By: Brad Priest, Designer at DG2 Design Landscape Architecture

“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

A “Wild Lawn” is exactly what it sounds like – a lawn that has been allowed to go…well, wild! It is a lawn that embraces bio-diversity and the natural processes of nature rather than fighting against them. Equally important, it is a lawn filled with aesthetic interest – textures, colors and seasonal evolution that could never be found in a traditional ‘pristine’ lawn. Last but not least, it is of course a lawn that provides one the perfect opportunity to discover the virtues of the villainized weed.
The concept of a wild lawn should actually be considered more of a maintenance philosophy than a particular type of planting. More specifically, the maintenance philosophy behind wild lawns is to do very little maintenance at all. It is a choice to allow nature to take the wheel while you, the landowner, sit back with a tall glass of ice cold lemonade and enjoy the scenery. Aside from the benefit of the extra free time not spent laboring diligently, the choice of keeping a wild lawn has important benefits to the environment. Eliminating the unnecessary overuse of the earth’s precious natural resources (e.g. water and gasoline) as well as the man-made ecologically degrading chemicals so many millions dump onto their lawns and into the atmosphere and the waterways (e.g. fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, etc.) is critical to promoting healthy ecosystems not only locally but globally. Endless scientific studies have made obvious the importance of this last point.

So what exactly does one do to start a wild lawn? The basic answer is nothing at all. Stop cutting the grass every weekend. Stop applying fertilizer every spring and fall. Stop watering every time the sun comes out. Keeping a wild lawn is making a choice to allow weeds to take over, and learning to appreciate a non-traditional lawn look.

And what exactly does a wild lawn look like? The beauty of wild lawns lies in their ever-changing aesthetic. An established wild lawn contains a multi-colored, multi-textured mixture of weeds such as Dandelion, Clover, Plantain, Selfheal, and Wild Violet to name a few. Previously existing turf grass is less dominant, ceding space to the weeds, and as temperature and moisture levels fluctuate throughout the year so do the prominent species. The varying leaf textures, green hues and vibrant colored flowers all work in concert as nature sees fit. Moreover, the lawn is more active with life, as many types of beneficial insects and pollinators like bees and butterflies begin visiting to take advantage of the new habitat and food sources.

While a wild lawn may not be for everyone, it is certainly worth consideration for those who find themselves bored with the typical traditional lawn, or those who find themselves weak and weary from the grind of constant maintenance. And for those not convinced of making the switch – take a walk outside and consider the virtues of your enemies, those pesky weeds…you may just find them friendlier than you thought!

By: Jordan Wilkinson, Designer at DG2 Design Landscape Architecture

By now it is likely that you have noticed some new-fangled green solutions to stormwater management in your daily life. Whether it be those fuzzy looking tall grasses between the aisles in a new parking lot, or a raingarden full of wildflowers, these solutions help to collect and slow stormwater runoff with the end goal of removing pollutants and increasing infiltration of water into the ground.

These new and innovative approaches to stormwater management have started to make a resurgence in the past 10-15 years and are becoming more and more common. Solutions like bioswales, filter strips, raingardens, engineered wetlands, infiltration basins, and bioretention filters are some of the tools that we as Landscape Architects have in our design palette that not only add to the beauty and intricacy of a site, but offer an abundance of environmental benefits. It should be noted that some of these practices have been used for centuries, whether or not we have realized it. Mother Nature knows the best ways of handling stormwater, and sometimes we need a reminder. Natural solutions encouraging low-impact design work to clean up our streams, lakes, rivers, and oceans. Green solutions to stormwater management in recent years have come as a direct result of over-engineered systems that primarily put stormwater underground in pipes and concrete swales, which accelerate flows and contribute to erosion while doing very little to address pollution. The good news is, these practices are slowly and surely becoming a thing of the past.

Stormwater and sewer districts across the nation (such as our own MSD in St. Louis) are encouraging and even requiring implementation of green stormwater management solutions. MSD Project Clear currently offers small grants of up to $3,000 to property owners who want to create new raingardens, bioswales, green roofs, permeable pavers, etc. Information on the grants can be found at here. Responsible stormwater management methods not only reduce water pollution, but also increase wildlife habitat and diversity through the planting of native grasses and perennials. Small steps like adding a rain barrel to collect water from your downspout, or re-grading a portion of your property to safely collect stormwater can go a long way in improving the quality of our local watersheds. The designers and Landscape Architects at DG2 Design can assist with designing stormwater and drainage solutions of any size or type.