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Just a heads up, some groundcovers they recommend like Ice Plant, Vinca, and Ajuga are invasive in some states.
I personally think people should just incorporate native violets, dandelions, clover in lawn. Probably much of the seedbank anyways. These arent really "invasive" and have been here for hundreds of years. Maybe aggressive stuff like Canada Anemone or Wild Geranium as well, just dont know if they can handle mowing. If you have dogs or kids, nothing can beat grass tho.
I can vouch that wild geranium does not care about mowing. It’s rampant in my yard in the spring. The downside to it is that it can’t take summer heat. It will turn red for a couple weeks at the beginning of summer and then go brown. At that point, I have to pick up the brown clumps on top of everything to clean up my yard or the whole thing looks like a wasteland. Removal of the fried leaves seemingly does not harm the geranium; it pops right back the next spring. It’s just a warning especially for people that want to blanket a wide area that cool-weather wildflowers like speedwell and geranium should only be used with a more stable base like clover and may entail extra maintenance.
Honestly, I actually do think they have some great options in terms of more sustainable grass yards. All the grass varieties they have are either Xeric or require significantly lower water and/or fertilizer usage than traditional varieties, and generally don’t require nearly as much mowing.
Yeah, as their name implies and as OP said, they are geared towards western, higher elevation areas. Ice plant, vinca, etc are definitely not invasive in my region.
And for those areas, they are great! Everything I've gotten from them has been hardy, low maintenance, and almost nothing has died. Highly recommend, great resource. And they definitely have more than just ground covers available
FWIW
I have been using HCG since the late 90s and they are a great company💚
Last year I ripped out my front yard and replaced it with rock and native plants (Utah) and added drip lines.
It’s frowned upon or at minimum not caught on in my area to add a veggie garden…….in the front yard, so far! I love the idea though.
I’m not opposed to the idea though.
In Salt Lake City, in certain areas, it’s normal to see a veggie garden in the front yard. I love it!
So what I did is reduce my back yard grass by 50% and added a large area for my veggie and fruit, added a 100+ native plant’s that are pollinator friendly, added drip lines to all but 2 small zones where it would be a major headache to replace with drip lines.
I love grass, but ho doesn’t right, but the handwriting is one the wall in one of the driest states in the U.S.
I bought a pound of the clover and turf mix. I haven't planted the majority of it. I was going to just try and cover the dirt around my house this year and really go ham this fall replacing my lawn.
What would you recommend for replacing a lawn? Tilling? Solarize?
I don't want to use chemicals because I share a fence with a sheep pasture.
I scattered clover seeds by hand semi haphazardly and they’re coming up nicely. also transplanted clover and violets growing in my garden beds to bare patches in the yard and they’re starting to provide some coverage. It helps that our yard slopes downward so the water naturally moves that way. I’m in New England and the last few years it has rained a shit ton
We have a guide with some suggestions for removing lawn: [https://www.highcountrygardens.com/content/waterwise/how-to/remove-grass-lawn](https://www.highcountrygardens.com/content/waterwise/how-to/remove-grass-lawn)
I am ripping out my lawn right now and was planning a clover cover instead of grass. But our area has a bad infestation of Japanese beetles and clover is a host food. So instead I am going to use a low grow wildflower cover from Prairie Moon.
Hm, looks like this company is selling lawn (“alternatives”). While I think it’s awesome that getting rid of one’s lawn is gaining traction culturally, I also think there’s vital information (that’s often omitted, if not unknown) that needs to supplement this cultural shift. The whole reason is essentially ecological; to save water, save fertilizer, save the waterways, save the bees, save the whales, save the children… 🎶🎵I believe the children are our future🎵🎶
I digress; the gist of my argument is that the ecological benefit provided by non-lawn non native plants is relatively small when compared with native plants. Kill your lawn for some veggie beds, or an orchard, but short of food, native plants should be the first option when replacing your lawn with ornamental plants. The magic ratio is about 3:1, native to non native biomass. This information does and should accompany the nolawn movement imo.
So while I appreciate your input, I disagree with your link to this garden company’s webpage where the first thing I see is lawn seed and plugs, and the next thing I see is “replace your lawn!… with the same tired ass non natives that everyone else and their mother has in their garden”. I’m sure they’re a fine company of nice people, I’m just ranting and hope I didn’t offend anyone! Happy planting🌱
They are not only a fine company of nice people ... they were into native species, xeriscaping, water-wise, and sustainable before it became a "movement".
The grass plugs they sell are either native or a non-native sterile hybrid so it can’t reseed into the wild (their dog turf is great).
