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It seems so silly that you water and fertilize the lawn so that it grows, then you mow it, so that you throw the lawn clippings into the green waste bin. What a waste of water, time, and energy.
So, we decided it was time to take out the front parkway lawn. We want to reduce the amount of grass we have so that we use less water, less fertilizer, and have to mow less. Saves us time and money! And, it saves the Earth’s resources.
I’m happy to report, that after many days, hours, and weeks of hard work, the parkway is now complete. This was phase 1 of the larger front yard project, and phase 2 should start this fall.
Goin’ green by goin’ brown! (as one of Dan’s friends put it)
Here are some pictures showing before, in progress, and completion:
Wrap up thoughts about the project: I’m so glad we did it! It looks great, and I’ll admit that I had my doubts at times. It’s totally green!
- Requires no extra watering.
- We used a product called Trex for the boardwalks. Trex is an environmentally friendly product. It keeps 300,000 tons of plastic & wood scrap out of landfills every year; no trees are cut down for the purpose of making Trex. The wood comes from reclaimed wood from woodworking operations, used pallets, and sawdust. And, Trex is one of the largest Grocery/Retail plastic bag recyclers in the U.S. 7 out of 10 recycled grocery bags in the U.S. end up at Trex, that’s about 1.5 billion per year. I’m really impressed with Trex!
- It will save time in not mowing that part of the lawn.
It took a bit longer than we expected, partially because of all the rained out weekends. But, now that we know it takes time, we can better plan for the next phase. And, I have a great sense of accomplishment when I look out at the front yard.
Wish us luck, and check back on the Xeriscaping progress.
Jeanette
Looks Great! Sometime, a little down the line….I would love something like that!. You two should be very proud of yourselves.
Inky
Debi,
What variety of plants did you use, and since it’s been awhile, which have been the most successful?
Debi
thanks for the question, Inky. One of the grasses loves it out there. I have to cut them back about once a month in the summer. Here’s a more recent update: https://lifecurrentsblog.com/update-on-xeriscaping-the-front-parkway/ (which I would say is still accurate today). We have plans to do more, especially with this drought. Unfortunately, I don’t know what the name of the grass is, but I bet a good nursery would be able to tell you if you brought in pictures.