Lawns Gone Wild - Notes

1/6/2013

Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden

Lawns Gone Wild

C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake
CSUDH & Madrona Marsh Preserve

Madrona Marsh Nature Center
Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants January 8, 2011
Project SOUND – 2011 (our 7th year)
© Project SOUND © Project SOUND

The two most important tools in the
mindful gardener’s toolkit

2011 Theme: Mindful Gardening
1. A thoughtful (question posing) attitude
(understanding options/choices for your garden) 2. Time spent watching and thinking about your garden

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1/6/2013

A traditional sod lawn may be the best Many benefits of a healthy conventional lawn
solution...
 Reduces soil erosion
 Tough – stands up
to kids, dogs, play  Filters contaminants from
rainwater
and even worse
 Absorbs airborne pollutants
 Evergreen – and a like dust and soot
nice medium green  Great at converting carbon
color dioxide to oxygen.

 Smooth – good
http://xploring.org/tag/green/

playing surface  54 million Americans mow their lawns each weekend.
 5% of U.S. air pollution comes from traditional gas-powered lawn mowers.
 Gardener’s can
http://molkkyusa.com/


manage them
80 pounds of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere each year by the
average gas-powered mower.
 800 million gallons of gas are consumed each year by gas mowers.
© Project SOUND Source: Environmental Protection Agency Project SOUND Machines
© and People Powered

So, ideally you should choose a conventional turf lawn You may conclude that you do need some lawn…but
based on conscious weighing of pros & cons… can reduce it’s size

…rather than simply going Giving you more space to use
with the ‘usual’ solution as you desire (whatever that
© Project SOUND
may be) © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

What do you really want from
Your first answer may
your ‘lawn area’?
be ‘drought tolerant’
 Cities/water districts are
promoting incentive programs
 Beautiful Long Beach Lawn-
to-Garden Incentive Program
http://laist.com/2010/03/31/long_beach_is_now_paying_people_to.php

 Also programs in Santa
Monica, City of L.A., other
areas
 These programs may give you
the extra incentive to re-think
your lawn space – but they
can’t tell you what’s right
for your yard

http://www.calecodesign.com/Gallery.html

Just because it’s drought-tolerant doesn’t What things don’t you like about your
mean it’s right for you current ‘lawn are’?
 Too water-thirsty
 Needs too much fertilizer &
pesticides
 Time spent mowing could be
spent more enjoyably
 Cost of gardener to maintain
 Not used any more – kids grown
 Poor habitat value
 Boring
 Full of weeds
 Lawn doesn’t grow very well –
too shady or too hot
 Doesn’t reflect the natural
heritage of western L.A. co.

What can I do to avoid these pitfalls in
my ‘new lawn’?
http://www.citydirt.net/2008/01/

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1/6/2013

What do you like about your current lawn? Your lawn – before you removed it
 A place for kids to play
 Green most of the year
 Cool in summer
 Mowing – it gets us outside
and working/exercising
 Looks good with the design
of the house
 Easy to maintain
 Reduces erosion; allows
water to infiltrate The good things
The bad things
 Takes up CO2  Green in Spring/Summer
 Requires too much water
 Whatever it is you like about  Looks neat & tidy
 Not local native – would
your lawn  Can be walked on prefer that
 Mowing – enjoy occasionally

Your personal lists will help you make a Saltgrass – Distichlis spicata
choice that’s right for your garden

The good things The bad things
 Green in Spring/Summer  Requires too much water
 Looks neat & tidy  Not local native – would
 Can be walked on prefer that
 Mowing – enjoy occasionally © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

Saltgrass Keys to a successful Saltgrass lawn
 Stiff perennial grass
 Lawns usually started from plugs or
with numerous long cut sections of rhizomes
stems
 Best done in winter
 Warm-season grass  Bury rhizomes 1-2 inches
 Keep ground moist until established
 Sod-forming – spreads
 Needs full sun
by rhizomes
 Needs winter moisture; can water
 May grow flat or more in summer to keep green
erect (4-16 inches tall)
 Mow infrequently
 Looks somewhat like
 Needs no/little added fertilizer
Bermuda Grass

Benefits of Saltgrass Perhaps you’d like something a little less
 Can withstand harsh conditions – tough – but more refined looking
salt/alkali soils, seasonal flooding,
seasonal drought
 Good habitat for birds (seeds and
cover) and butterflies (Skippers)
 good for controlling wind or water
erosion
 Highly resistant to trampling –
even for playing fields
 Looks like Bermuda Grass – and
can be treated like it

But….
1. It really does best – and is most water-wise – with summer-fall drought
2. It is coarse-looking – and feeling (like Bermuda-grass)

