Hi,
Does anyone know of a grass variety that is short
enough so that it never needs to be cut? You would
think with all the plants that have been bred in
miniature someone would have come up with "mini-grass".
:-) But, seriously, is there such a thing. I absolutely
hate mowing the lawn and really can't afford to pay someone
to do it for me.
TIA,
Kate
--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

Kate Connally wrote:
Hi,
Does anyone know of a grass variety that is short
enough so that it never needs to be cut? You would
think with all the plants that have been bred in
miniature someone would have come up with "mini-grass".
:-) But, seriously, is there such a thing. I absolutely
hate mowing the lawn and really can't afford to pay someone
to do it for me.
TIA,
Kate

Yeah. It's called Astroturf.

Dwarf mondo grass.
-- =

Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky
2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal

Does anyone know of a grass variety that is short
enough so that it never needs to be cut? You would
think with all the plants that have been bred in
miniature someone would have come up with "mini-grass".
:-) But, seriously, is there such a thing. I absolutely
hate mowing the lawn and really can't afford to pay someone
to do it for me.

If you're in the right area, and have a lawn that's not in shade
for more than half a day, look at buffalo grass, Buchloe dactyloides.
Needs mowing a couple of times a year.
http://www.mohnseed.com/lawn.htm

Red fescue, Festuca rubra, unmown, makes 8-12"; Pennsylvania sedge,
Carex pensylvanica, is suitable for dryish to slightly moist areas
and grows to about 6".
http://www.fescue.com/info/creepingred.html
http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/P...nsylvanica.htm

Liriope spicata and Ophiopogon japonicus are other possibilities, but
won't tolerate foot traffic.
http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/images...cd0637-69.jpeg
http://stephenville.tamu.edu/%7Enroe/landscape/lm8.jpg

And there are lots of other possibilities, depending on your site,
climate, laws, and pocketbook. Even lily of the valley looks good
as a pseudo-lawn with the right landscaping and no foot traffic.

Check with local laws and neighborhood associations; other people may
have fits if the lawn isn't sheared.

Weeds are probably going to be more evident in an unmown lawn. It's not
that you'll have more, it's that they'll be more noticeable, so careful
site preparation and weed control until the new lawn is well established
will be important.

Kay Lancaster

I prefer long grass that never needs to be cut: Red fescue - Festuca
rubrai, I believe. Looks like a green animal's hair. Magical to me.
~cf
"Kate Connally" wrote in message
...
Hi,
Does anyone know of a grass variety that is short
enough so that it never needs to be cut? You would
think with all the plants that have been bred in
miniature someone would have come up with "mini-grass".
:-) But, seriously, is there such a thing. I absolutely
hate mowing the lawn and really can't afford to pay someone
to do it for me.
TIA,
Kate
--
Kate Connally
"If I were as old as I feel, I'd be dead already."
Goldfish: "The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off."
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

Kay Lancaster wrote:

Does anyone know of a grass variety that is short
enough so that it never needs to be cut? You would
think with all the plants that have been bred in
miniature someone would have come up with "mini-grass".
:-) But, seriously, is there such a thing. I absolutely
hate mowing the lawn and really can't afford to pay someone
to do it for me.

If you're in the right area, and have a lawn that's not in shade
for more than half a day, look at buffalo grass, Buchloe dactyloides.
Needs mowing a couple of times a year.

That's a couple of times a year too many. I'm looking
for zero times a year. :-)

Red fescue, Festuca rubra, unmown, makes 8-12";

We have 10" maximum height ordinance so that one's out.

Pennsylvania sedge,
Carex pensylvanica, is suitable for dryish to slightly moist areas
and grows to about 6".

That might work.

http://www.fescue.com/info/creepingred.html
http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/P...nsylvanica.htm

Liriope spicata and Ophiopogon japonicus are other possibilities, but
won't tolerate foot traffic.

Basically no foot traffic. I live alone and don't really
got out in the yard much if ever. As it is now I only
walk on it when I have to mow it. ;-)

http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/images...cd0637-69.jpeg
http://stephenville.tamu.edu/%7Enroe/landscape/lm8.jpg

And there are lots of other possibilities, depending on your site,
climate, laws, and pocketbook. Even lily of the valley looks good
as a pseudo-lawn with the right landscaping and no foot traffic.

Hey, I wonder if that would work. I absolutely love
Lily of the Valley. Okay, I'm in Pittsburgh, PA which is
about zone 5-6. My front yard is a postage stamp. The
back yard is about twice as big. The front yard definitely
gets no traffic as it's small and I have a large front porch
with a glider. I could put almost anything in front.

In the back I might have to walk on it from time to time
if I want to plant flowers or veggies, but it would be
minimal - not like kids and dogs running on it all day,
etc.

Check with local laws and neighborhood associations; other people may
have fits if the lawn isn't sheared.

Weeds are probably going to be more evident in an unmown lawn. It's not
that you'll have more, it's that they'll be more noticeable, so careful
site preparation and weed control until the new lawn is well established
will be important.

Kay Lancaster

Thanks,
Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

J Kolenovsky wrote:

Dwarf mondo grass.
--
Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky
2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful
ô¿ô - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business
ô¿ô - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal

I looked it up and it seems like it would work.
I just have a question about light vs. shade.
All the sites I looked at said this grass needs
shade of light shade or partial shade. What I want
to know is what is partial shade. My front and back
lawns only get direct sun for part of the day. The
front lawn only in the morning for the most part.
By partial shade do they mean shade for part of the
day or do they mean always shaded but with some sunlight
filtering through the trees so that the area is only
dappled with sunlight?

Thanks,
Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

Just be aware, a bit further south of you in PA, my lily of the valley goes
dormant about mid-summer, especially in a dry year. Doesn't mean you can't
put in some patches of it, but I wouldn't count on it as a lawn substitute.

There are other ground covers that would work. Vinca is almost evergreen
for me, needs no attention once established, and has pleasant blue flowers
this time of year. You could interplant it with blue hyacinths for an
especially nice spring show.

You would need to mulch it and pay attention to watering for the first year,
possibly two, but once it fills in there's not much maintenance.

Cheers,
Sue

--

Zone 6, South-central PA
"Kate Connally" wrote in message
...
Even lily of the valley looks good
as a pseudo-lawn with the right landscaping and no foot traffic.

Hey, I wonder if that would work. I absolutely love
Lily of the Valley. Okay, I'm in Pittsburgh, PA which is
about zone 5-6. My front yard is a postage stamp. The
back yard is about twice as big. The front yard definitely
gets no traffic as it's small and I have a large front porch
with a glider. I could put almost anything in front.

On 04/16/2004 01:27 PM, Kate Connally said:
Hi,
Does anyone know of a grass variety that is short
enough so that it never needs to be cut? You would
think with all the plants that have been bred in
miniature someone would have come up with "mini-grass".
:-) But, seriously, is there such a thing. I absolutely
hate mowing the lawn and really can't afford to pay someone
to do it for me.
TIA,
Kate

I haven't tried this myself, but Prairie Nursery has something
called a no-mow lawn mix:

http://www.prairienursery.com/catalog/cat_nomow.asp


--
Joe
http://www.joekaz.net/
http://www.cafeshops.com/joekaz