GardenSMART :: How to Design a Beautiful Yard That's Mower Friendly
How to Design a Beautiful Yard That's Mower Friendly
By Toro
Photographs courtesy of Toro
As our lawns spring forth this season, some of us may be thinking about ways to enhance a plain lawn, while others may be looking for a way to make it easier to mow around beds, features and plantings. These design tips will make it easier to mow, while giving your yard a more finished, landscaped look.
Create Borders
Good, clean borders between your lawn and your ornamental plantings are a must when you want to be able to mow with ease. This will allow you to maintain a clear separation between the areas you can drive over with your mower and the areas that will require closer hand trimming.
Create a Center
Use beds full of shrubs and perennials around the outside of the space to frame it. For a formal look, use straight lines. For a less formal look, use gently curving beds (gentle curves are easier to mow than tight curves). This will draw the eye to your plantings, while framing the area and creating contrast to a flat sweep of lush, green lawn.
Potted Plants
There's no reason why your plants and exotic blooms have to be put in the ground in order to add appeal. Large potted plants placed on patios or in out-of-the-way spaces are easy to maintain and add visual appeal. This can work especially well for figs, citrus and other less-hardy fruit trees that need to winter indoors.
Use Vertical Space
When you design your yard, think about going up instead of going horizontal. By putting in retaining walls, raising your garden beds, and planting creeping plants against a trellis or other feature, you can create a separate space for ornamental plants. This leaves your grass free, open and easy to mow.
Plant in Groups
To make mowing easier, try grouping plants together. By placing them in close proximity to one another and filling the spaces between them with mulch, rocks, or stepping-stones, you can avoid mowing around individual plants. This will help you save time while still allowing you to plant as many visually appealing blooms and shrubs as you wish.
Don't Forget Sprinkler Heads
Sprinkler heads that protrude from the grass are a lawn mower's worst enemy. If you're in the design stages of your lawn, try to find ways to set the sprinkler heads away from the areas you want to mow or choose, pop-up sprinklers that retract and lie flat after use. This will make it easier for you to pass over your lawn with your mower. Use fixed spray sprinklers in small to medium areas and rotors in medium to large lawn areas to ensure your lawn is getting optimal coverage. Learn more about home irrigation systems online.
Start planning now to make your yard both beautiful and easier to mow!
By Dan Heims, President, Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
Photographs courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
Terra Nova’s breeders have created a series of outstanding world-class echinaceas that are consistent in size, bloom power, color intensity and are a pollinator buffet. What’s not to like.
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