Todd from Cambridge
Todd from Cambridge's tells his story on why he chose to replace his lawn with stone and drought resistant plants:
I don't know too many people who enjoy cutting their lawn. Grass cutting plain and simple is a chore, it is not a pastime! If lawn cutting were the only thing to worry about with grass, many more of us may keep it. However as we all know this isn't the case. Grass as a choice of ground cover is overrated. Regardless of By-laws or Provincial Bans on Pesticides, grass has always had and will always have it's hiccups. Our climate most often is not grass friendly.
In deciding to remove my grass from my corner lot, the biggest reason came down to maintenance. Soil conditions, grading, slopes and water runoff, pesticide ban, drought, weeds, weeding maintenance, inherited weeds from other neighbouring properties, uncontrollable insect damage, cost of maintaining a lawn and the time involved also influenced my decision to go grass free. I wanted to eliminate much of my maintenance requirements so I chose a hardscaped yard (using rock as groundcover). Secondly, I erected a fence to gain privacy. I made a plan to create diversity and yet still blend within the neighborhood without sticking out like a sore thumb so I left the boulevard grass.
Hardscaping is not for everyone, I know that doing what I did required planning and visualizing the end product. All the vegetation I used is drought resistant and this helps add colour and variety while keeping maintenance needs low. In the back yard I put in an above ground pool surrounded by 4 to 5" of P-stone which not only acts as ground cover but it also acts as an insulator for heat surrounding the pool. Rock requires no watering! When the rain splashes down on rock it also takes away that powdered or dull look making it appear more attractive.
I do recommend doing the work yourself, it comes at half the cost, and you appreciate your accomplishments even greater but ultimately it comes down to what suits your needs best!
Todd answers some questions about the work he did:
How did you pick your design?
In designing my landscaping I used the services of Cambridge
Garden Centre with a designer, and after collaboration we came
up with a plan which best suited my needs.
Any suggestions or hints for others?
I also thought of ease of maintenance in the fall when leaves fall. I decided to use larger pond rock so when I am blowing out the leaves off the property the larger rocks won't get blown away or be scattered.
The species of shrubbery chosen were drought resistant and to establish the shrubs and tree I watered them 15 to 20 minutes every other day with fertilizing them once every other week.
How much time do you spend on maintenance now that the yard it hardscaped?
Occasionally once every other week I would have 2 to 3 minutes or less of time spent pulling small shoots of grass or a weed which occasionally appears between rocks and mulch. One of the most important elements to consider is placing commercial grade landscape fabric down which is thicker and lasts 3 times as long as the residential fabric. I have reduced my grass cutting / maintenance up to approximately 70%.
What other benefits have you seen from the change?
Ultimately I have eliminated the use of any or all pesticides, fertilizing has been reduced by 70%, and water use has been significantly reduced. No sprinklers or in-ground sprinklers required again saving money!
CLICK HERE FOR BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS AND MORE PICUTRES OF TODD NEW YARD!
