GARDENING WITH NATURE

Article by Sigrie Kendrick

Kill that Lawn

Traditional turf grass lawns, while aesthetically pleasing to some, come with significant environmental and maintenance costs.

Whether because of concerns about excessive water consumption, chemical fertilizers or constant mowing, many homeowners are choosing to kill lawn areas and replace their grass with more sustainable alternatives.

Instead, you could plan a native plant garden, vegetable beds, or simply reduce maintenance in that patch, but removing turf grass is the first crucial step to reducing water consumption and maintenance.

There are many ways to get rid of a patch of turf. Each method has its place depending on your timeline, budget, and environmental preferences. With proper planning and execution, you can transform your space into something that better serves both your needs and the local ecosystem.

Sheet Mulching

Also known as lasagna gardening, sheet mulching stands out as one of the most environmentally-friendly methods to kill lawn. This technique involves layering organic materials directly over existing grass to smother it while simultaneously building healthy soil.

To implement sheet mulching:

1. Start by mowing your grass as short as possible.
2. Next, lay down a barrier layer of cardboard or newspaper, ensuring pieces overlap by at least six inches, to prevent the grass underneath from finding gaps. Remove any tape or staples from the cardboard, as these won’t decompose.
3. Water the barrier layer thoroughly.
4. Add alternating layers of “green” nitrogen-rich materials (like grass clippings or kitchen scraps) and “brown” carbon-rich materials (such as dried leaves, straw, or wood chips) The final layer should be four to six inches of finished compost or mulch.

This process typically takes six to 12 months to completely kill the grass underneath, while creating rich, fertile soil perfect for new plantings. Sheet mulching requires patience but offers the advantage of improving soil health while eliminating the need for turf disposal.

The series of photos below are by Rachel Balmforth for her lawn replacement project

Laying cardboard complete

Lawn replacement complete

Solarization

Solarization uses solar energy to heat soil to temperatures that will kill lawn and many weeds.

This method works best where the climate is hot and sunny during the summer months.

1. After cutting the grass short, water the area thoroughly and cover it with clear plastic sheeting.
2. Secure the edges with irrigation pins, rocks, or bury them in soil to create an airtight seal.
3. Leave the plastic in place for six to eight weeks during the hottest part of summer

The trapped heat will reach temperatures of 140°F or higher, effectively cooking the grass and many weed seeds. This method is chemical-free and relatively inexpensive, though it requires specific weather conditions and timing to be effective.

Manual and Mechanical Removal

For smaller areas or when immediate results are needed, manual removal remains a viable option.

This method involves using tools like sod cutters, spades, or specialized grass removal tools to physically lift and remove grass, along with its root system.

1. Start by watering the area lightly to soften the soil, making grass easier to remove.
2. Use a sharp spade or sod cutter to slice through the grass in manageable sections, typically 12-18 inches square. Work the tool under the grass to lift both the vegetation and the root system.

While labour-intensive, this method provides immediate results and allows for precise control over the removal process.

For large areas, mechanical removal might be the most practical approach.

1. Renting a sod cutter can make quick work of extensive grass areas. These machines slice through grass roots at a consistent depth, allowing you to roll up strips of sod like carpet.
2. Alternatively, rototillers can break up grass, though this method may require multiple passes and careful attention to removing all the cut grass to prevent it from re-establishing.

Herbicide Removal

While not environmentally preferred, herbicides can effectively kill lawn when other methods aren’t practical.

Glyphosate-based products are commonly used, though they come with environmental and health concerns.

If choosing this route, always follow label instructions carefully, avoid application before rain, and consider the impact on beneficial insects and soil microorganisms. I acknowledge that this is an option for turf removal but in no way condone it.

Regardless of your chosen removal method, having a plan for the space afterward is crucial as bare soil is vulnerable to erosion and weed invasion.

Consider your replacement options, whether native plants, vegetable gardens, or alternative ground covers, before beginning removal. Check our blog for more articles on lawn alternatives and native species.

Successfully removing turf grass opens up possibilities for more sustainable and diverse landscapes.

GARDENING WITH NATURE

Article by Sigrie Kendrick

Rethinking Lawns in the Okanagan

I have had the pleasure of visiting a great many beautiful gardens recently, and l have been overjoyed to notice the trend of fewer turfgrass lawns and growing interest in Okanagan lawn alternatives.

The Problem with Traditional Lawns
Traditional turfgrass lawns have long been a symbol of suburban living throughout the Okanagan Valley, but they come with a hefty environmental price tag in this semi-arid region.

A typical lawn requires approximately 2.5 to 5 centimetres of water per week during the growing season just to maintain that pristine green carpet in a region that receives only 30-38 centimetres of annual precipitation.

Beyond the immediate water consumption, turfgrass lawns demand significant resources throughout the Okanagan’s growing season.