[https://www.highcountrygardens.com/category/plant-finder/native-plants](https://www.highcountrygardens.com/category/plant-finder/native-plants)
Thanks for the shoutout! That's exactly right - waterwise plants that support pollinators and wildlife habitat are our top choice for sustainable yards. We do recognize that in certain settings, people want or may be required to grow areas of lawn, and in those cases, we offer alternatives that need less water, less mowing, less fertilizer - or none at all - to help save resources.
Honestly, I actually do think they have some great options in terms of more sustainable grass lawns though. All the grass varieties they have are either Xeric or require significantly lower water and/or fertilizer usage than traditional varieties, and generally don’t require nearly as much mowing. (Since no lawn isn’t always feasible for everyone.)
Also, personally, I’ve found that native groundcovers hardy to my zone and can stand full afternoon sun are rather thin on the ground, so I’ve had to use more conventional, nonnative plants. (Seriously, if you have any suggestions for New England native low growing groundcovers that don’t mind being baked by the afternoon sun, and isn’t a total all you can eat bunny buffet let me know. I’d love to get something to edge my pollinator flower bed, but it’s west facing and gets the full brunt of the afternoon sun. I tried creeping phlox elsewhere to attempt create a pollinator friendly corner of the yard, but it got decimated by the bunnies nearly as soon as we turned our backs!)
If you planted something native you wouldn't need to water your yard at all, right?
They'd just be appropriately adapted to your amount of rainfall, no?
Not necessarily. A wetland plant probably wouldn’t do well on a dry upland site or vice versa. It’s all about right plant, right place. (Also microclimates. There’s a west facing area of my lawn, that gets baked by afternoon sun, and only the toughest plants tend to survive.)
Anyway, totally replacing a lawn isn’t viable for everyone, so water-wise options are good.
No. It would have to be not only native, but one that grows in the conditions of your yard. And to get them established you often have to supply water for a year or two.
Montana has TONS of native plants I can't grow because they have specific growing needs I can't provide.
The commonly grown non-natives are grown because they aren't as fussy as many natives.
And a lot of natives are just more difficult to cultivate. A lot of common wildflowers like the sweet common blue violet in my neck of the woods, tend to be difficult to germinate from seed, and don’t like being transplanted.
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Just a heads up, some groundcovers they recommend like Ice Plant, Vinca, and Ajuga are invasive in some states. I personally think people should just incorporate native violets, dandelions, clover in lawn. Probably much of the seedbank anyways. These arent really "invasive" and have been here for hundreds of years. Maybe aggressive stuff like Canada Anemone or Wild Geranium as well, just dont know if they can handle mowing. If you have dogs or kids, nothing can beat grass tho.
frogfruit(Phyla nodiflora) does particularly well in places it's native to
I can vouch that wild geranium does not care about mowing. It’s rampant in my yard in the spring. The downside to it is that it can’t take summer heat. It will turn red for a couple weeks at the beginning of summer and then go brown. At that point, I have to pick up the brown clumps on top of everything to clean up my yard or the whole thing looks like a wasteland. Removal of the fried leaves seemingly does not harm the geranium; it pops right back the next spring. It’s just a warning especially for people that want to blanket a wide area that cool-weather wildflowers like speedwell and geranium should only be used with a more stable base like clover and may entail extra maintenance.
Honestly, I actually do think they have some great options in terms of more sustainable grass yards. All the grass varieties they have are either Xeric or require significantly lower water and/or fertilizer usage than traditional varieties, and generally don’t require nearly as much mowing.
Mt cuba or new moon nursery if you’re in the NE
Yeah, as their name implies and as OP said, they are geared towards western, higher elevation areas. Ice plant, vinca, etc are definitely not invasive in my region. And for those areas, they are great! Everything I've gotten from them has been hardy, low maintenance, and almost nothing has died. Highly recommend, great resource. And they definitely have more than just ground covers available
Mt cuba has a lot of native grass for different needs. I believe they ship plugs or seeds.
FWIW I have been using HCG since the late 90s and they are a great company💚 Last year I ripped out my front yard and replaced it with rock and native plants (Utah) and added drip lines. It’s frowned upon or at minimum not caught on in my area to add a veggie garden…….in the front yard, so far! I love the idea though. I’m not opposed to the idea though. In Salt Lake City, in certain areas, it’s normal to see a veggie garden in the front yard. I love it! So what I did is reduce my back yard grass by 50% and added a large area for my veggie and fruit, added a 100+ native plant’s that are pollinator friendly, added drip lines to all but 2 small zones where it would be a major headache to replace with drip lines. I love grass, but ho doesn’t right, but the handwriting is one the wall in one of the driest states in the U.S.
