Few things get us more excited than designing a lawn replacement project – especially when it’s a highly visible front yard, like this property in Stamford, CT. The goal was to remove the lawn and replace it with a highly productive and visually stunning front yard native pollinator garden.
This client is a true nature enthusiast and photographer – we received such amazing pollinator footage from their time spent observing in the garden – nothing better than that! Needless to say the organic pollinator garden is thriving!
If you’re intrigued by this project, and wondering if you will miss your front lawn, try to count the number of days you’ve looked out your window to watch the changes in your lawn…
That’s what we thought. There is truly nothing interesting about a lawn.
Now enjoy these photos of the lawn removal and fabulous garden evolution in just a few months! This property certainly qualifies as a Pollinator Pathway garden in Fairfield County, CT.
Above is the before photo – pretty standard lawn. The site is full sun which opens up a myriad of native perennial options, as well as ornamental grasses and flowering shrubs.
The space is small enough that the lawn can be removed mechanically – this is the preferred method anyways, as it does not disturb the soil or the weed seed bank within it. Disrupting the seed bank can create a weeding maintenance headache if proper site preparation techniques are not employed.
The soil was then amended with organic compost and biochar to enrich the soil microbial communities and assist with soil structure and water retention. Green sand — an enlivened rock powder — was also top dressed onto the soil.
The green sand activates the clay particles in the soil and helps to alleviate compaction, allowing for air pockets in the soil that enable plant and microbial growth.
Designing the plant palette was lots of fun. The perennials peak in mid-summer, creating quite the show for the neighborhood. The butterfly, bee and hummingbird activity is unparalleled! We also made sure to have blooms – pollen and nectar – available in early spring and fall, and shrubs like native viburnum will provide berries in the winter for the birds.
Learn more about Designing for Biodiversity on our previous blog.
We compiled the pollinator footage taken by our client in their new front yard pollinator garden. The pollinator and bird activity in this new habitat is truly inspiring! Think of the impact we could have on reversing insect and biodiversity decline if we continued to convert our monoculture lawns to thriving habitats!
Contact us or call about your ecological landscape design project: 914-560-6570
Jay Archer
Green Jay Landscape Design
