Submitted by Debbie Willis
The Grounds Committee will be trialing four types of ground cover this year, to discover if there are alternatives to grass that will better serve our co-op. We currently water the grass and pay for mowing; we are hoping that, after our retrofit and new building are complete, we can replace the grass with ground-cover that will be less expensive to maintain, less water-intensive, and that will support pollinators and biodiversity.
After doing research into various lawn covers, we are planning to trial four varieties:
A type of short-growing and drought-resistant grass called Eco-Lawn; we will be over-seeding existing grass near the circle garden with this variety.
The Alternative Lawn Mix Wildflower Seeds, which form a low-growing, dense ground cover composed of fine fescues, flowers, and clover species, from West Coast Seeds. Suitable for Zone 3 climates like our own, we will over-seed some of the grass in the space behind the units on 3rd Street.
The Easy Care Envirolawn Cover Crop Seeds, a mix of low maintenance grasses and drought-tolerant flowers, from West Coast Seeds. As above, this mix is suitable for Zone 3 climates; we will over-seed some of the grass in the space behind the units on 3rd Street.
Wildflower seeds from Wildflower Farm. We will remove the existing grass from a small portion of the grassy areas behind the units on 3rd street, and plant wildflower seeds in that area to trial a true wildflower meadow. There will be several months of no growth, as we prepare the ground for planting in the fall.
Please contact Debbie at debmwillis@gmail.com if you have questions or concerns about these plans.