Do You Really Need A Grass Lawn

Americans love their lawns, I guess. I am not really sure they give it much thought. It is more of a custom, a habit. We mow and weed and water and feed and generally spend a lot of time, and money, on our massive green carpets, but, ask yourself this. Why?

Now if you play a lot of croquet or badminton, yes, you need a lawn. If you chip golf balls or play touch football, okay, you need at least a small lawn. Otherwise, no.

Well, you say, I can't leave bare dirt. Correct, but, there are alternatives. The simplest and cheapest is to cover your grounds with gravel or mulch but, that is boring. But there are alternatives that are beautiful and easy to maintain.

Patios are great. You can entertain or just hang out yourself, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. You can plant gardens, vegetable and flower. Trees break up the flat landscape, just make sure you allow for full growth - don't plant an oak 3 feet from your bedroom window. Vary the styles and shapes of your plants and mix in color. If you spend time out at night, perhaps you have a pool, consider surrounding it with a white garden, composed of plants with white flowers; when your night lights come on, the effect is very nice.

If you don't have or want a pool, consider other water features, a small pond or simple fountain is a nice effect, as are bird feeders. Got a dog? Build, or but, him/her a nice house; They love having a shady spot of their own to hang out in.

Use stone, gravel or mulch to lay out walking paths. Now, you are still going to have some space left. Fill that with ground covers such as juniper, loriope, or mondo grass; You rarely have to feed these, once established they need little water and there is no mowing; if they get too high, top them with a weed whacker. Ivy works great, but you will have to stay on top of that or it will soon cover you house.

Better still, check with a local nursery for hints on xeriscaping. This involves using plants that like your local climate. They will need far less care. Remember, water is going to become a serious problem. It already is in many parts of the World. Do you really think you should be pouring vast quantities on grass when there are other more interesting choices?

Think about getting rid of all that grass. You will save yourself a lot of time, labor and money. When your neighbors are out on a hot August afternoon, you can be sitting with a cold drink, watching a ball game.