Replacing more (lawn) with less (maintenance)

Some places were never meant to be lawn. And some problems might be opportunities in disguise. To look it another way (which is what garden coaches do), some places have too much character to waste on greensward. In this hilly part of the world, putting lawn everywhere that isn’t a planted bed by default leaves some pretty iffy if not downright dangerous places to mow. Over the years, Doc Simont and Lisa Lansing of Cornwall have simplified earlier fussy landscaping to enhance their property’s rugged New England grace and long views. They want to simplify more, to reduce maintenance. Their house site, cut into a steep mountainside, has a narrow strip of lawn that’s like another room of the house, above a wiggly stone retaining wall. Below the wall lies a treacherous boulder-strewn shoulder and incline planted in lawn, below which is a field. From above, the modest–sized lower lawn, rocky as it is, appears to be continuous with the skinny upper one, giving just the right proportions.But that lower lawn is so steep, tight and rocky that nobody wants to mow it. I first thought it should just all be field, since that lower lawn isn’t really used for anything. Mowed paths through long grass could focus the view and make a birdwatching route. But Doc says bugs are bad when grass gets long near the house. He wants lawn.The shoulder just below the stone wall is the most treacherous, but it’s invisible from above. So we’re thinking it might be a good place to start replacing lawn with lower-maintenance plants (short, so they don’t block the view) a little at a time and see how it works. Or the lawn could be sown with a special mix of short grasses that don’t need mowing.Before planting anew, whatever is growing there has to be removed. Toxic chemical herbicides aren’t environmentally justifiable, but there are a couple organic ways to eliminate vegetation. One is to simply smother with newspapers or cardboard, topped by compost and woodchips and just plant into it when all has decomposed. Or vegetation can be killed by solarizing the soil. To solarize, mow short, water well and cover the area with black plastic weighted by rocks and let the sun cook plants below. Organic vinegar-based herbicides are an alternative, but they’re nasty and often require multiple applications.So what to plant? Plant what wants to be there. Densely colonizing hay-scented ferns are one good choice. But to me, acidic soil in blazing sun, with runoff from above cries out for a low-maintenance groundcover of tasty lowbush blueberries, low enough to maintain the illusion of sweeping lawn from above, full of tasty treats below. Karen Bussolini is an eco-friendly garden coach, a NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professional . She can be reached at www.kbgarden@charter.net or 860-927-4122.© Karen Bussolini 2011 All Rights Reserved