Hacker News Reader

Comment by varikin | Hacker News Reader

I would love to see this paper you mention. My wife loves all things green. Our house is filling up with house plants, which I am OK with as long I am not in charge of them. And the more she plant outside, the less I have to mow.

But anyways, she does a lot of cutting and if there is something else that can work, I would love to share it with her.

View on HN

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/14981883.pdf

You could replace your lawn with a more natural meadow. You only have to mow them once a year.

What plant would you plant? I heard good things about Dichondra but unfortunately it doesn’t survive winter freezing / snowing.

That depends on where you live, you should plant native species. I would go to my local botanical garden and ask them what they have on their meadows. If you don't have a botanical garden around, a local university might have information, eg https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/lawn-alternatives

You could get a native wildflower mix, and seed bomb with that. After a few years, it’ll settle into patches that of species appropriate for the sun/shade level, and look more natural. It’ll make the native pollinators and birds happy too.

Sure, but then I might as well plant salad, rosemary etc (i.e. actually useful plants... along with some species that maintain / improve soil nutrition). In my view, the main purpose of ground cover is to be able to walk on it...

In my area, they hold native plant sales through the local conservation district. Here is an example: https://kingcd.org/programs/better-backyards/native-bareroot...

I've purchased native trees, scrubs and native flower mixes through them. They seem to be held only once a year but the prices are very reasonable.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com