GARDENING MOW DOWN
In her latest project, Leigh Bramwell is replacing the lawn and selling the mower
ABOUT THIS TIME every year, The Landscaper and I have a discussion called ‘What To Do About The Terrace Lawns'.
The terrace lawns are two small (about 4 metres square) areas in front of the house, bordered by gardens on three sides and by a paved patio on the fourth, and bisected by a paved path. It's our main outdoor entertaining area so we like it to be inviting. Sadly, at the moment, and at the end of every summer, it isn't.
It suffers from a number of issues. One is that the soil is poor. Another is the hot, droughty summers and our inability to keep it sufficiently watered. The grass seed we chose isn't ideal either, and weeds and dog pee are other problems.
Every year during February and March, we talk about digging it up and replacing the soil, replanting with kikuyu which is expensive but hardy, and vowing to water relentlessly through summer and autumn. Then we have another glass of wine and talk about artificial turf.
Finally, we have made a plan. We are going to euthanase the lawn and replace it with some planting, some permeable paving and some artificial turf. I am loving the idea.
I'd like to be able to say that this decision is driven by ecoprinciples, but it isn't, although I am pleased it will benefit the environment in some very small way. If you need a better reason than aesthetics for losing some of your lawn, there are plenty.
For example, you know that lovely 'fresh cut lawn' smell that heralds the onset of spring and summer? It's not lovely at all. It's produced by cut grass giving off chemical compounds that interact with other air pollutants and worsen smog over cities.
Who would have thought?
Equally naughty are lawnmower emissions which could be responsible for between 5 and 10 per cent of engine pollution in urban environments, according to an American study.
And then there are the consequences of fertiliser and pesticide use, weed control, watering, and mowing. To get a perfect lawn – and who doesn't want one — you need to water it, which is a waste of resources, you need to fertilise it, which is a pollutant, and you need to use fungicides and herbicides and insecticides. And then, once you've delivered everything the lawn needs to grow thick and lush and green, you have to cut it. How silly is that?
And the last two nails in the coffin? The price of petrol, and the noise people make with their lawn mowers when non-lawny people are trying to enjoy a glass of wine and a nap on a Sunday afternoon.
Our lawn revamp is going to be simple. A third of the lawn will be transformed into curvefronted gardens down each side planted with three Acacia ‘Limelight' shrubs, three dracaenas and a couple of sculptural rocks. We will use white stones or lime chip as a ground cover. If we feel the need for more green, some miniature lomandra grasses interspersed with zephyranthes are on the list. The remainder will be artificial turf. Job done.
Our lawn substitute will be relatively orderly and minimalist but that's not the only option. If you love colour and a bit of disorder, establishing a miniature meadow as a border or boundary area is another effective way to reduce lawn, and it'll attract birds and butterflies. Native plants like hebe, native violet, dianella, banksia and non-natives such as buddleia, Black Eyed Susan,
From left, in this stylish garden, the small lawn plays a supporting role to the paved pergola, and mowing is minimal; you can smell it and walk on it – creeping thyme is a lovely lawn substitute and bees think so too.
cornflower, goldenrod, marigold, dianthus and zinnia should have you inundated.
If you want an area that's lawnlike in-so-far as you can walk on it, but it won't require mowing or other tiresome practices, there are foot-friendly groundcovers that compete well with weeds and stay relatively short without mowing.
Creeping thyme is one that's mildly scented, attracts bees and can be used in cooking like regular thyme. It's a great wee ground cover and extremely resilient. Not only that, but it's evidently deer resistant. Good to know.
Selliera radicans has an almost fleshy bright green leaf with a tiny white flower. It has a great reputation as a no-mow lawn plant and it's perfect for small spaces. Sell the lawnmower.
There's a dwarf form of Chamomile that can be grown as a ground cover, and it releases a scent as you walk on it. Yum. Plant it where it will be walked on, such as around garden seats, and then spent your mow-free afternoons sitting there, reading The Camomile Lawn, by Mary Wesley.