Fall is an excellent time to prepare your garden for the next growth season. Working outside i generally less exhausting when the weather cools, and some of your yard’s late-blooming plants provide a terrific opportunity to observe many birds and butterflies up close. Cutting Edge provides its services of gardening and Leveling Downriver MI to its highly prestigious customers.
Here are five suggestions for transforming your lawn into a landscape that is better for wildlife and the ecosystems we all rely on:
Each Season, Add One New Garden Bed.
It’s easy to be intimidated by the prospect of replacing your lawn, especially if it’s a huge one. It’s fine if your lawn isn’t conquered in a day, just like Rome wasn’t conquered in a day. Making it a goal to add one additional garden bed each season is a smart way to break up the labor. Remove the grass and replace it with decorative native plants, and your yard will transform into a lush sanctuary brimming with vitality.
Pay Special Attention to Wildflowers and Plants
One of the most persuasive reasons in favor of lawns is that they give our front yards a neat, tidy appearance. Many people are concerned that removing their lawns may lower their property values or enrage their neighbors. Focus on replacing lawn with native wildflowers and shrubs that have beautiful blooms and bright berries to prevent both issues. You’ll not only help birds, butterflies, and other wildlife, but your yard will also appear like it came straight out of Better Homes and Gardens.
Allow your Lawn to be Varied
“Weed” is a vague topic that simply refers to a plant growing in an area where we humans do not want it to grow. The original European lawns were brimming with a variety of flora (and mown by sheep and other grazing animals to boot). We’ve established a militant aesthetic for total and uncompromising monoculture lawns in America, partly fed by the lawn chemical industry. Allowing so-called “weeds” like clover or–yes–dandelions to coexist with grass will increase diversity, wildlife habitat, and even soil fertilization. You’ll also save time and money by not having to spread dangerous herbicides.
Eliminate the Use of Chemicals
One of the reasons lawns are ecological dead zones is that we spray them with tons of chemicals every year. Chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides all destroy biodiversity in the area and contaminate the soil. They can run off into local waterways if over-applied. If you must use chemicals, choose organic products; but, if you focus on lowering the area of your lawn and adding more native plants, you will have less need for chemicals.
