Your lawn to garden ratio?

Havin to mow close to three acres, I shore wish more of my lawn was in gardens! Been tryin to decrease lawn and increase gardens for some time now!

I garden more than 2 acres, and of that area there are two 250 or less square feet area of lawn and one lawn path that almost connects the two areas. At my other place there was enough lawn for a riding lawnmower, and when i moved 8 years ago I said to myself that's enough of that and sold my riding lawnmower. Never been sorry. Donna

I've got way more than half lawn, but I'm working on it! The goal is no lawn at all in the back, and just a small lawn in the front. It's gonna take a while, but I'll get there.

Cheri'

Hello, I am new at this. This is my first time with Dave's Garden. I think I am going to like it very much. Just visited my daughter in N. Carolina. She loves plants too. Going to tell her about Dave's Garden. We traded plants and I brought some of them home. Took her an orchid called "Cattlelia" She is going to love it if she can get it to bloom. It is a real show stopper. Sincerely Judy

I've got 4 acres and started with a bare former pasture.Every plant,shrub,tree and twig has been planted by me.

I still mow nearly 3 acres,but am making headway.

I have a problem with wind if things are planted in the middle, so the middle is lawn, but I wish I did not have a western exposer, a southern exposure would be ideal. Also I found that I would hurt smaller plants by dragging the hose over them in the middle. Larger plants are subject to wind deformity or just becoming unrooted. I lost two abutilons by wind, they were not even in the middle.

I used to have mostly lawn. I got sick of paying the water bill (~$150/month for ~1/4 acre and only two people). I've been tearing up turf and adding native plants in the yard. It's made a huge difference in the wildlife in the yard. I can't believe how many dragonflies I have in the back yard, and I'm starting to see more butterflies in the back now too with the added shrubs and flowers :) The water bill is lower, too (only ~$65 now)

Our backyard is mostly native hardwood trees, so grass is almost impossible -- except for a thin strip along one edge and immediately behind the house. Various shade-loving groundcovers grow among the trees, with shade-loving wildflowers and other shade-loving plants to make woodland gardens at various places.

The front yard is about half grass, half garden, with plans to eliminate even more of the grass. My personal goal is to eliminate all grass lawn within another 3 years -- no more lawn mower! And no more dead-looking lawn for 8 months in the year.

The backyard is all garden. The front yard is mostly lawn with a side section of garden and also across the front of the porch.

I have found English Ivy to be far superior to grass in shady wooded areas. Once established, it needs no watering, fertilizing, or mowing. I just clip the edges twice a year and enjoy the green year round. (Be forewarned however, that it will overtake any perennials in the area and it will be almost impossible to rescue or divide them later on. It also races up the trees which I enjoy, but you might not.) The "lawn" I have is just mowed native plants between gardens. I much prefer a diversity of plantlife to the monotony of all grass, and I hate the sound and exhaust of our old LawnBoy. As you might guess, I live in a very rural area and can manage my yard as I please. This picture shows a combination of Vinca minor, Hedera helix, and Adiuntum pedatum which have been growing happily together for many years now.

This message was edited Monday, Jul 21st 8:19 AM

Although I voted less than 1/2 garden, I'm working towards the other extreme!

LimeyLisa Kay

I have about half and half, although the majority of the grass in the the front of my house. We live in an old established neighborhood, with traditional "Williamsburg" colonial houses. Most of the front yards in the neighborhood have only grass, boxwood hedges, and a few flowering shrubs( Azalea) and Dogwood. The back of my Yard in more garden than grass. Next year I'll begin renovation of the front. I'll be aiming for a "traditional" Colonial garden.

I'm also working on cutting our yard in half (or more!) so we don't have to mow as much. I am planting almost all natives, and my local Soil Conservation District has been a great source of native plants, shrubs and trees--and advice! Also, I've gotten a huge amount of info on creating a "backyard wildlife habitat" from National Wildlife Federation. The great thing about planting natives, besides from the basic idea of planting only what belongs, is that I am pretty opposed to watering, and this way, I hardly ever have to water, the plants grow extremely well, and with the right preparation, they take much less time and energy (besides weeding--which I am learning to love!) I'm making pretty good progress. We've really enjoyed the gardens this year and I can't wait to add more plants this fall.