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1/6/2013

Creeping Wild Rye - Leymus triticoides Creeping Wildrye is quite versatile

 Any soil texture, but
should be well-drained
 Tolerates alkali soils &
salty soils
 Low/no fertilizer needed
 Full sun to light shade
 Water: it takes what it
gets – will stay green with
some summer water

http://www.elnativogrowers.com/Photographs_page/leytri.htm

Mowing your Creeping Wild Rye (or
Uses for Creeping Wild Rye
other native grass)
 Nice, green native lawn grass –  Mowing is tolerated well
and takes well to mowing  Mowing changes how it
 Good for erosion control looks - will look just like
a turf grass (Bermuda
 Suited for washes, riparian Grass)
areas – probably our best
native for vernal swales  Mow every 3-4 weeks
during growth season
http://www.albrightseed.com/wildryeswalefilter.htm

 Good bank stabilizer and weed only
suppressor Hint: this grass spreads by
runners – may want to grow in  Set mower high – as high
http://www.hastingsreserve.org/NativeGrass/Natives.html#LeymusTrit
contained area or limit water as it will go is best
© Project SOUND http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/review-push-reel-mower-lawnmower-sunlawn-lmm-40.php © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

Dune (Seaside) Bentgrass – Agrostis pallens
Dune (Seaside) Bentgrass – Agrostis pallens
 Cool-season perennial bunchgrass
that also spreads via runners &
reseeding

 Summer dormant in nature –
turns an attractive golden brown

 Native to dunes – does great in
sandy soils

 Full sun to part-shade

 Water: Zone 1-2 to 2-3 (for
summer green)

 Use as an ornamental grass,
meadow grass or (small) mowed
lawn

Weighing the pros & cons of locally native
‘lawn grasses’ Native Fescues can
 Pros make nice lawn
grasses
 Locally native
 Tough http://www.ibot.cas.cz/krkonose/mm/mm.htm

 Easy to grow http://turfgrassmanagement.psu.edu/species.cfm

 Can be very drought
tolerant
 Can be mowed occasionally
– or left unmowed

 Cons
 Some (like Saltgrass) are
coarse looking http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?cod

 Really best – and most
e=G880 http://www.soquelcreekwater.com/images/Pho-Grass_festuca_rubra.jpg

water-wise – with some
summer/fall drought But they ARE from northern CA – so need some summer water to
look good

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1/6/2013

The really ‘lawn-like’ native grasses are from Your personal lists will help you make a
further North (and require more water) choice that’s right for your garden
 Festuca rubra ‘Molate’
- ‘Molate’ Red Fescue
 Spreading/bunching – the most
lawn-like of CA native grasses – fine
texture
 Can be mowed occasionally (and high
– 4-6”) for more lawn-like
appearance – take some foot traffic
http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/geoImages/BainCalif/CAL400/BUNGRASS.HTML

 Shade or sun
 Needs occasional summer water –
best as Zone 2 or 2-3 for ‘green  Evergreen – ‘swath of green’  Requires too much water
lawn’ appearance  Low maintenance  Doesn’t look great in the
 Reminds me of being out in the shady areas of the yard
 Widely available as seed or plugs – woods (which I like)
easy to grow on many climates

Does it really have to be ‘all grass’? Choices from the N. CA Coastal Prairie
tend to be green looking with some water
 Other options for shady
areas:  Coastal prairie conditions are
 Yarrow (Achillea) sunny and mild, with fog and
cool breezes.
 Native strawberries
(Fragaria spp) – native to
Central CA coast, local  Red fescue (Festuca rubra), a
mountains grass that expands by
underground rhizomes
 Benefits
 Interesting – ‘woodsy’ look  California Oatgrass (Danthonia
 Good habitat value californica), a plant that
 Tough – and more water- http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/thelomaprietan.asp?q=2009030802 doesn't mind being stepped on
wise than grass
 Can be combined with
A native lawn of Pacific dune sedge
 Pacific dune sedge (Carex
pansa), a lush green
looks lush with just monthly
grass-like species for more watering (in N. CA)
interest groundcover.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spidra/2290393751/

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1/6/2013

Sedges (Carex species) can be a good Which ‘lawn sedge’ is it?
evergreen alternative to grass
 There has been some
confusion in the past
 Relatively easy to
establish & maintain  Carex pansa (north coast)
 Shorter, bent
 Evergreen – look  best for sandy soils
‘grass-like’ to most http://www.baynatives.com/plants/Carex-pansa/  ‘Lawn-like’ even when not
people (including your C. pansa is left, praegracilis is right mowed (on slopes)
neighbors)
 C. praegracilis (local native)
 Can take a little  More upright
more water – good  best for clays/ likes more
for wet areas near water
http://blueplanetgardening.com/art-lawnsubs.html neighbor’s lawn  C. tumulticola (local native)
 More mounded
 Slow-spreading; plant closely
 Some can be mowed (for a more formal look) or left for meadow or lawn
unmowed (for a more informal look)  Slightly more drought
© Project SOUND C. pansa lawn, on the coast tolerant © Project SOUND

