Lawn Gone

Used to be, my neighbours would cast dubious looks at my yard from their own expanses of green. Now, they’re asking me for advice.

This spring a ban on cosmetic use of herbicides, fungicides and insecticides came into effect. Their lawns are filling up with dandelions, while mine is dandelion-free.

The secret? Get rid of the lawn.

Dandelions love grass. Especially regularly-mown grass. They shoot their roots down and pop their yellow heads up. For every flower that’s mown down there are several more tough buds waiting to replace it. But they don’t thrive among the trees, bushes and ground covers that fill most of my yard.

For the past few years I’ve been gradually replacing my lawn. I focus on native species that do well in our climate and need little watering. Bushes are especially good for growing over spots where dandelions might take root. Two that I love are ninebark and serviceberry (also known as Saskatoonberry).

Ninebark has white flowers in summer and attractive brown seed pods in the fall. The roots of this plant take firm hold in any soil and spread underground. Sometimes they head back up to produce new bushes, which are easily transplanted. Dig up a section, cut off the roots, plop in another location and water once or twice. No fertilizer needed or wanted. I’ve never seen a transplant even droop. Just be ready to do some pruning if you want to keep it small.

The white flowers of serviceberry bloom in spring. In summer this bush produces purple berries which are loved by birds (and edible by humans if you get to them in time), and in fall the leaves turn a beautiful dark red.

Butterfly bush is a smaller and more delicate plant, covered with lilac-like flowers. True to its name, it’s loved by butterflies, so it’s best planted where it can be watched for visitors. Try to select the native species, as the cultivated variety seeds itself prolifically and can become an invasive nuisance.

A wide variety of other bushes are available from native plant nurseries. Select ones that are native to the area and once they’re established they will require nothing more than trimming.

Most gardeners don’t want their yard to look like a forest, so ground covers are an important component of a dandelion-free yard. Woolly thyme is an ideal “steppable” - it will stand up to moderate foot traffic. It spreads, but stays so low there is no need for mowing. The mosses, such as Scotch and Irish moss, are also suitable, but seem to need more care: regular watering and weeding. I haven’t had as much success with them. For a no-traffic area, there are many other choices. Sweet woodruff is one of my favourite. Snow-in-summer with its white flowers, and aubrieta with pretty purple spring blooms, are others.

I also accept help from nature. While dandelions are not my style, I welcome clover, as do the neighbourhood rabbits. It’s a great way to get some green in your yard - although it does require mowing. Rocks are another way of discouraging dandelions, and look great in combination with thyme and other low ground covers.

I still have to pull out the occasional dandelion, but only because I don’t want them. Without the grass, there’s no danger that they’ll take over. Once an alternative yard like mine is established, the major work involved is trimming overgrown bushes and pulling out exuberant spreading plants to keep things under control. A warning though. This can be difficult, because the greatest satisfaction comes from watching plants take root and thrive in rich diversity, where once there was nothing but grass.

Lorraine Johnson, Grow Wild

Lorraine Johnson, 100 Easy- to-Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens