Re-thinking "green" space

Green comes in all forms: grasses, trees, woody and herbaceous plants, both native and/ or ornamental.
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Who is to say one can't substitute "native" plants into our home landscapes? This fits right in with Tallamy's thoughts in "Bringing Nature Home." That's a great book to curl up in front of the fireplace with on these cold winter days.



Sure, we enjoy the lawn that frames my gardens and natural areas. But I have a rather loose definition of lawn these days, which includes anything green that can be managed with regular mowings. I rarely fertilize - and that alone reduces the mowing! Long ago, I gave up the chemicals that kill everything but grass and beat lawns into a monoculture that can't harbor biodiversity.

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Look no further than the advertisements of the lawn companies to tell you the truth. They have no respect for nature; they cannot even be bothered to appreciate one of our best known butterflies and replicate it correctly. When did the Monarch grow blue and yellow swallowtails? After a blast of lawn chemicals? This mutant butterfly says it all.

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Chem-lawn may call themselves Tru-green, but there is nothing environmentally friendly about chemicals that can give your dog cancer, poison butterflies, and run-off into our watersheds. There is a reason they are required to put warning flags on lawns that have been sprayed.

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Some areas beg for a different treatment. If it is too shady to successfully grow grass, why not try moss instead? Moss gardens are gaining popularity, and there are many varieties of moss that will adapt to your shady areas. Check out this website- www.mossacres.com

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Consider a patch of prairie plants in your sunny areas!

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Tall grasses, native sunflowers, flowering mints, and cone flowers will attract hosts of birds and butterflies to your yard. Click on the "Natural Areas" link in the slide bar of this blog to get a complete listing of native Ohio plants.
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We discussed techniques for planting prairies during a recent Master Gardener class, and Guy Denny will be one of the speakers at Midwest Native Plant Conference (as well as a Flora-Quest guide), if you would like to learn more about Ohio Prairies.
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Nature's beauty is offered in many forms. And while a little lawn is an asset to your home and yard, there are other options as well. You'll attract more wildlife, and enjoy more butterflies when native plants dominate your landscape.