• They require frequent watering, fertilization, pesticide applications, and regular mowing, all of which contribute to environmental stress and increased household expenses.
• In the Okanagan’s dry climate, maintaining traditional lawns can account for 60 percent of residential water usage during peak summer months, placing enormous strain on local water systems during the region’s driest period.
• The environmental impact extends beyond water consumption. Turfgrass often requires synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that can leach into groundwater systems and contribute to nutrient pollution in nearby waterways
• Additionally, frequent mowing is a source of carbon emissions and contributes to noise pollution in residential neighbourhoods.

The Case for Change

Embracing Okanagan lawn alternatives can lead to more resilient and visually appealing landscapes. Reducing turfgrass areas can dramatically decrease your water usage while creating more sustainable and diverse landscapes perfectly suited to the Okanagan’s climate.

Native plant alternatives such as sagebrush, penstemon, and native bunch grasses require significantly less water than traditional turfgrass, once established, as they are naturally adapted to the region’s hot, dry summers and cold winters.

This reduction can save thousands of litres of water annually for the average Okanagan household.

Ground covers like kinnikinnick, native sedums, or Achillea millefolium (Yarrow) can provide visual appeal while requiring minimal irrigation after establishment.

These alternatives also offer additional benefits such as supporting local pollinators, reducing soil erosion on the region’s slopes, and requiring less maintenance overall.

Where to Begin

To reduce your environmental footprint, identify high-maintenance areas of your lawn that receive the most water or are difficult to maintain. Remove grass in these zones first, replacing them with drought-tolerant alternatives.

Common target areas include:

• steep slopes
• areas under trees
• narrow strips along pathways

Rather than removing all turf at once, consider a phased approach. Start by reducing lawn size by 20 per cent in the first year, allowing you to tabulate water savings and adjust your landscape design before continuing.

You can replace removed turf with native wildflower meadows, rock gardens, vegetable plots, or water-permeable hardscaping. Each option offers different water-saving benefits and maintenance requirements.

Prioritize the Toughest Zones

When planning turf reduction in your garden, focus on areas that provide the greatest water-saving potential.

South-facing slopes, areas far from water sources, and sections that receive full sun typically consume the most irrigation water and are most challenging in our region’s intense summer heat. These zones offer the best opportunities for conservation through alternative landscaping.

Worth the Investment
The initial investment in turf reduction typically pays for itself within two or three years through reduced water bills, decreased fertilizer and pesticide costs, and lower maintenance requirements.

Native plants and non-native xeric alternatives will require less frequent watering, no fertilization, and minimal pest management once established. Many homeowners find that reduced turf areas become more interesting and biodiverse than traditional lawns, attracting beneficial insects, birds, and other wildlife. This ecological enhancement adds value to your property while contributing to local environmental health

Take the First Step

Begin by assessing your current lawn’s water usage and identifying areas that could benefit from alternative landscaping better suited to the Okanagan’s climate.

Contact your local water utility,  as many municipalities offer rebates or incentives for xeriscaping, turf reduction and Okanagan lawn alternative projects. The Regional District of Central Okanagan, City of Kelowna, and other local governments often provide resources and financial support for water-wise landscaping initiatives.

A Landscape That Gives Back

Reducing turf grass areas represents a practical and effective way to conserve water while creating more sustainable, diverse, and interesting landscapes that benefit both homeowners and the broader environment.

Be sure to check out the Lawn Alternatives Garden in the UnH2O Demonstration Garden on Gordon Drive in Kelowna

Sigrie Kendrick is a master gardener and executive-director of the non-profit Okanagan Xeriscape Association.

GARDENING WITH NATURE

Article by Sigrie Kendrick

Great Garden Choices

Clearly, change is afoot when it comes to gardening in the Okanagan.

Many of you may remember a column two years ago, in which I decried some of the garden choices featured on that summer’s public garden tour.

The chosen gardens were stunningly beautiful, of course, but featured plantings which would be unsustainable, when, not if, stringent water restrictions were implemented.

One garden was all hydrangeas, which require considerable water, and another consisted of 10 acres of turf grasses, beautiful in their own way, but by no means sustainable in our hot and dry summers.

I was elated this year to see many gardens on the FlowerPower garden tour focusing on both sustainability and water-wise gardening. Four of the nine gardens featured had no turf in their front yards. That’s right, no grass.

One had an enormous patch of flowering thyme, which was absolutely beautiful. If no one had been watching, I would have laid down in it so that I arose clothed in its delightful aroma.

Another garden featured a stunning meadow planting comprised of native and non-native xeriscape plants. I was in heaven.

Meadow plantings look deceptively easy but they are actually one of the hardest to master and this design team did master the meadow garden.

Yet another garden featured beds of drought-tolerant plants and shrubs accessed via a path planted with xeric groundcovers.

There was a cactus garden. Another featured garden was planted with xeriscape plants that also had to be wildlife-resistant. In fact, mere minutes after the tour ended and we left that property, the owner took a video capturing a young bear swaggering past.

Wow, what a difference a couple of years have made. Rather than leaving the tour disheartened and despondent, I left higher than a kite, grinning from ear to ear. Thank you to all involved for acknowledging today’s reality and showcasing gardens created by gardeners, for gardeners, gardens which are not only aesthetically-pleasing but also environment-conscious.

