Beautiful No-Mow Yards is just what American gardeners need. And you can win it right here

In the last year or so, we're hearing that there are better uses for our land than turfgrass, that unless it's needed for sport or play, you can save on resources and probably your labor, too, by switching to an array of alternatives - meadows, vegetable gardens, native grasse, and so on. 

All good!  Well, mostly good - because that well-intentioned advice isn't easy to actually implement, without a LOT more information.  Which groundcovers? Which native grasses - and native to where, anyway?  How much do the alternatives cost, can they be walked on, and how much work does it really take to maintain them?

My mixed reviews of much of the lawn-free cheering has me wildly cheering the thoroughly researched and honestly reported definitive book about reducing or eliminating lawns by Evelyn Hadden.  Beautiful No-Mow Yards contains exactly the kind of info that's needed, and its gorgeous photographs (most by Evelyn and the wonderful Saxon Holt, too) are deeply inspirational to anyone looking to make their yards more interesting, more beautiful, and more wildlife-friendly.

Meet Evelyn

Readers of GardenRant are no strangers to this subject (see the many stories in our Lawn Reform category), but may not be familiar with the author.  Well, Evelyn is THE original lawn reformer, having written Shrink Your Lawn and created the Less Lawn website back in 2001.  She's a pioneer whose cause has caught on.

What's in Beautiful No-Mow Yards

• Photos and stories about gardens sunny and shady, flat and hilly, a "shockingly simple meadow garden", a "patio for pennies", rain gardens, edibles, ponds, terraces, hellstrips and more.
• "Smarter lawns" using fine fescue mixes, carexes, and other low-resource grass types, including where each type works best and what it takes to install and maintain them.
• Real gardeners and the truth about their attempts to replace their lawns, failures and all. 
• How-to chapters for killing the lawn, designing alternatives, and maintaining them.
• An illustrated guide to groundcovers by type.

Here's Evelyn's quick video introduction to the book.

Just one more photo from the book for now (more coming this afternoon, I hope), and a confession.  That's my garden on the cover!  And in the photo on the left, both by Saxon Holt.  (Though I suppose I should start saying "former garden," since I sold it three weeks ago. Sigh.)

Plus, I wrote the foreward, happy to help in any way I could because this book is soooo needed. 

So I feel like the proud aunt to Evelyn's baby. Her beautiful, superbly written baby.  Great job!

WIN THIS BOOK
Just leave a comment about lawns or alternatives thereto, and I'll choose one at random.  Entries close Friday at midnight Eastern.

Comments

[Carri]

I am slowly removing lawn without my husband's consent. Obviously he hasn't noticed it too much.... Haha

[NancyO]

I would love this book!

I live in Denver where we don't get much run, so up keep of a lawn is difficult. I have tried seeding, over seeding and watering but it's to much. I want some ideas for a grass-less lawn and could use all the help I can get.

Thanks,
Nancy

[Suze]

I live on a corner lot one block from an elementary school. Not only do I not want to take care of a traditional lawn in my front yard, but I've been hoping that putting in some kind of lawn alternative will help with some of the kids cutting across my yard all the time. (Yes, I'm that "You kids stay the &$#* off my lawn!" lady!)

[Nancy O]

I, too, would love this book! I'm down to less than 10% grass since we moved in 10 years ago. Still challenged by what to plant instead.... Lots of shade and roots.

[Thad]

We have no lawn at the new place that we purchased last year ... so, instead of seeding the yard, I am still looking for alternatives for at least a large segment of the yard.

Cheers!

[Lynn]

I'm working to change just a few square feet of lawn to something else each year -- first, some shade gardens; this year, expanded veggie gardens blended into the landscape. Very rewarding!

[TP]

All the lawn that I want is a place for the dog to play ... other than that, we will have fruit, veggies, herbs, and flowers!

[Cathy]

I need help in this area. I truly want to take out the lawn, but haven't found something that will work for me. Been thinking about it for years and still can't find the right answer.

[Suzanne]

Please send me this book! I have a large shady area under trees that I don't know what to do with since grass won't grow! Help!

[laurie]

I am dead between excited/scared to do this on my own corner lot, one block from school. The book looks great, and I'm just excited to have found Evelyn as another resource.

[Michele Owens]

Wow, what a beautiful book cover, Susan! And what a tribute to your grading style.

[Terri Price]

Beautiful book! We would put it to good use. We are currently de-grassing our front yard and need some new ideas for grass substitutes.

[Lisa]

I would LOVE a copy of this book, my whole yard needs a makeover!

[CM]

Love the concept of this book and think a no mow solution is just what we need in the backyard.

[KSCranford]

My next-door neighbors would love us if we went grass-free; they did it when they moved in a few years ago.

[Kim Blackson]

Much needed subject matter. We need to get the word out.

[Whitney O]

This would be so helpful! Our front yard is on our spring to-do list.

[ES]

I'd love to read this book -- espiecally about putting a rain garden in my front yard!

[Edith]

I am in the process of removing my lawn. I've been accumulating plants ( cuttings, seeds, free stuff from craig's list) for 6 months now. This book would be so useful to me!

[Tiffany]

I'm slowly transitioning my front yard to be many garden beds with perhaps just some lawn paths in between. I would love to get some more ideas from this book!

[Gaia Gardener]

So glad to see a book with photographs to share alternatives to traditional lawns. So many folks are simply scared of the changes this would cause. I'm really looking forward to showing off that no-mow yards can be beautiful, not scary!

[Mario Carminati, agronomist & tree consultant]

the idea of ​​reducing energy inputs is great, the idea of greater naturalness is also excellent, how can I buy the book?

Mario, Italy
http://www.facebook.com/mario.carminati.agronomo

[Stacey]

I always need new ideas for my front yard. I would love to have this book

[Marianne Mueller]

Does it differentiate among, say, Vermont and the Bay Area of California and the desert and ... It is wild but they do have lawns in the desert. See also "Reimagining the California Lawn" by Carol Bornstein, David Fross and Bart O'Brien and review in LA Times, http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2011/03/reimagining-the-california-lawn.html. You probably reviewed it on Garden Rant ... it's very good for, well, people in California.

[kate]

I removed all lawn in my back garden when I bought the house, replacing a giant square of turf with layered beds and gravel paths. But my front, oh my front: I just haven't found the right plant ideas to transform the front lawn patches into something divine. Seeking inspiration!