Lawns gone wild 2011

Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden

Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants
Project SOUND – 2011 (our 7th year)
© Project SOUND

Lawns Gone Wild

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

Madrona Marsh Nature Center
January 8, 2011

© Project SOUND

2011 Theme: Mindful Gardening
(understanding options/choices for your garden)
© Project SOUND

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

1. A thoughtful (question posing) attitude
2. Time spent watching and thinking about your garden
© Project SOUND

A traditional sod lawn may be the best
solution...
 Tough – stands up
to kids, dogs, play
and even worse
 Evergreen – and a
nice medium green
color
 Smooth – good
playing surface
 Gardener’s can
http://molkkyusa.com/

manage them

© Project SOUND

Many benefits of a healthy conventional lawn
 Reduces soil erosion
 Filters contaminants from
rainwater
 Absorbs airborne pollutants
like dust and soot
 Great at converting carbon
dioxide to oxygen.
http://xploring.org/tag/green/

 54 million Americans mow their lawns each weekend.
 5% of U.S. air pollution comes from traditional gas-powered lawn mowers.
 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.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency and People Powered Machines
© Project SOUND

So, ideally you should choose a conventional turf lawn
based on conscious weighing of pros & cons…

…rather than simply going
with the ‘usual’ solution

© Project SOUND

You may conclude that you do need some lawn…but
can reduce it’s size

Giving you more space to use
as you desire (whatever that
may be) © Project SOUND

What do you really want from
your ‘lawn area’?

© Project SOUND

Your first answer may
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

© Project SOUND
http://www.calecodesign.com/Gallery.html

Just because it’s drought-tolerant doesn’t
mean it’s right for you

http://www.citydirt.net/2008/01/
© Project SOUND

What things don’t you like about your
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’?
© Project SOUND

What do you like about your current lawn?
 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
 Takes up CO2
 Whatever it is you like about
your lawn
© Project SOUND

Your lawn – before you removed it

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

Your personal lists will help you make a
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

Saltgrass – Distichlis spicata

© Project SOUND

Saltgrass
 Stiff perennial grass
with numerous long
stems
 Warm-season grass
 Sod-forming – spreads
by rhizomes
 May grow flat or more
erect (4-16 inches tall)
 Looks somewhat like
Bermuda Grass
© Project SOUND

Keys to a successful Saltgrass lawn

 Lawns usually started from plugs or
cut sections of rhizomes
 Best done in winter
 Bury rhizomes 1-2 inches
 Keep ground moist until established

 Needs full sun

 Needs winter moisture; can water
in summer to keep green

 Mow infrequently

 Needs no/little added fertilizer

© Project SOUND

Benefits of Saltgrass
 Can withstand harsh conditions –
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)
© Project SOUND

Perhaps you’d like something a little less
tough – but more refined looking

© Project SOUND

Creeping Wild Rye - Leymus triticoides

http://www.elnativogrowers.com/Photographs_page/leytri.htm
© Project SOUND

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

© Project SOUND

Uses for Creeping Wild Rye

 Nice, green native lawn grass –
and takes well to mowing
 Good for erosion control
 Suited for washes, riparian
areas – probably our best
native for vernal swales
 Good bank stabilizer and weed
suppressor

http://www.hastingsreserve.org/NativeGrass/Natives.html#LeymusTrit

© Project SOUND

Mowing your Creeping Wild Rye (or
other native grass)
 Mowing is tolerated well
 Mowing changes how it
looks - will look just like
a turf grass (Bermuda
Grass)
 Mow every 3-4 weeks
during growth season
http://www.albrightseed.com/wildryeswalefilter.htm

only
Hint: this grass spreads by
runners – may want to grow in  Set mower high – as high
contained area or limit water as it will go is best
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/review-push-reel-mower-lawnmower-sunlawn-lmm-40.php © Project SOUND

Dune (Seaside) Bentgrass – Agrostis pallens

© Project SOUND

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
© Project SOUND

Weighing the pros & cons of locally native
‘lawn grasses’
 Pros
 Locally native
 Tough
 Easy to grow
 Can be very drought
tolerant
 Can be mowed occasionally
– or left unmowed

 Cons
 Some (like Saltgrass) are
coarse looking
 Really best – and most
water-wise – with some
summer/fall drought
© Project SOUND

