social

Replacing Lawn with Plants?

Q: I want to replace a lot of my lawn with plants. Any advice would be helpful. Does anyone have suggestions of what is good to plant for low care and low water usage?
Advertisement

Della from Oregon

A: Della,

A great way to replace your yard with low maintenance, drought tolerant plants is to select from plants that are native to your area. In general, native plants will be more resistant to disease, more tolerant of the conditions associated with Oregon's dry summers, and more attractive and beneficial to area wildlife. You have a wide variety of ornamental shrubs and native perennials (for both sun and shade) to select from for your area. You should be able to find a list of trees, shrubs and plants that are native to your area by contacting the horticulture department or extension agency at Oregon State University. Plants originating from the Mediterranean, central Asia or the western U.S. are usually also suitable for conditions in your climate.

About The Author: Ellen Brown is our Green Living and Gardening Expert. Click here to ask Ellen a question! Ellen Brown is an environmental writer and photographer and the owner of Sustainable Media, an environmental media company that specializes in helping businesses and organizations promote eco-friendly products and services. Contact her on the web at http://www.sustainable-media.com

Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!

 
April 8, 20020 found this helpful

Della, as a fellow Oregonian, your best bet is to phone your County Extension Service and have a chat with a Master Gardner. These people are very knowledgeable. I think what you are looking for are ground covers. Please take into consideration that some plants grow really well in your part of the state that probably wouldn't anywhere else, so you really need to talk to an expert in your area.

Advertisement


Betty in Oregon

 
Anonymous
April 8, 20020 found this helpful

One thing to keep in mind when replacing lawns with groundcovers is that very few will handle compaction very well. That is, they don't like to be walked on at all. So, if you still want to use the garden to walk in etc, you may either want to switch to a low-growing grass or at least put in some
pathways to give you access to the rest of the garden.

For sunny areas:

Creeping Thyme
White Clover
Red Clover

For shaded areas:

Pachysandra terminalis (Japanese spurge)
Vinca
Cranesbill geranium
Lilly of the Valley
Moss

- Arzeena

 
Anonymous
April 8, 20020 found this helpful

You might try covering the lawn with black plastic then covering with a 2 inch layer of bark. This will keep the grass from growing and still give you something to walk on.

Advertisement


- Mary C.

 

Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!

 
In These Pages
Categories
Home and Garden Gardening LawnApril 3, 2002
Pages
More
💘
Valentine's Ideas!
🍀
St. Patrick's Ideas!
🎂
Birthday Ideas!
Facebook
Pinterest
YouTube
Instagram
Categories
Better LivingBudget & FinanceBusiness and LegalComputersConsumer AdviceCoronavirusCraftsEducationEntertainmentFood and RecipesHealth & BeautyHolidays and PartiesHome and GardenMake Your OwnOrganizingParentingPetsPhotosTravel and RecreationWeddings
Published by ThriftyFun.
Desktop Page | View Mobile
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
Generated 2024-01-19 12:42:52 in 3 secs. ⛅️️
© 1997-2024 by Cumuli, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
https://www.thriftyfun.com/tf001302.tip.html