What is no mow Landscaping?
No Mow Landscaping is the long awaited alternative to those expensive, high maintainace grass yards. Simply put its Landscaping that removes grass lawns, and the need to mow and maintain something that has absolutly no benefit to you! Without grass theres no need to buy a lawn mower for a couple hundred dollars, no need to buy gas and oil for that mower (or batteries if you use electric), no need for excessive fertilizer and watering. Simply put, No Mow is the investment that saves you time and money!
Types of No Mow Landscapes
Theres lots of differnt options when it comes to No Mow landscaping. I'll list and describe a few options below, but it's important to know that designing a No Mow landscape is a very customizable experience. Don't think of any of these techniques as hard rules, but more as a guidline.
Back to Eden Garden Method
Back to Eden Gardening is a form of permaculture gardening. Permaculture is a whole subject I'll be writing about in later blog posts, so stay tuned! To put it simply, Back to Eden emphasises the use of mulch to cover the soil. In Nature there is no exposed soil. Organic matter always covers soil, or weeds and invase plants will start to grow. There are many ways of covering the soil. The most cost effective and best option for large areas would be natural woodchips. For use in a vegtabe garden I would recomend using compost, straw, or mulched leaves.
Food Forests
A food forest is another perma culture technique. This one is more involed with the selection of plants. This will emphasise growing fruit trees, berries, herbs, and edible flowers. The idea is that after you lay down a foundation of woodchips, you fill in the space with edible plants, that compliment eachother well, to create a forest of food in your backyard!
Native WildFlower Flower Beds
This is one of the best low maintainace options out there! Almost a set it and forget it landscape. After laying down wood chips, we mark out where the beds need to be and build a good soil foundation to plant in. Plant selection is extreamly important with this technique. You only want to use Flowers native to your area as these will grow the best with the least need for additional inputs. The second most important consideration to make is, the amount of sunlight that the area you're planting gets. Third you need to consider what plants grow well together and what kind of spacing they need. Lastly You want to know if you're planting Perennieals or if you'll be replanting annuals every year.
Native Trees and Shrubs
Native trees and shrubs are a great option for large areas. My advice is to be very careful where you plant, and how far you space plants. Trees reach massive sizes, Maples can grow from 20- 160 feet tall and wide, with root systems that have a similar reach. Tree roots are known to clog drains, and grow straight through house foundations. I Never recomend planting a tree within 100 feet of your house (with the exeception of dwarf fruit trees), and shrubs should be kept at least 10-20 feet away depending on the species. With all that said. If you have the space to grow a tree and have the right one there are many benifits for your and the local wildife. Trees provide much needed shade in the hot summer months. Most outdoor areas would be nearly unuseable during the day without the shade of a tree.
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