1. We're buying a house within 6 months, probably.
2. Hubby hates mowing and you won't get me near gasoline.
3. We have little kids who love to romp on green stuff.
4. I love to garden.
Given the above, does anyone have any suggestions as to what herb I might use in place of grass for a lawn? I really don't like grass - in fact, I despise the stuff. Having a "lawn" in your front yard is necessary in some neighborhoods, though, so we have to have something that stays relatively small. I've been considering Creeping Oregano or Thyme, or maybe a marjoram or something.
Anyone have any experience with this? Plants to avoid or to go for? What do you recommend?
-Sev
Herbs to Walk On?
HI Sev. What zone are you in? Have you considered clover?
I love the different creeping thymes, and also grow mazus, Irish moss and pennyroyal, but with small children or pets, they might not handle the foot traffic as well as clover.
I'm in zone 6 I think. Close to 7?
I'm considering red clover as an edible - but I don't know if it can compete with grass from other yards?
-Sev
I would think that the biggest problem that you would have with clover is it creeping (or blowing seed) into your neighbors' turf and them getting irritated. Methinks that clover tends to overtake turf when given the opportunity.
How does it feel when it gets mowed? And walked on? With a lawn, we're not just worried about looks - we need to have something that will work for playing on. Also, if it spreads _too_ much, I won't be able to keep it out of my veggie garden - and that's not good, either.
Ideally (and nothing is ever quite ideal, but), the plant would be thick, low-growing, root-spreading, and soft to walk on, as well as perennial. It would have to be edible, and would not have to compete with weeds, because there wouldn't be any competition with its kind of hardiness and territoriality. It would form a nearly-solid, thick mass of soft green to roll around on and survive being rolled around on.
No plant will do all of that, but I'd like to find something that at least does most of it.
-Sev
I'd want someone else to chime in here, but I think that clover fits the bill really well. It's very comfortable to walk on. Looks are subjective, but I think that clover is quite pretty when grown in a uniform mass. You don't have horses, right? There can be some issues with red clover and horses...
Issues? No, we don't have horses.
We have a vegetarian cat and two caged ferrets. And four boys.
Does clover have to be mowed often?
-Sev
Try this site,
http://landscaping.about.com/cs/lawns/a/clover_lawns_4.htm
I have a lot of clover in my lawn. It is very soft to walk on.
To keep it where you want it, just edge things with the 3" high or so plastic edging. You may have to go along it & trim the clover back now & then. It spreads across the top of the ground, but if you cut the runners back it can be controlled.
Bernie
The clover for a lawn would be white clover. It stays small & probably doesn't need mowing often. Red clover is for making hay for cattle. It gets dusty so that's why it's not good for horses.
This message was edited Nov 16, 2007 6:43 PM
Yes, good points CG. White clover is the "weed" that mixes in with my little bit of turf here. It seems to stay quite low in height.
ahh, ok. I've seen both in grass doing quite well. Do you think it will cover well enough to be called a 'lawn' though?
Here's an article on using clover for lawns: http://landscaping.about.com/cs/lawns/a/clover_lawns_4.htm
Definitely!! I have large patches of white clover, I love them--and I'm always barefoot in the summer and it sure is soft, and tough.
ohhhh and I forgot it was a nitrogen fixer too - looks like I have my answer!
-Sev
White clover covers a large percentage of my lawn,it stays green much better than grass,with no watering I like it a lot so do the bunnies and bees.
I think it is a great choice,as long as none of the kids have allergies to bees. Honey bees seem to just love the blooms,although with this bee decline it might be a moot point.
Here's a great article with excellent pics about a guy who put in a clover lawn.
http://procurate.com/comments.php?id=A112_0_1_0_C
Hi,
Clover was the first thing I thought of also, but wasn't sure about the cons as well as the pros. The hesitation to recommend is due to the kids--white clover attracts bees, and if any of the kids are allergic to bee stings, you wouldn't want that for them to play in.
Another alternative, but not quite so easy to achieve as clover, is moss. Not an herb, but a very natural groundcovering that is both pretty and nice to stand on. There are many types of moss that make a really soft fuzzy turf, and when it gets established, is quite tough. Some can take foot traffic. But installing it and getting it going requires some investments. Rest assured, there will be absolutely no mowing!!
Also, there is a new chamomile that doesn't flower (thus, not requiring mowing!!) that is now available. Roman chamomile is a lovely, fragrant lawn alternative, but most kinds die after flowering; thus, you must mow it as soon as it develops buds. But according to this article I found, there is a a flowerless variety called Teneague. I do not know, though, if it can take a pack of kids.
http://www.newconsumer.com/news/item/low_water_lawns_with_chamomile_turf/
I read some good articles a few years back on moss lawns, but couldn't seem to find them now. Here are some links on the subject:
DIY.com How To Start a Moss Lawn
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/growingmoss
Fine Gardening Magazine article:
http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/design/articles/moss-makes-lush-carpet.aspx?nterms=74902
National Gardening Association article:
http://www.garden.org/subchannels/landscaping/ground?q=show&id=1135
Moss Acres Farm:
http://www.mossacres.com/
I think that moss is gorgeous, but I didn't think that any of it could handle foot traffic very well. Thanks for the links - I still need to go look at them.
The moss is beautiful, but it seems it doesn't tolerate full sun areas very well. That would be problematic if I'm using it in place of a front lawn.
It is very pretty though - a good idea to add to my garden anyway! :)
I think so far I still like the white clover. If I get the right kind, I can forgo the lawnmower permanently. And I don't mind bees - we're going to put in an apiary within a few years ourselves, and none of my kids are allergic. Bees are fine, as long as killer ones don't come tromping up north and hijack my hives. Which, from what I have heard about them, isn't likely - we're in New Jersey, not Texas.
The kids are a little nervous about bees, but not deathly afraid. And they're hard on grass. Four kids can rip grass up by the roots (and clover, I'm sure - it'll require SOME maintenance no matter what I get).
-Sev