You may want grass as far as the eye can see, but if you employ a few smart tricks from tried-and-true landscaping designs, your lawn maintenance will be a lot easier. Here are three small spots where skipping the grass can make a world of difference.
- Don't plant grass all the way to the fence or wall. If you leave a small strip of mulch right next to the wall or fence instead, you'll be able to trim the grass with your mower alone--no extra time with the edger required.
- Plant ground cover instead of grass on steep slopes. Steep slopes are trouble for grass. Planting grass seed on a slope is tough (seed may slide down the hill). Ditto for fertilizing lawns on a steep hill (again, fertilizer slides down the hill). And pushing a mower up and down a steep hill? That's both hard and potentially dangerous. Planting a ground cover on those inclines, instead, saves you all that trouble and can be more visually-interesting.
- Mulch around objects. Instead of planting grass all the way up to the base of the tree or all the way around the mailbox or flagpole, leave a circle of mulch or ground cover instead. It's easier for mowing, and for fertilizing lawns or weed control it's nice to have a buffer between the lawn and trees.
Landscaping designs like these can be both attractive and practical. From minutes saved fertilizing lawns to minutes saved mowing, a little less grass can translate into a lot more time for you.
