Hey everyone! I'm looking to transition away from our traditional lawn and make it…just less lawn, but replace it with eco friendly pollinator plants, native grasses, etc really open to ideas. Just curious if anyone has any solid tips on best practices/locations to put plants and what not. Attached is a picture of our front lawn. The side walk and street area get the most light. Thanks in advance!
by raid34life
4 Comments
With that amount of lawn id take it a section at a time but im a one woman show.
Either way you have the room to do some pretty expansive designs!
What’s youre general area?
There’s sort of 3 ways to go about it. 1. Manually remove the sod (by shovel or rent a sod remover), or 2. mow as low as you can and cover with a clear tarp (solarizing) or black tarp – and keep it covered for 4-5 weeks, then remove 2 weeks and repeat. Also, cardboard or chip drop. Good luck!
Tallest plants furthest north so shorter plants don’t get shaded out…assuming you’re in the northern hemisphere. I tackled my front yard in chunks…two triangular beds in the corners furthest from the house. Don’t plant anything that’s gonna get too tall adjacent to the driveway (visibility safety when backing out).
If your adjacent neighbors have a lawn “service” applying chemicals, plantings in that “mailbox” strip could be at risk. Just be aware that overspraying and/or broadcast spreaders could threaten plants in that area. Maybe not with the current owners. But if they move… It’s not a reason to not plant there. Just sayin.
I planted some traditional stuff in with the natives to appease the narrow-minded/traditionalist passersby…Cosmos, daylilies, iris, for example.
Love that you’re thinking about moving away from a standard lawn and going with natives and pollinator-friendly plants
Since your front yard gets good sun by the street, that’s the perfect spot for layered beds with flowering perennials, ornamental grasses, and low shrubs. You can keep some open green space while filling the edges with color and texture. Hope these ideas inspire you [https://app.neighborbrite.com/s/a0BhwU0nGp4](https://app.neighborbrite.com/s/a0BhwU0nGp4)