MOOSE JAW — I live in the semi-arid Palliser Triangle region of the Great Plains. Rainfall is limited.
Some homeowners are opting out of having a green lawn and replacing them with rocks, gravel and stones. The reason, I’m told, is to reduce maintenance by not cutting the grass and saving money by not buying fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or paying for extra water.
Keeping the Lawn – an Alternative Approach
Here are a few secrets I learned from Bill Waud, who taught at Peacock High School for years and from my own experience living south of Hanna, Alta. in the semi-arid Special Areas.
• Do not water your lawn. Without water the grass grows slowly and only needs to be cut three times a summer. Let the rain do its trick. Don’t pay for lawn water.
• Save money by not buying and using fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. That stuff kills our cute little bush-bunnies. Save money and the bush-bunnies.
• If folks complain, tell them you are being eco-friendly, have a chemically free lawn and are doing your part to save the planet.
• And yes – a don’t forget, weeds grow in rock “lawns” too.
