A movement to rewild our landscapes with pocket prairies and wildflower patches is picking up steam — and the benefits include saving water and money!
Peek into the past and remember when you were delighted by the discovery of a white bluebonnet in a meadow or the glow of fireflies on a dark night …
A movement to return a little nature to our yards and joy to our lives is picking up steam with challenges like “No Mow May” and “Less Lawn More Life” — and the benefits include saving water and money!
The city is welcoming an influx of newcomers with arms widespread well beyond familiar reaches (there’s much to explore beyond Loop 1604 nowadays). As developments sprawl across the landscape, nesting trees, bluebonnet patches and rolling views become tidy lawns with two trees of choice. A few shrubs tucked into gravel-covered landscape beds surround new convenience stores while small trees are left lonely in parking lot islands.
With access to nature slipping farther away, folks are turning to pocket prairies and wildflower patches to rewild their lawns and create a nature-rich city. And with a seven-year drought stressing lawns, it’s a smart choice.
Native plants are much more available at local garden centers, and many community and neighborhood organizations are organizing plant and seed swaps.
The trend towards nature-based landscaping that supports our wild neighbors and pollinators scores big in my book, and not just because native plants use a fraction of the water. They also require less fertilizer — when you leave the leaves to act as mulch — and provide many health benefits.
While a smooth stretch of green lawn has a certain appeal, it’s less appealing to many than a seasonally shifting, brightly colored parade of wildflowers and birds, bees, fireflies, butterflies and birds again.
I find the seasonal cycles both soothing and exciting as I watch tiny leaves unfurl, discover a fast-growing caterpillar, pick ripening berries, and spot migrating birds. Watching the life and times of my deck anole from my window seat is practically can’t-miss TV!
After taking the Less Lawn More Life quiz, I decided to focus on boosting my yard’s biodiversity this fall, despite my respectable score. Wildlife-friendly features like shrubs and brush piles helped me as did actions like turning off outdoor lights at night, leaving fallen leaves for mulch, and avoiding pesticides.
I also got a little help from a squirrel that planted an acorn which turned into a bountiful oak and a bird that “planted” a hackberry seed that is now a dove’s annual nesting tree. Fall goal: Add some plant diversity by filling in a mix of native plants or leaving a few “weeds” to see what nature gives me.
Try rewilding a small patch of your lawn with ideas from our GardenStyleSA.com website or create a larger, 200-square-foot bed in the fall with our Landscape Coupon program. Start small and minimize your HOA’s stress by maintaining tidy borders or keeping a small, mowed stretch of lawn around your new mini meadow.
Then watch life take hold in your little patch of Texas. For best results, admire weekly and share photos of blooms and butterflies with friends.
