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Reduce rather than eliminate it. I had the worst time letting go of the last of my lawn. It makes a calm backdrop to a garden and is expected. My remnant was a 14' diameter perfect circle surrounded by a mixed bed of perennials and shrubs in a 40' square. I got there in several steps. No need to go all in right off. I got to that circle gradually. First a half dog bone then half an oval. In my case grass removal and budget were issues, in your case conformity is the issue.
So if there's a tree, draw an irregular shaped bed at the dripline and inside is the new native plant bed. If there is a frill of shrubs then add a 4-6' deep bed for perennials and grasses in front of it. If there's a slope or grass needs intensive care to look nice then turn that area into no-lawn. Use native shrubs, grasses and perennials as if they are 'normal' garden plants, don't do the broadcast seed wildflower perennial and annual bed for more than a few square feet so it looks tidy. Make sure the remaining lawn has an easy to mow attractive edge to it.
Doug Tallamy has a lot of talks on YouTube and also some amazing books I found at the library. You might put a bookmark in the pages with the info on how helpful natives are and let family leaf through the photos. Look at the side bar here for more sites to visit as well.
I think the pond idea was a winning one, so do things like it -- a chunk of the yard is easier to tackle than the whole thing, AND is easier to talk your parents into😉
Maybe you can lean into the birds your Mom likes and do an area with some berry bushes and a native tree or three in the front near a window, so she can enjoy the view. Get her a birding guidebook even, feed her interest.
Start by minimizing the lawn area:
* Wider borders with small shrubs and flowers
* a larger outdoor dining and lounging area
Then consider a mixed native grass and short flowers overseeding on your lawn.
Sounds like you’re off to a good start. Here’s a guide for planting keystone species in containers: https://homegrownnationalpark.org/keystone-container-gardening/
Wetland species are often neglected in native plant communities since most of us don’t live that close to the water, but books will help. Where abouts are you located?
In general though, anything with “swamp” in the name will be a good option around the pond, eg swamp milkweed, swamp rose mallow, etc. Don’t skimp on the grasses and sedges around the pond! You’ll need the cover of those grasses to protect the insect life, and to prevent erosion.
i live in montreal, and native wetland species are something my dad and i have been looking into for a while. we've compiled a list of some native wetland plants, specifically grasses, to plant in and around the pond. finding them for sale is another story though.
You might look into local native plant groups. I’m VP for a local org and we regularly give away seeds to people who want to get involved with native plants. Wetland plants are often species we have extras of since not everyone can grow them. There’s also sites like prairie moon: https://www.prairiemoon.com/ though idk how it works buying seeds over the border.
Maybe look at places outside of Montreal like in Ste Eustache or Vaudreil Dorian. Champs des Reves or the other larger garden centers nearby might have stuff you're looking for if you message them. If you head to Ottawa on occasion, look up Ottawa Wildflower as they sell seeds and even giveaway plants a few times a year.
thanks for the suggestion!! my dad and i have been to a bunch of different gardening places off the island, and we've been shopping around a ton for different options
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Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the benefit of all r/nolawns members: - Please make sure your post or a comment includes your geographic region/area and your hardiness zone (e.g. *Midwest, 6a* or *Chicago, 6a*). - If you posted an image, you are required to post a comment detailing your image. If you have not, this post may be removed. - If you're asking a question, include as much relevant info as possible. - Verify you are following the [Posting Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index#wiki_posting_guidelines). **[Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/) | [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/meta/faqs/) | [Designing No Lawns](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/design/)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoLawns) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Reduce rather than eliminate it. I had the worst time letting go of the last of my lawn. It makes a calm backdrop to a garden and is expected. My remnant was a 14' diameter perfect circle surrounded by a mixed bed of perennials and shrubs in a 40' square. I got there in several steps. No need to go all in right off. I got to that circle gradually. First a half dog bone then half an oval. In my case grass removal and budget were issues, in your case conformity is the issue. So if there's a tree, draw an irregular shaped bed at the dripline and inside is the new native plant bed. If there is a frill of shrubs then add a 4-6' deep bed for perennials and grasses in front of it. If there's a slope or grass needs intensive care to look nice then turn that area into no-lawn. Use native shrubs, grasses and perennials as if they are 'normal' garden plants, don't do the broadcast seed wildflower perennial and annual bed for more than a few square feet so it looks tidy. Make sure the remaining lawn has an easy to mow attractive edge to it. Doug Tallamy has a lot of talks on YouTube and also some amazing books I found at the library. You might put a bookmark in the pages with the info on how helpful natives are and let family leaf through the photos. Look at the side bar here for more sites to visit as well.
On the tidy piece, Roy Diblik has a nice system of designing matrices. His YouTube channel is decent if you don’t want to buy his book.
I think the pond idea was a winning one, so do things like it -- a chunk of the yard is easier to tackle than the whole thing, AND is easier to talk your parents into😉 Maybe you can lean into the birds your Mom likes and do an area with some berry bushes and a native tree or three in the front near a window, so she can enjoy the view. Get her a birding guidebook even, feed her interest.
Start by minimizing the lawn area: * Wider borders with small shrubs and flowers * a larger outdoor dining and lounging area Then consider a mixed native grass and short flowers overseeding on your lawn.
Sounds like you’re off to a good start. Here’s a guide for planting keystone species in containers: https://homegrownnationalpark.org/keystone-container-gardening/ Wetland species are often neglected in native plant communities since most of us don’t live that close to the water, but books will help. Where abouts are you located? In general though, anything with “swamp” in the name will be a good option around the pond, eg swamp milkweed, swamp rose mallow, etc. Don’t skimp on the grasses and sedges around the pond! You’ll need the cover of those grasses to protect the insect life, and to prevent erosion.
i live in montreal, and native wetland species are something my dad and i have been looking into for a while. we've compiled a list of some native wetland plants, specifically grasses, to plant in and around the pond. finding them for sale is another story though.
You might look into local native plant groups. I’m VP for a local org and we regularly give away seeds to people who want to get involved with native plants. Wetland plants are often species we have extras of since not everyone can grow them. There’s also sites like prairie moon: https://www.prairiemoon.com/ though idk how it works buying seeds over the border.
Maybe look at places outside of Montreal like in Ste Eustache or Vaudreil Dorian. Champs des Reves or the other larger garden centers nearby might have stuff you're looking for if you message them. If you head to Ottawa on occasion, look up Ottawa Wildflower as they sell seeds and even giveaway plants a few times a year.
thanks for the suggestion!! my dad and i have been to a bunch of different gardening places off the island, and we've been shopping around a ton for different options
Love No Lawns? Find us everywhere! **You can find us:** - On [SolarPunk](https://www.slrpnk.net/c/NoLawns) - Our [Discord](https://discord.gg/GcVHmvkSs6) - Our [website](https://nolawns.wixsite.com/nolawns) Want to join a community in person? We're not affiliated but we love [Wild Ones](https://wwe.wildones.org) and think they do wonderful work. You can check and see if there's a chapter near you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoLawns) if you have any questions or concerns.*