Green & easy-care – the Carex pansa solution Carex praegracilis can be
mowed for a ‘lawn-like’
appearance – or spaced
more widely as a pleasing
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fross/3237730086/in/photostream/
accent or shade plant
Mowed Carex praegracilis
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eastbaywilds/2673289141/

http://www.landscaperesource.com/articles/study-of-lawn-in-our-gardens-part-ii.htm

Carex pansa is the most lawn-like, but
it’s from N. CA and it does require
more water http://www.flickr.com/photos/11525626@N00/3881883242
http://www.calown.com/nativegarden_plants.html

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1/6/2013

Grasses & sedges can soften modern
Carex species combine well
with other native grasses, architecture
groundcovers and shrubs to
give and interesting a varied
appearance

http://www.satoridesigns.net/?p=19

Sedges

http://www.asla.org/2009awards/612.html

Deergrass

Fescues

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eastbaywilds/2673289141/

Your personal lists will help you make a

http://greenlandoceanblue.com/2011/01/03/say-you-got-some-snoo-on-your-lawn-larry-o%E2%80%99shea-in-the-tv-series-that%E2%80%99s-my-bush/

 Evergreen – sort of  Requires too much water –
 Prevents erosion on slope would like to be slightly more
 Discourages people from water-wise
walking on it  Hard to mow – steep hillside

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1/6/2013

Do I really need to mow? If not, the options Grass-like natives as accents or background
expand dramatically
 Many ‘lawn-like’ species
can be left un-mowed
(‘ornamental grasses’)
 Carex species
 Juncus species
 Fescue species
 Many local & other CA
Native bunchgrasses http://www.flickr.com/photos/83213315@N00/498800058
http://www.cnps.org/cnps/grownative/tips/lawn_alternatives.php

 Many other groundcover
species
 Herbaceous species
 Even low-growing
woody species from
N./Central CA coast
[Manzanitas;
Ceanothus]

http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/index.php/2008/06/04/save-money-and-conserve-water-with-these-7-ideas-for-your-yard/

The no-lawn ‘lawn’ What is really important to you?

http://www.cnps.org/cnps/grownative/tips/lawn_alternatives.php

http://cocreativegardendesign.com/56-2/

http://freshdirt.sunset.com/2009/03/another-front-l.html
http://www.penick.net/digging/?p=497 © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

Your personal lists will help you make a The California Coastal Prairie

 Changes with the seasons –  Requires too much water
green in winter/spring  Too boring – not enough going on The Northern CA Coastal Prairie
 Poor habitat value
 No sense of place http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~joel/g148_f09/lecture_notes/north_coast/north_coast.html


Where do I go to see what a S. CA The California Coastal
Coastal Prairie looks like? Prairie – clues from
other native grasslands

http://www.savetejonranch.org/all/index.html

http://www.coastalzone-ca.com/realworld.htm


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1/6/2013

Shares some grass The S. California Coastal Prairie
and other species with
 Grasses
N. Coastal Prairie  Bromus carinatus
 Koelera macrantha
 Melica imperfecta
 Nassella cernua
 Poa secunda
http://philipsgardenblog.com/
 Elymus glaucus
 And others
 Forbes
http://faculty.jsd.claremont.edu/dthomson/studentres.htm

 Annual wildflowers – most of the
http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/training/show_train_detail.php?T
RAIN_ID=CoyEJZ39 ones we’ve discussed in previous
classes
And with vernal pools
 Other ‘weedy’ annuals
 Perennials (mostly small and incl.
bulbs & corms)
 Shrubs
http://www.caopenspace.org/pv1.html

Many aspects of S.
Project SOUND will focus on Coastal
Coastal Prairie are
Prairie research the next several years
currently unknown
 What is the natural succession  Collecting plant species
of plant species? How long not readily available –
does it take? and propagating them
 How best to restore native  Research on
http://interwork.sdsu.edu/fire/resources/san-diego-habitats.htm

prairies restoration methods
 How to combat weeds (note:  Work on restoring a
native prairies don’t have native prairie at
natural mulch)
CSUDH
 What species are best suited
for home gardens? How  Trying gardening
should they be used? methods focused on
prairie species
 And many more Would you like to participate?

