Make Your Lawn Naturally Beautiful
(Page 3 of 4)
September 8, 2008
By Megan Phelps
- Dandelions and purslane are two common “weeds” that some people deliberately plant in their gardens as food crops.
- Some weeds have medicinal value including plantain, stinging nettle and yellow dock.
- Other weeds may actually make your lawn or garden healthier. Dandelions are a good nectar source for many beneficial insects. So is clover, which is also recommended in this article as a cover crop that adds nitrogen to your soil.
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4. Consider reducing the amount of grass in your yard.
It may sound radical, but do you need or want as much lawn as you have? Here are two popular alternatives to traditional turf:
- Lose the lawn and try xeriscaping. This term means landscaping to reduce water use, and it can make a lot of sense in drier climates where a lawn simply isn’t practical. Xeriscaping techniques may include using more decorative rock in your yard, or focusing on a few drought-tolerant plants. Check out this recent article about a Colorado couple for one example of a yard redesigned for a dry climate.
- Put in less grass, more edible plants. Why not give your garden room to expand? You can grow a lot of food in the typical front and back yard. Click here to learn more about a campaign to get the next U.S. President to show support for homegrown food by planting a food garden on the White House lawn. Another option to consider is edible landscaping, the idea of choosing decorative plants that also produce food crops, such as strawberry plants and apple trees.