Native Fescues can
make nice lawn
grasses

http://www.ibot.cas.cz/krkonose/mm/mm.htm

http://turfgrassmanagement.psu.edu/species.cfm

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?cod
e=G880 http://www.soquelcreekwater.com/images/Pho-Grass_festuca_rubra.jpg

But they ARE from northern CA – so need some summer water to
look good
© Project SOUND

The really ‘lawn-like’ native grasses are from
further North (and require more water)
 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
lawn’ appearance
 Widely available as seed or plugs –
easy to grow on many climates
© Project SOUND


 Evergreen – ‘swath of green’  Requires too much water
 Low maintenance  Doesn’t look great in the
 Reminds me of being out in the shady areas of the yard
woods (which I like)
© Project SOUND

Does it really have to be ‘all grass’?
 Other options for shady
areas:
 Yarrow (Achillea)
 Native strawberries
(Fragaria spp) – native to
Central CA coast, local
mountains

 Benefits
 Interesting – ‘woodsy’ look
 Good habitat value
 Tough – and more water-
wise than grass
 Can be combined with
grass-like species for more
interest
© Project SOUND
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spidra/2290393751/

Choices from the N. CA Coastal Prairie
tend to be green looking with some water
 Coastal prairie conditions are
sunny and mild, with fog and
cool breezes.

 Red fescue (Festuca rubra), a
grass that expands by
underground rhizomes

 California Oatgrass (Danthonia
californica), a plant that
http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/thelomaprietan.asp?q=2009030802 doesn't mind being stepped on
A native lawn of Pacific dune sedge
 Pacific dune sedge (Carex
pansa), a lush green
looks lush with just monthly
watering (in N. CA)
groundcover.
© Project SOUND

Sedges (Carex species) can be a good
evergreen alternative to grass

 Relatively easy to
establish & maintain
 Evergreen – look
‘grass-like’ to most
people (including your
neighbors)
 Can take a little
more water – good
for wet areas near
http://blueplanetgardening.com/art-lawnsubs.html neighbor’s lawn

 Some can be mowed (for a more formal look) or left
unmowed (for a more informal look)
© Project SOUND

Which ‘lawn sedge’ is it?
 There has been some
confusion in the past
 Carex pansa (north coast)
 Shorter, bent
 best for sandy soils
http://www.baynatives.com/plants/Carex-pansa/  ‘Lawn-like’ even when not
C. pansa is left, praegracilis is right mowed (on slopes)

 C. praegracilis (local native)
 More upright
 best for clays/ likes more
water

 C. tumulticola (local native)
 More mounded
 Slow-spreading; plant closely
for meadow or lawn
 Slightly more drought
C. pansa lawn, on the coast tolerant © Project SOUND

Green & easy-care – the Carex pansa solution

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

© Project SOUND

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.calown.com/nativegarden_plants.html
© Project SOUND

Carex species combine well
with other native grasses,
groundcovers and shrubs to
give and interesting a varied
appearance

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

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eastbaywilds/2673289141/
© Project SOUND

Grasses & sedges can soften modern
architecture

Sedges

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

Deergrass

Fescues

© Project SOUND


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
© Project SOUND

Do I really need to mow? If not, the options
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

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

© Project SOUND

Grass-like natives as accents or background

http://www.cnps.org/cnps/grownative/tips/lawn_alternatives.php
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83213315@N00/498800058

© Project SOUND
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’

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

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

What is really important to you?

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

© Project SOUND


 Changes with the seasons –  Requires too much water
green in winter/spring  Too boring – not enough going on
 Poor habitat value
 No sense of place
© Project SOUND

The California Coastal Prairie

The Northern CA Coastal Prairie

http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~joel/g148_f09/lecture_notes/north_coast/north_coast.html

© Project SOUND

Where do I go to see what a S. CA
Coastal Prairie looks like?

