I write about gardens for a living. My husband is a professional gardener. You’d be forgiven for thinking we have a neat, striped, barefoot friendly one lawn; Unfortunately, it’s actually a busman’s holiday, so we’ve finally decided enough is enough.
Yes, I admit our lawn has always been…ambitious at best. A patch of land that each year, we try to use into something that looks like a decent garden feature. Best lawn care tipsOnly for him to quietly return to what he clearly wants to be: the same swamp of sadness that swallowed poor Artax. The Neverending Story.
We live on clay-heavy soil, which means water stays. Add to that a rescue Mongrel who is mostly a greyhound – all speed, legs and restless energy – and his favorite activity is running, full tilt, from the back door to the edge of the garden and back again. In winter, without fail, he carves the same path over and over until the grass leaves, no matter what. Lawn Care Calendar We are subject to it. And that’s all supervision We can afford.
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Bye bye lawn, hello borders!
Over the years, the goal has been to “sort out the lawn.” Reseed itRepair it and try again, as persistence alone can eventually override soil type, weather patterns, and an overzealous dog.
It makes sense, then, that my husband (who has worked on more than a few RHS show gardens, so I clearly trust him) has put enough effort into fixing something that clearly doesn’t want to be fixed. Its controversial solution? Expand Garden borders And get rid of most lawns.
Yes, instead of forcing grass to grow where it’s not wanted, we’re expanding it the bedReshaping the space, and carving out a winding path that leads you into the garden rather than standing at its edge.
(Image credit: Future plc / Sophie King)
Part of this is, admittedly, strategic; We hope it can slow down the dog, or at least disrupt its normal racetrack. But we think it also represents a shift in how the garden should work.
We have already started Planning of plantingThat’s where things get interesting. The garden is divided into two very different personalities – one side is in deep shade for most of the day, while the other sits in full sun all summer, unseasonably.
(Image credit: Future plc / Sophie King)
Since we talked about this plan, the sunny side has, somewhat unexpectedly, become Vegetation patch. My husband has filled it with peas, raspberries, blackberries, StrawberriesBroad beans and lettuce (mostly when I wasn’t paying attention), and now we have a place where you can wander and pick things up instead of just looking.
The rest of the garden? Well, that’s where we plan to totally lean into something softer, wilder, and more Wildlife– Friendly.
Our dream planting plan:
beautiful flowers And Delicious? You best believe these are going in.
Crocus
Snail-resistant plant combination for shed
Something for the shady side, these plants are all happily slug-resistant And Shocking
Crocus
Bloodhorn ‘Midwinter Fire’
Another one that thrives in full sun, I can’t wait to add interest to this four-season.
We’re talking about pollinating plants, layered borders, and interest that carries through all four seasons instead of peaking briefly in summer and disappearing again. Dogwoods For winter color, Star Jasmine For fragrance and structure, an ivy-covered tree stump we are leaving alone (toads love it), and plants that flower at different times, overlap, and are slightly overgrown, create a slightly magical feeling that I return.
If I’m honest, what I want is something that looks like something The Secret Garden – Not the neglected version, but the moment when it comes back to life. The kind that sounds rightly whimsical, but also supports pollinators, birds and whatever else decides to move in, when we stop trying to keep everything so controlled.
It won’t happen overnight, and we’re under no illusions about it (we have a one-year-old and a four-year-old, as well as the aforementioned dog who thinks he’s Usain Bolt; our lives are chaotic and busy). There will be trial and error, plants that don’t quite work, patches that need to be rethought… and we’re trying to do that. without Spend a fortune, too. Easier said than done, as anyone who has ever walked through a garden center will agree.
FAQs
How can I reduce the size of my lawn?
If you want to reduce the size of your lawn, the easiest thing you can do is stop mowing it and let it regrow (maybe with a few wildflower seeds thrown in for good measure). Otherwise, make like us and expand your beds to create a pollinator-friendly paradise – or convert some grassy areas into something more productive, like a vegetable, herb or wildflower garden.
For the first time in a long time, I’m not afraid of what the garden will look like by the end of winter. Because if expanding our borders to lawns works—if we even get half way there—we won’t be solving the mud problem alone. We would have created something that felt alive.
And if it doesn’t? Hey, anything has to be a better use of space than a lawn that never really gets a chance.
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