A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. In a larger landscape, grasses can be the foundation of a design that incorporates a succession of flowering perennials. It is very slow-growing—it can take more than a year to establish a lawn of zoysia grass. Native rangeland grasses also excel in sequestering carbon to help reduce air pollutants and mitigate the effects of climate change. Native grasses are “native” to the region in which they grow. Grasses contribute to the aesthetic environment as turfs gracing playing fields, golf courses and lawns, and as ornamental garden grasses. They stabilize soil and prevent erosion. Wildlife Habitat. When native grasses are planted in urban environments, their unique qualities can even help to filter polluted runoff. Common lawn grasses in the country's southern half are warm-season grasses, which peak in growth during hot summer months. Historically purchased to provide forage for livestock, native grasses can also be planted to stabilize soil, provide wildlife with food and cover and add interesting textures and colors to a landscape. Emergence of Grasslands Grasslands began to appear about 25 million years ago, changing the face of much of the world and providing food for grazing animals. The native species that comprise meadows, on the other hand, are adapted to the climate and can thrive without irrigation. These common lawn grasses flourish in cool northern climates and die out in hot southern lawns. CA native grasses offer so many aesthetic and ecological benefits. The hardest and most time-consuming part of the job is getting rid of existing grass. Wildlife species benefit when an area is converted from mowed grass to meadow. Native grasses mingle perfectly with wildflowers and play an important role in any native planting. It can also be found in the North, but will turn brown once the weather turns cold. C hances are, your lawn isn’t natural, environmentally healthy, or necessary – but it is part of a prevalent national standard. There are a few methods you can consider trying: Black Plastic. In the prairie garden, the addition of grasses helps keep all of the plants upright. The front garden of her house in Toronto’s Hillcrest Village neighbourhood has no cut grass; but it does have milkweed, boneset and black-eyed Susans, among other plants largely native to … How to Replace Your Lawn with Native Plants. We are also the home of Eco-Lawn the ultimate low maintenance lawn seed. For the purposes of this website various sources are used, such as Newcombe's Wildflower Guide and other authoritative books. Replacing a lawn with native plants for a naturescape design is a big job. Put our experience in natural landscaping solutions to work for you! Click To Tweet This is the best time of year for grass identification – because the presence of a seed head makes grass species much easier to identify. Now that most grasses are entering their flowering stage, the plant diversity of our open range, pastures, small acreages, and lawns is becoming more visible. The cold temperatures found in northern lawns cause these grasses to die over winter. Generally speaking, a species is considered to be non-native if it did not occur in the region covered by this website prior to the arrival of Europeans. Zoysia is found mostly in and from the middle part of the U.S. and east toward the Carolinas. When meadows replace lawns, especially in drought-prone areas, communities can save clean water for essential uses like drinking. Zoysia grass forms a lawn that feels like a thick, prickly carpet. 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