Mowing Smart
By: S.V. Scott, Master Gardener

If you thought a little lingering drought meant less lawn mowing this summer, think again. Recent rains mean weeks of healthy growing grass ahead. When you decide that life is too short to spend it chained to a lawn mower, here are some tips to make the job less time consuming.

First, decide exactly how much time you do want to spend mowing the yard. Is it an hour a week, or thirty minutes, or more or less than that? Take a careful look around and decide which areas really need lawn. Start there and mow for your allotted time only. Try to map your route so that you only go forward, never stopping and never backing up. If there is landscaping that you typically do a lot of fussy mowing around, leave it for now and concentrate on making your mowing path as efficient as possible.

When you finish, take stock of what’s left. If there are a lot of little ‘islands’ of shrubs or flower beds dotted here and there, see if you can consolidate them into just one or two large flowing borders, using mulch, ground covers, and other decorative plants. Are there yard ornaments standing alone that you have to trim or mow around? See if they don’t look better incorporated into your new border. Bird baths especially benefit from a little light cover nearby, but nothing near enough or stout enough to support a cat.

Are there shrubs that are too isolated to assimilate into a border? Can they be transplanted? If not, give them a really honest appraisal. Are they striking enough to stand on their own? If not, they may be best removed.

What about sparse or worn places where your mower kicks up a lot of dust and dirt? They may be too shady, or the soil to poor to support a lawn. You might want a shade border there, or it might be a signal to enlarge a patio, or put down a permanent path.

Combining disparate elements, (flower beds, shrubs, ornaments) into a complete ensemble, while leaving uninterrupted sweeps of lawn that are easy to care for, provides a pleasing unity that looks thoughtful and natural. Most importantly, it may leave you time for the most critical job of all…enjoying your landscape!