Several weeks ago, a few of you asked to see some photos of yards without grass lawns. I've been reluctant to post photos, because they are not very good. I do much better photographing individual or small groups of flowers. But, I gave it a try. In addition to the photos, there are some links to resources if you want to replace some of your grass with native plants, grasses and flowers. Sometime in the future, I'm hoping to help my aunt convert some of her land in Wyoming to native prairie grass and wildflowers. I think it will be both beautiful and good for the environment. Plus, it will give her horses a new place to explore.
Here are some photos from my neighborhood. Of course, your results would look different if you live in a different climate.
I'm not sure if there is grass at the top of these stairs or not, but the yard is filled with azaleas, hydrangea, lilies, and trees. This week, they painted the steps with designs that I haven't photographed yet.
The above three photos are the same yard. I included them all, because I couldn't get a good view. They still have grass, but at the center of the yard, there are pieces of an old tree they must have chopped down (before I began walking past their yard). In the last few weeks, all these wildflowers started blooming. It is beautiful!
I couldn't get a good picture of this place, but it is an Audubon certified habitat.
This yard has a mix of ground cover, flowering plants, maybe some food plants (I'm not really sure), and not pictured here (I think this is the yard), they also have a pear tree, that they attempted to partially protect from cicadas but didn't do a very good job of it.
The above two are the same yard, two sides of it. I think there are some grass paths.
The above two photos are the same yard. There are a lot of yards that have a steep incline before the flat surface of the yard. People will often use ground cover or flowers, so they don't have to mow it. I don't know if there is grass behind the fence. These terraced flower beds have different plants growing in them all through spring and summer.
The above four photos are from one of my favorite yards. She has some grass paths that she seems to use to get to the plants in her yard.
Additional resources
Here is an article from the Washington Post about making your yard a little more eco-friendly.
Here is a link to the National Wildlife Federation's Native Plant Finder. You can search by zip code to find what plants are native to your area. After that, you can do an online search for places to buy those plants.
Here is where to buy Doug Tallamy's book
Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard that was mentioned in the Washington Post article. Someone recommended this book to me the other day. Tallamy also has
several other books that might be of interest.
I'm not suggesting that you get rid of all your grass. I have good memories of lying in the grass as a child and watching meteor showers. But, a yard full of native plants can attract birds, butterflies, and other wildlife to your yard, making it a more beautiful and interesting place. It can also help all the birds and insects who are struggling because of loss of habitat, and pesticide use. Bonus, you'll probably save money (in the long run, definitely not up front).
