While a lush green lawn typifies the suburban ideal, the time and money not to mention the ecological cost of maintaining a lawn has led many homeowners to replace at least part of their lawn with other forms of landscaping, which can be just as beautiful.

While you may be decreasing the size of your lawn, in this case less is more more colors and textures, more areas for recreation and entertaining, and more wildlife habitat.

- Plant a hedge. The least-used parts of your lawn are most likely on the edge of your property. Create privacy and visual interest by planting a “tapestry hedge” with mixed shrubs.
- Build a pond, patio, or island bed in the center of your lawn. Create a visual focal point, a place for entertaining, or a habitat for attracting wildlife.
- Create a tree island. If you have one or more trees in the middle of your yard, chances are the grass that grows underneath isn’t that healthy. Why not plant ground cover, perennials, or woodland plants under your tree instead.
- Devote part of your yard to wildflowers, drought-tolerant grasses, and other native plantings. Practice xeriscaping using plants to replace part of your water-hungry lawn.
- Plant a ground cover to replace some of your lawn. Ground covers are great on slopes, in shaded areas under trees, and in the front yard where a lawn is less apt to be used for recreational purposes.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 at 8:27 am and is filed under Lawn Care Tips, Lawn Care Tools, Gardening Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.