Whether you are improving a lawn or planning a new one, the first step toward a care-free lawn is to assess your site. In all climates, lawn grasses grow best where there is a slight slope to facilitate drainage and where they receive at least a half day of sun.
A slight slope is built into most home landscapes, because one of the last steps in house construction is grading the area around the foundation so that rainwater will naturally flow away from the building. But if the grade of your yard is so steep that mowing is difficult, planting the area with any of the care-free, soil-retaining groundcovers listed at the end of this chapter is usually the best, least expensive solution. Another option is to build a low retaining wall that divides the slope into two or more manageable levels containing graded soil.
If shade from large trees confounds your efforts to grow a lush lawn, the first step is to prune off
low-hanging tree branches, removing all branches within 10-12 ft (3-3.7 m) of the ground. Even if this technique, called "limbing up." is insufficient to make the site bright enough for lawn grasses, it will at least make the area hospitable to shade-tolerant groundcovers.
If dense shade is inevitable, an alternative is to encourage moss. Moss grows naturally in moist, cool shade and can create an a velvety, green "lawn" that tolerates foot traffic. Moss can go dormant during dry spells, requiring no irrigation, and it springs back after the first rainfall. You may need to pull a few weeds, but moss requires no other maintenance.
Just don't jump to the conclusion that you should eliminate trees in order to have a better lawn. Instead, work out ways to help stately trees and shrubs grow in happy harmony with your lawn. This is not at all difficult and will result in a handsome landscape.
Designing a Care Free Lawn
Any time is a good time to design a care-free lawn. Begin by determining which parts of your yard do the best job of supporting turf grass. This is probably something you already know if you have lived in your home for more than a year, because good sites for grass are revealed each time you mow.
The next step is to determine how much lawn you actually need. Compared to other landscape plants, such as shrubs or groundcovers, thirsty and fertilizer-hungry lawns are a high-maintenance way to cover soil, and it's easy to end up with much more lawn than your landscape requires. If sections of turf grass are not performing one of the functions listed below, move on to the care-free strategies suggested in this chapter for lawn alternatives.
Front Yard Fundamentals
There is no reason to keep up a huge front lawn devoted solely to grass. Consider growing just enough grass, or a combination of lawn and groundcover, to fulfill the following three needs.
1. Opening the Entry
Lawn areas that adjoin narrow front walkways magically make the area seem wide and spacious. Sections of grass planted near entryways also impart a neat, manicured appearance that frames the house.
2. Enlarging Small Spaces
If your front yard is small, a flowing swath of grass will make it seem larger. Even a very small area devoted to lawn can pull off this trick, which also has the happy effect of making a small house appear larger.
3. Framing Foundation Shrubs
The ornamental plants growing around the foundation of your house will appear more interesting when the foreground is paved with the fine, even texture of lawn grass. For maximum visual impact, you can add an edging or a mowing strip to create a tailored dividing line between lawn areas and mulched beds of trees, shrubs, and flowering plants.
Backyard Basics
The backyard is naturally a more private, personal area of the landscape than the outward-facing front lawn. So understandably, your backyard lawn should make it easier to pursue the things you enjoy doing outdoors, but just like the front yard, it is an important visual element that enhances your home.
Expanding Activity Space
Lawns that adjoin patios and decks enlarge the area available for outdoor dining, entertaining, and relaxing. If you have active children, a long, narrow lawn provides better running space than a small square.
Softening the Hardscape
If your backyard is heavy on hard surfaces, such as a deck, patio, walkway, or paved drive, use a patch of grass to create a soft, inviting green counterpoint.
Opening the Vista
Lawns make even cramped yards feel more spacious by visually separating flower or shrub borders, vegetable gardens, or wooded areas from the house.
Linking Diverse Areas
For backyards that are busy with a variety of features, such as a terrace, freestanding planting beds, a sitting area, and foundation plantings, a lawn can link the different spaces and create visual unity.
Flattering Focal Points
Special landscape features, such as a fountain or pool, pergola, or beautiful specimen tree, can be framed with grass to make them more prominent. A focal point should be easily seen, and there's no better way to clear the view than with a low, flat carpet of grass.
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