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Thinking about growing LESS grass this season?

Folks, turf grass is not the enemy.  Shocking I know, since every eco-gardener these days says grass is public enemy number one….but it’s all about perspective.  Swearingen Perennial bed (small)

It’s best to think of turf as a ground cover plant that holds the soil in place and makes a great place to play & roll around.  But like anything, too much of a good thing can be bad.  Acres of maintained and irrigated turf is a monoculture and doesn’t supply a diversity of food for pollinators, insects, birds, or animals.  Conventionally grown turf also means there is a heavy synthetic chemical burden to the local soil ecology and area watersheds (think run-off from chemical fertilizers and herbicide applications).  So that bad rap is true.  Bad, bad grass.

In Colorado however, we do have several drought tolerant turf choices that are way more reasonable then Kentucky bluegrass with water demands.  And with an organic lawn care protocol and best cultural practices, it is possible to maintain a healthy span of grass and not feel ‘guilty’.  Good grass, not such a bully after all.  But what if your yard has more turf than anything else?

On the home front, it is possible to convert some of your turf square footage over to more plant diversity. By doing this, you’ll be providing more nutrition to a larger range of critters, both above and beneath the soil.  You might even grow some food for yourself and family.   But just ripping out the grass and planting water loving plants is not the best way to go about it!

Learn how you can transform your lawn into a beautiful xeriscape garden from one of Boulder County’s most sought after landscapers, Bill Melvin, owner of Ecoscape Environmental Design. This seminar is sponsored by the Center for Resource Conservation, and will take place on April 5 at the Lafayette Library, 5:30 to 7:30pm. See more class details and register here.

There, now you can have your turf and eat it too!