© Project SOUND

The California Coastal
Prairie – clues from
other native grasslands

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

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

© Project SOUND

Shares some grass
and other species with
N. Coastal Prairie

http://philipsgardenblog.com/

http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/training/show_train_detail.php?T
RAIN_ID=CoyEJZ39

And with vernal pools

© Project SOUND

The S. California Coastal Prairie
 Grasses
 Bromus carinatus
 Koelera macrantha
 Melica imperfecta
 Nassella cernua
 Poa secunda
 Elymus glaucus
 And others
 Forbes
http://faculty.jsd.claremont.edu/dthomson/studentres.htm

 Annual wildflowers – most of the
ones we’ve discussed in previous
classes
 Other ‘weedy’ annuals
 Perennials (mostly small and incl.
bulbs & corms)
 Shrubs
http://www.caopenspace.org/pv1.html
© Project SOUND

Many aspects of S.
Coastal Prairie are
currently unknown
 What is the natural succession
of plant species? How long
does it take?
 How best to restore native
http://interwork.sdsu.edu/fire/resources/san-diego-habitats.htm

prairies
 How to combat weeds (note:
native prairies don’t have
natural mulch)
 What species are best suited
for home gardens? How
should they be used?
 And many more
© Project SOUND

Project SOUND will focus on Coastal
Prairie research the next several years

 Collecting plant species
not readily available –
and propagating them
 Research on
restoration methods
 Work on restoring a
native prairie at
CSUDH
 Trying gardening
methods focused on
prairie species
Would you like to participate?
© Project SOUND

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
© Project SOUND

Typical Bluegrass  Fine-bladed, dark blue-
green perennial grass
 Cool-season grass
 Starts growth in early spring
– one of the first grasses
 Blooms Feb-Aug – early
bloomer
 Matures, dies in mid-summer

 Bunchgrass – but variable
 Sometimes (harsh climates)
just a thin, small tuft
 With more winter-spring
water, more developed
tussock

 Relatively short-lived

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

One-sided Bluegrass succeeds
 In mixes with other, later-season
grasses
 In full sun to partial shade – fine
under pine trees
 On any soil texture – like a good loam
but succeeds in shallow, rocky, sandy
or clay soils
 Any local pH is fine – tolerates
moderately alkali and salty soils
 Needs average winter/spring rain –
then likes to dry out in summer. You
could experiment with some summer
water
http://www.nativegrasses.com/images/grasses/FHGR-FHG1.jpg

© Project SOUND

Benefits and uses
 Pretty, graceful and delicate – all the
usual positive points for bluegrasses
 Early to green up – often after fall rains
in S. Bay
 Will reseed on patches of bare ground
once established
 Can tolerate moderate spring flooding –
would be fine for a vernal swale
 Well-liked by birds (seeds and nesting
site), ground squirrels and domestic
animals (horses) even when dry
 Tolerant of fire when dormant

http://www.laspilitas.com/butterfl_files/Needle_grass.jpeg
 Few (if any) insect, disease problems
© Project SOUND

Planting One-sided Bluegrass from seed

 Plant fall/winter in S. Bay
 May have low germination rates – highly
variable depending on weather, site
 Use 2-4 lbs seed/1000 sq. feet for
lawn/meadow (more if broadcast)
 Sow on well-prepared and firmed soil
 Rake in or cover to ¼ to ½ inch (deeper
for coarse soils)
 Be sure to keep ground surface moist
until seeds germinate (7-14 days); then
every other day until established
 Will grow quickly in warm temperatures
http://ww1.clunet.edu/wf/chap/common/bjc-1397.htm

© Project SOUND

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
© Project SOUND

Benefits and uses of CA Brome
 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

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

Junegrass in nature: an accent rather than the main show
© Project SOUND

Local Prairie grasses - lovely in gardens

However you choose to use
them, you’re increasing the
habitat value of your garden
© Project SOUND

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
– there are many possibilities

E-mail Connie if you’re interested
© Project SOUND
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/calif/msg0617091222429.
html

Bringing Back the Natives – One Pot at a Time
Your commitment:
 Materials
 Pot: 12-16 inches in diameter;
12-16 inches deep
 Potting soil: Gardener’s Soil
 Time
 Plant seeds; care for plants
 After seeds are ripe/dry:
 Scatter in your garden
 Collect and share with others

 Photos & feedback
 Provide us photos and (brief)
written feedback about your
successes and failures
© Project SOUND

If you’d like to grow more native grasses
from seed….
 You can help us by
experimenting with the
following in your own
yard:
 Raising native grass
plugs/plants from seed
 Direct seeding
experiments
 Creating a ‘One Plot’ area in
your garden to grow native
grasses for seed

We’ll help you design a program that works for you
© Project SOUND

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Lawns gone wild 2011