Xeriscape

Re-naturalize your lawn or xeriscape
 
In many areas of the country, including the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest, you can convert areas of your lawn to a more natural landscape by allowing the area to grow as it would if the lawn were not there. Don't mow, fertilize or apply pesticides. Don't rake leaves. Spread mulch if you want to help kill back the grass within the naturalizing area. With time (2-5 years), this will allow native plants to take root, re-establish their presence through succession, as well as help restore natural habitat. This also means you'll use less fertilizer and pesticides and you won't have to mow the re-naturalized area! Although the re-naturalized area may not appear very attractive for a while (and a neighbor may even raise a comment or two), it can help to spread mulch and plant some ornamental plants appropriate for your climate to give the re-naturalizing area a garden-like appearance as it gets established. You can do as much of this as you wish to achieve a happy balance between a totally natural look and a garden look. Once the native vegetation has replaced the lawn, small shrubs, vines, bushes, trees and other natural vegetation will dominate and create a maintenance-free portion of your yard. Eventually the vegetation will grow thick and dense and provide a nice visual screen or green buffer between your home and surrounding properties when leafed-out. Re-naturalized areas help to absorb rainwater better than lawns and can lead to less storm water runoff from your property. Once you have achieved the desired size of the re-naturalized area, you can encircle it with field stone or other edging materials, if you wish.

Also consider re-naturalizing areas with steep slopes, shade, or along streams and lakes, where it takes a lot of extra work to maintain grass. Leaving, or creating, a "buffer" of dense native vegetation along streams and lakes will filter and slow runoff, shade and cool the water, provide homes for wildlife, and prevent stream bank erosion.

In arid parts of the country such as the West, Southwest, and Rocky Mountain regions, consider xeriscaping, a cost-effective and increasing popular landscaping option. Xeriscaping takes many forms but is defined as landscape design tailored to withstand drought conditions, by using draught tolerant plants and grouping plants with similar watering needs. Xeriscaped landscapes also require little or no fertilizer or pesticides, and have lower maintenance needs than lawns.

Source: http://www.epa.gov