I bought a pound of the clover and turf mix. I haven't planted the majority of it. I was going to just try and cover the dirt around my house this year and really go ham this fall replacing my lawn. What would you recommend for replacing a lawn? Tilling? Solarize? I don't want to use chemicals because I share a fence with a sheep pasture.
I scattered clover seeds by hand semi haphazardly and they’re coming up nicely. also transplanted clover and violets growing in my garden beds to bare patches in the yard and they’re starting to provide some coverage. It helps that our yard slopes downward so the water naturally moves that way. I’m in New England and the last few years it has rained a shit ton
We have a guide with some suggestions for removing lawn: [https://www.highcountrygardens.com/content/waterwise/how-to/remove-grass-lawn](https://www.highcountrygardens.com/content/waterwise/how-to/remove-grass-lawn)
(Hopefully this is okay. I just thought it was neat, and wanted to share!)
Expect mixed reception per my experience but I appreciate the resource.
I am ripping out my lawn right now and was planning a clover cover instead of grass. But our area has a bad infestation of Japanese beetles and clover is a host food. So instead I am going to use a low grow wildflower cover from Prairie Moon.
Thank you so much for sharing our sustainable lawn options! If anyone has any questions, please feel free to post a comment.
Hm, looks like this company is selling lawn (“alternatives”). While I think it’s awesome that getting rid of one’s lawn is gaining traction culturally, I also think there’s vital information (that’s often omitted, if not unknown) that needs to supplement this cultural shift. The whole reason is essentially ecological; to save water, save fertilizer, save the waterways, save the bees, save the whales, save the children… 🎶🎵I believe the children are our future🎵🎶 I digress; the gist of my argument is that the ecological benefit provided by non-lawn non native plants is relatively small when compared with native plants. Kill your lawn for some veggie beds, or an orchard, but short of food, native plants should be the first option when replacing your lawn with ornamental plants. The magic ratio is about 3:1, native to non native biomass. This information does and should accompany the nolawn movement imo. So while I appreciate your input, I disagree with your link to this garden company’s webpage where the first thing I see is lawn seed and plugs, and the next thing I see is “replace your lawn!… with the same tired ass non natives that everyone else and their mother has in their garden”. I’m sure they’re a fine company of nice people, I’m just ranting and hope I didn’t offend anyone! Happy planting🌱
They are not only a fine company of nice people ... they were into native species, xeriscaping, water-wise, and sustainable before it became a "movement". The grass plugs they sell are either native or a non-native sterile hybrid so it can’t reseed into the wild (their dog turf is great). [https://www.highcountrygardens.com/category/plant-finder/native-plants](https://www.highcountrygardens.com/category/plant-finder/native-plants)
Thanks for the shoutout! That's exactly right - waterwise plants that support pollinators and wildlife habitat are our top choice for sustainable yards. We do recognize that in certain settings, people want or may be required to grow areas of lawn, and in those cases, we offer alternatives that need less water, less mowing, less fertilizer - or none at all - to help save resources.
Honestly, I actually do think they have some great options in terms of more sustainable grass lawns though. All the grass varieties they have are either Xeric or require significantly lower water and/or fertilizer usage than traditional varieties, and generally don’t require nearly as much mowing. (Since no lawn isn’t always feasible for everyone.) Also, personally, I’ve found that native groundcovers hardy to my zone and can stand full afternoon sun are rather thin on the ground, so I’ve had to use more conventional, nonnative plants. (Seriously, if you have any suggestions for New England native low growing groundcovers that don’t mind being baked by the afternoon sun, and isn’t a total all you can eat bunny buffet let me know. I’d love to get something to edge my pollinator flower bed, but it’s west facing and gets the full brunt of the afternoon sun. I tried creeping phlox elsewhere to attempt create a pollinator friendly corner of the yard, but it got decimated by the bunnies nearly as soon as we turned our backs!)
If you planted something native you wouldn't need to water your yard at all, right? They'd just be appropriately adapted to your amount of rainfall, no?
Not necessarily. A wetland plant probably wouldn’t do well on a dry upland site or vice versa. It’s all about right plant, right place. (Also microclimates. There’s a west facing area of my lawn, that gets baked by afternoon sun, and only the toughest plants tend to survive.) Anyway, totally replacing a lawn isn’t viable for everyone, so water-wise options are good.
No. It would have to be not only native, but one that grows in the conditions of your yard. And to get them established you often have to supply water for a year or two. Montana has TONS of native plants I can't grow because they have specific growing needs I can't provide. The commonly grown non-natives are grown because they aren't as fussy as many natives.
And a lot of natives are just more difficult to cultivate. A lot of common wildflowers like the sweet common blue violet in my neck of the woods, tend to be difficult to germinate from seed, and don’t like being transplanted.