• Current Heat Exposes Inefficient Irrigation
• Helping You Manage Your Landscape Asset
• 97 Yesterday, Summer is Here
• Irrigation Audits By Interns
• Summer Flowers
• Turf Core Aeration Improves Irrigation
• We Provide Plant Health Care
• Battery Equipment Fills Void
• Irrigation Season Has Begun
• Flower Time
• PLM Outshines Competition
• Turf Core Aeration Improves Irrigation
• Propane Conversion Saves Money
• Irrigation Activation Is Underway
• It Is Time To Plan For Summer Color
• Rainy Weather Impacts Mowing
• Winter Damaged Shrubs Rejuvenated
• Barkdust Provides Curb Appeal
• Mowing Season Is Here  

 Sometimes Lawn Is Put Where It Shouldn't Be

Don't get us wrong, we love lawn. Quite frankly, we make our living on managing and maintaining lawns. That being said, we also hate trying to maintain lawn where it won't grow or where it is hard or expensive to maintain. The pictures above are examples of where lawn should not be.

Why is lawn where is shouldn't be? The simplest answer is that lawn is the cheapest part of landscape installation and when brand new, it looks great. New lawn on freshly prepared soil looks great. Parking strips and parking islands are probably the worst place for lawn. There is concrete or asphalt on most or all sides, often times the soil is shallow or there is rock or asphalt below, irrigation coverage is difficult due to small odd shapes. As tree roots develop, they compete for moisture. We believe that parking strips and islands may take 5-10 times as much irrigation to maintain. This is a bad combination in which to grow and maintain lawns. In addition, these areas are difficult and sometimes dangerous to maintain due to nearby cars and obstacles on or near.

What is the Alternative? There are lots of options. Replacing lawn with just barkdust or some sort of groundcover are both options. We have experimented with Sedum on green roofs but have had marginal success. We are seeing locally and nationally the use of rock and are very excited about that as an option. Below are several pictures of rock as a groundcover that is very attractive and easy to maintain. Rocks do not need water and never die. Some have expressed concern about the liability risk with rocks but we believe that is low. If someone wants to throw a rock through a window, they will find it even if there is no rock in the landscape.

We will be proposing conversion to rock some of difficult to maintain and irrigate lawns as a part of our budget proposals. Call your Area Manger if you want more details.

As an aside, another option we are evaluating is Turf (fake grass). It may not be appropriate or cost effective on the large scale but we saw a Townhome community in Hillsboro with Turf in the front yard lawns and it looked good. Stay tuned...