So I’ve just done the first spring mowing and edging. Exciting!! But talk to me in a few weeks and by then the novelty will have worn off. By that time I’m seriously re-thinking the idea of having and maintaining a lawn. 

Lawn Maintenance

Of course there are options. I could just stop watering and let the grass go brown and crisp up. Literally in about a month I will think this is a fabulous idea, however compromises must be made in any relationship and my guy loves having all this high maintenance turf. Where else will he practice putting? 

So in a month or so I’ll do what I must to preserve my sanity, which is to turn over all lawn maintenance to himself. 

Lawn Alternatives 

In the past I’ve dabbled with replacing the lawn, especially in areas that are difficult to access, with Vinca. These were areas of the yard that no one really walked on so a lawn was really an unnecessary luxury. 

Vinca minor, commonly known as periwinkle, works great in both semi-shade and full sun areas and rapidly fills barren areas in. Suitable to zones 4-9, Vinca blooms with a profusion of purple hued blooms in the spring through summer. It is pest free and low maintenance as long as you can forgive its penchant for overtaking other garden spaces. 

All that said, the Vinca experiment was a bust. I spent more time yanking Vinca from areas I did not want the invasive vine in than not. 

So if you are thinking of ditching the lawn mowing in my personal opinion I would avoid planting Vinca; unless you have a large area you want to look wild and untended. You could always rip it all out and xeriscape. Save money, water, and time and the results are still beautiful… you can’t golf on it but still beautiful.