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1/6/2013

One-sided Bluegrass – Poa secunda This is more like what it would look like in
South Bay prairie

http://www.flickr.com/photos/raphaelmazor
/3400158978/

http://www.tarleton.edu/~range/Grasslands/Palouse%20Prairie/palouseprairie.htm

Bluebunch wheatgrass with scattered One-sided bluegrass
http://www.baynatives.com/plants/Poa-secunda/

Typical Bluegrass  Fine-bladed, dark blue- One-sided Bluegrass succeeds
green perennial grass
 In mixes with other, later-season
 Cool-season grass grasses
 Starts growth in early spring
– one of the first grasses  In full sun to partial shade – fine
under pine trees
 Blooms Feb-Aug – early
bloomer  On any soil texture – like a good loam
 Matures, dies in mid-summer but succeeds in shallow, rocky, sandy
or clay soils
 Bunchgrass – but variable
 Any local pH is fine – tolerates
 Sometimes (harsh climates) moderately alkali and salty soils
just a thin, small tuft
 With more winter-spring  Needs average winter/spring rain –
water, more developed then likes to dry out in summer. You
tussock could experiment with some summer
water
 Relatively short-lived
http://www.nativegrasses.com/images/grasses/FHGR-FHG1.jpg

http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/onesidedbluegrass.html © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

Benefits and uses Planting One-sided Bluegrass from seed

 Pretty, graceful and delicate – all the  Plant fall/winter in S. Bay
usual positive points for bluegrasses
 May have low germination rates – highly
 Early to green up – often after fall rains variable depending on weather, site
in S. Bay
 Use 2-4 lbs seed/1000 sq. feet for
 Will reseed on patches of bare ground lawn/meadow (more if broadcast)
once established
 Sow on well-prepared and firmed soil
 Can tolerate moderate spring flooding –
would be fine for a vernal swale  Rake in or cover to ¼ to ½ inch (deeper
for coarse soils)
 Well-liked by birds (seeds and nesting
site), ground squirrels and domestic  Be sure to keep ground surface moist
animals (horses) even when dry until seeds germinate (7-14 days); then
every other day until established
 Tolerant of fire when dormant
 Will grow quickly in warm temperatures
http://www.laspilitas.com/butterfl_files/Needle_grass.jpeg
 Few (if any) insect, disease problems
http://ww1.clunet.edu/wf/chap/common/bjc-1397.htm


California Brome – Bromus carinatus (var. maritimus) California Brome – locally native bunchgrass
 Perennial (may be short-lived)
 Cool season
 Bunchgrass
 Usually erect when young,
more drooping as matures –
but coastal forms are more
low-lying (prostrate)
 Leaves broad, green, robust
 Stays green into summer, even
with no added water

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1/6/2013

Benefits and uses of CA Brome Blue Wildrye – Elymus glaucus

 Grows rapidly (typical brome) - a great
choice to get native grass covering the
ground quickly

 Can serve as a quick-growing “nurse”
grass to longer-lived grasses like
Needlegrasses, Melic Grass - lives only a
few years (3-5 years here)

 Deep, spreading roots make great for
erosion control – quick

 Does fine on slopes

 Great insect, butterfly and bird plant – if
left to go to seed
http://pnwpest.org/weeds/id/California_brome--Bromus_carinatus--
m.s.jpg
 Very hardy – used on roadsides and mine
rehabilitation © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

June Grass - Koeleria macrantha

http://www.cedarcreek.umn.edu/plants/newslides/koeleria480.jpg

Junegrass in nature: an accent rather than the main show
Patrick J. Alexander @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

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1/6/2013

Local Prairie grasses - lovely in gardens Would you like to help recreate native
prairie in your yard?
 Attend special classes featuring
the S. Coastal Prairie/ shrubland
 Grow seed - seed available for
home propagation
 Experiment with installation
methods - grass available for
demonstration areas in your yard
 Grow the grasses/annuals as part
of the One Pot Program
 Experiment with different uses of
the native species on your garden
However you choose to use – there are many possibilities
them, you’re increasing the
habitat value of your garden
E-mail Connie if you’re interested
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/calif/msg0617091222429.
html

Bringing Back the Natives – One Pot at a Time If you’d like to grow more native grasses
from seed….
Your commitment:
 You can help us by
 Materials
experimenting with the
 Pot: 12-16 inches in diameter; following in your own
12-16 inches deep
 Potting soil: Gardener’s Soil
yard:

 Time  Raising native grass
plugs/plants from seed
 Plant seeds; care for plants
 After seeds are ripe/dry:  Direct seeding
 Scatter in your garden experiments
 Collect and share with others
 Creating a ‘One Plot’ area in
 Photos & feedback your garden to grow native
grasses for seed
 Provide us photos and (brief)
written feedback about your
successes and failures We’ll help you design a program that works for you

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1/6/2013

We hope you’re inspired to explore the
options for your own ‘lawn’

http://susanwrites.livejournal.com/tag/haiku © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

18

Lawns Gone Wild - Notes

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