Nixed the lawn. Gotta have fruits and veggies and herbs. I have some volunteer dicrondra that grows in amongst the flowers and vines. I can't see wasting my time and water on a lawn. If we had kids, then sure, I would have a lawn. But I am mostly growing our food and herbs. Now, would love to have some livestock to add to the mix, but alas, no room. LOL!!

I have about 1/4 garden and 3/4 grass right now. But I have only been here for about 3 months so far...I figure it will be about 50/50 by the end of next spring.

We bought a used place that was fully weeds so we mow the weeds here like they were grass. When the drought is over with I will poison the weeds and plant some areas of drought tolerant fescue grass and the rest will be either native vegetation or shade gardens with a little bit of sun garden thrown in for good measure. Right now just letting the new trees grow up.

even better than lawns... even better than ivy....

I bring you!!!
Landscape fabric.

I have entirely too much grass, it's alot of bermuda grass, makes gardening quite tiresome.

drew

We have 5 acres, so I voted mostly grass. But, I have to clarify that, because it's a mixture of grass/weeds. I'm working on building beds around the house and will plant some decent grass around the house this fall. The other 4 acres I have been working on every year by throwing out tons of grass seed each year. It's working, but slowly. I just can't imagine what a mess I would have if I tried to redo the entire 5 acres to get rid of the weeds and have nice grass. My method is working and it's slowly getting better.

I'm on 1.25 acres here with the backyard mostly dirt (after they installed the new septic system). I'm planning some natural grasses back there so I don't have to mow. I'll attend a meeting of "Wild Ones" Central Wisconsin chapter "Plant ID" meeting tomorrow night & a "yard tour" on Saturday. I hope to get info on what to do with this area so I don't have to mow.

I voted "other" - 4 acres woodland, 1 acre cleared - perhaps 50/50 on mowable field (never let it be called "lawn") - and persistently reducing that field to lasagna type beds w/ ornamental grasses. Forget food crops - the deer are keen competitors - a few tomatoes is enough - if carefully caged for protection.

Had to vote mostly grass, but hoping to slowly get to garden with a pond. Have old bathtub 3/4 buried in the front yard by porch and have driping hose going in there. Works great to keep ground moist. Plan to add four more tubs end to end in front of house. Can plant several different varieties of plants without fear of them migrating. Have lived in an appartment for 15 years and having a ball working on the yard and house doing what I want to do, any time I want to do it. (Plaese take me for what I mean and not how I spell it, my spelling is atrocious).

This message was edited Friday, Jul 25th 12:10 PM

My property is very steep with just a place bulldozed out for the driveway and the house. I have a rock garden on one side of the driveway and down below the house, a rock wall-retained pond, patio and 2 waterfalls. A lot of my lot is just hardwoods and rhoderdendrons and mountain Laurel. I have cleaned off the underbrush and myriad of saplings and added a few shade-loving perennials.
The current plan is to terrace some of the remaining areas and plant raspberries in the only sunny area we have and maybe a mimosa and a few other shrubs and perennials.

This is funny, gardeners minds thinking alike, less lawn cutting. I keep telling my husband we're not getting any younger, wouldn't you rather be looking at something that brings such pleasure to the eye then here goes another couple hours until next week! He's definitely coming around, he's gone to the other neighbors around the corner and he'll come home and say, OH the garden looks so nice from the next block, he's so proud and we've just begun! Denise

This message was edited Saturday, Jul 26th 9:27 AM

We have replaced all our garden spot for vegetables with flowers and are making more flower beds all the time. We want enough grass for the dogs, but not too much to mow. We are getting old, you know!

Each year my garden gets bigger and the grass get smaller. I don't know how that's going to go over with the landlord but I can't seem to stop my self.