Alternatives to Mowing the Lawn

There are many alternatives to mowing the lawn.

A well-groomed lawn is attractive to look at but also requires plenty of work to get it that way. If you do not enjoy mowing your lawn every week, there are many alternatives that do not involve just letting the lawn grow out of control. After planting a ground cover, building a large garden or installing a patio, you'll no longer have to mow the lawn.

Ground Cover

Lawn grass grows quickly, but planting a ground cover to take the place of grass will give you a luscious, green yard without the hassle of mowing it. Typical ground covers include clover and dogwood, but there are many options available at garden centers. These ground covers are cheap to plant, require little to no maintenance and are soft underfoot, just like grass. They don't grow in a way that necessitates cutting; instead, they stay at a height of 2 to 6 inches. To passersby, your yard will be green enough to look like it's grass. And best of all, clover stays green throughout the growing season, even when grass turns yellow and brown.

Garden

A large flower or vegetable garden might not work in your front lawn, but it can be a perfect backyard project for yards of all sizes. If you've got a small, fenced backyard, you can tear up all the sod and turn the entire yard into a garden. Put interlock bricks or even flat stones throughout the garden to allow you to easily navigate it for watering, weeding and picking, and plant the vegetables and flowers you enjoy eating and admiring.

Patio

Covering your entire yard in interlock brick is an expensive alternative to mowing the lawn, but, if done correctly, it can have plenty of visual appeal. Don't simply make the yard into a plain patio; add benches, fountains, ponds and statues or other structures to give yourself a tranquil backyard environment that requires little maintenance once it's finished. Stores that carry patio-building supplies often have books of different patio looks to give customers ideas. Take the time to browse through these books, as well as search online, to find the ideal backyard look for you.

Pond

If you have a small yard, you may be able to install a large pond that takes up much of the yard. Once you add patio stones or ground cover around the pond, you'll no longer have to mow the lawn. A backyard pond full of colorful fish can be a relaxing place to sit near, and adding lily pads and other aquatic life can create a unique backyard oasis. Even after you've gone to the effort of installing the pond, regular maintenance is time consuming. As such, don't install a pond if the only thing you don't like about mowing the lawn is the time investment.

References

• Earth Easy: Lawn Alternatives
• Green Your: Plant a "Low-Mow" Grass or Lawn Alternative

Resources

• The Organic Gardener: Growing Lawns