One homeowner's thoughtful yard redesign won Reddit's approval while saving the owner money.
Many Americans don't think about how much time and money they spend maintaining a lawn, but it's a lot. Turf grass needs thousands of gallons of water yearly, plus all those hours spent mowing — all for a plant that provides no food or shelter to people or wildlife and isn't even colorful.
That's why many people are joining the anti-lawn movement and choosing alternatives for their yards. And this Redditor is one of them.
"Our city offers an incentive to remove turf lawns and provides design resources and reimbursement for plant material," they explained in a comment. "Over the last two growing seasons, we sheet mulched over the existing lawn and used all native plants in our design."
Their "before" photo shows an ordinary lawn with two rosebushes at the edge. The grass had several irregular bald patches and ragged edges.
In the "after" image, the yard was divided into tidy, defined beds filled in with mulch and dotted with plants. The rosebushes remained, now looking more at home alongside other bushes and even a small tree, with a few small boulders for accents.
On one side of the yard, there is a small circle of new, much healthier green grass. "The turf you see in the circle is Dog Tuff grass planted from plugs," the original poster explained.
In another comment, they added, "The turf was not a requirement in the design from the city, but we wanted it to give our dog a place in the front yard. Part of the reason we chose Dog Tuff grass is that it doesn't require mowing and only grows about 2.5-4 inches tall in gentle mounds."
Another option for low-growing, low-maintenance, green ground cover is a clover lawn.
"That's awesome," said one commenter. "What city? I wonder if there's anything like that in mine."
The original poster replied that they live in Aurora, Colorado, and said, "There are several cities in Colorado that have similar programs."
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