Typically, volunteers working on the tour are given a pre-tour, enabling them to see all the gardens on the day prior. There was something different this time. The energy was new and fresh. The gardens featured were vastly different from each other but all were stunningly beautiful and thought-provoking.

If these gardens are any indication, then we are actually changing, We, as gardeners, are making choices that are not based on an outdated perception of beauty. Instead, we are seeing beauty in the imperfect, the uncommon, the sustainable, in plant selections chosen less for our eyes and more for the benefit of pollinators and even edibility. What a monumental shift.

Many of the plants featured on the tour can be found on both our plant database and at makewaterwork.ca. This spring, the Make Water Work Plant List was updated to include FireSmart indicators for the plants on the list, thereby allowing you to choose both drought-tolerant and fire-resistant plants.

The Make Water Work challenge encourages homeowners to pledge to make water work smarter on their landscapes. Think about how you use your water and how you can make better choices about that consumption. 

I will be touring Okanagan nurseries and garden centres throughout the gardening season, supporting the many benefits of the Make Water Work plant list and campaign. Keep an eye on our social media for my schedule and stop in to say “hi” and to talk all things xeriscape.

Instead of front lawn, this Kelowna homeowner opted to plant a wild meadow with drought-tolerant gaillardia and blue flax, along with other perennials, for this showy front yard that was part of this year’s Kelowna Garden Tour.

The Okanagan Xeriscape Association is grateful for the ongoing financial support of the Okanagan Basin Water Board and is proud to be collaborating with them on their Make Water Work campaign.

Sigrie Kendrick is a master gardener and executive-director of the non-profit Okanagan Xeriscape Association.

Article by Mark Godlewski  Cover photo by Dietmar Rabich WikiCommons

One of the best ways to move towards a xeriscape garden is to remove all or most of your lawn. There may be a few situations where you want to keep some traditional turf for specific purposes, but it certainly should not be the default option for filling space.

This post gives you some options for removing your lawn. It draws heavily on a series of earlier notes and publications by Gwen Steele the co-founder of OXA. Many of these methods work best if the dead sod is given at least a couple of months to decompose. The amount of time needed will decrease with higher temperatures and moisture levels.

There are five principal methods for removing a lawn and each has its pros and cons.

1. Sod Cutter
2. Rototiller
3. Herbicide Spray
4. Soil Solarization
5. Lasagna Method

1. SOD CUTTER

A sod cutter is a gas-powered machine that is maneuvered much like a rototiller. The height (depth of the cut) of the blade is adjustable. Sod cutters can be rented from local rental centres.

• Removes most of the existing grass roots.
• Removes a thick layer of weed seeds.
• Very hard, heavy work.
• Hard to find a place that will accept sod.
• Removes the most nutrient-rich layer of soil.
• Must remove sod under trees by hand to avoid root damage.
• Mark pop-up sprayers to avoid damage.
• Exercise care when using a sod cutter on slopes or uneven ground.
• Mow the grass before you begin; remove the turf when it is not too wet.

Gardening with Nature 

Article by Sigrie Kendrick

Try a drought-tolerant alternative to lawn grasses

One of the easiest ways to reduce your water use on the landscape is to reduce your turf area and to consider alternatives to the traditional lawn.

Traditional turf is a monoculture, a single species developed to out-compete other species and is far from a natural, biodiverse ecosystem. Turf as such offers little benefit to pollinators and can only be maintained using resource-intensive practices: think water, water, and more water.

Traditional lawns also require herbicides, fertilizer, and pesticides to maintain that perfect, even shade of green. These chemicals often end up in our waterways with harmful consequences for all manner of aquatic life. No less dangerous on land, the toxic effects of many lawn chemicals on wildlife, especially birds, have been well-documented.

With record drought and water restrictions throughout the Okanagan Valley, you may be faced with limited irrigation to use on your lawn and so allow it to go dormant over summer.

Rather than over-seeding with a traditional lawn mixture this fall, consider transitioning away from turf and instead plant Trifolium repens, known commonly as Dutch white clover.

There are many compelling reasons for transitioning to a lawn of clover:

• Dutch white clover needs very little supplemental water and maintains its green throughout the driest of summers.
• White clover requires no fertilizer and is in fact a member of the pea family known for ‘fixing nitrogen’ in the soil, thereby allowing plants to better access available nitrogen.
• Clover is immune to the burnt patches dog urine creates on a traditional turf lawn.
• Trifolium repens is a favourite with bees that will visit your clover lawn and pollinate your garden while doing so.
• Dutch white clover is not particular about soil and will thrive in even nutrient-poor soil common to the Okanagan Valley.
• A lawn of clover is comfortable to walk on with bare feet.
• Dutch white clover seldom needs mowing, so planting it reduces pollution from mowers and the corresponding fuel costs.
• The seed itself is also extremely inexpensive and can be found at West Coast Seeds listed at $9.99 for 125 grams, enough to cover one thousand square feet.