate allergies.

6) To keep flowers fresh, place them on moist paper towels and refrigerate in an airtight container. Some will last up to 10 days this way. Ice water can revitalize limp flowers.

Now, for all the lawn lovers out there, don’t take this post as me being anti-lawn. My children and I love it for all sorts of reasons, not the least of which was the best part of my day yesterday. I didn’t mow the area of my lawn where the strawberries grow wild and, right after dinner, I brought my daugher, Aimee, outside for two handfuls of tiny red sweetness. She squealed with delight all the way back into the house and asked, as I tucked her in, “Daddy, can I pick more strawberries tomorrow?”

Because we don’t apply pesticides that would otherwise kill those plants, that answer would happily be: “Yes, dear.”

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.

This Florida neighborhood features lot after lot of mandated St. Augustine grass.

As I sit here in the midst of my father’s Florida golf course community, with identical cookie-cutter lawns and eutrified ponds as far as the eye can see, an evaluation of landscape priorities can be fairly depressing. Dad lives is one of those many, many developed communities where the local bylaws state what kinds of grass to grow (St. Augustine) and how often and how high you’re supposed to mow (low). Quantity and quality of drinking water supplies are of grave concern across this state, and yet the irrigation systems spew copious amounts of water into the sidewalks and roadways every morning.

That’s why is was so refreshing to read Cindy McNatt’s column in the Orange County Register this morning: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/lawns-246614-idea-lawnless.html.

I’m definitely not an anti-lawn guy. Having a patch of paradise where I can play ball with my kids will probably always be a goal. Here in Florida, though, where the water table perilously close to the surface of the sandy soil, folks really need to rethink their overall priorities.