The Ugly Duckling
Start planting and sowing seeds into your lawn. Stop mowing. That’s it. Your lawn is going to look weird and strange for a bit. Overtime the plants that you plant will help reduce turf grass by outcompeting it. Slowly weeding out remaining turf grass, along with any bad actors that show up (like English Ivy) will get you where you want to be. One day you’ll wake up and your ugly duckling will have become a beautiful swan.
how do I know what to weed? Is there another way to get started?
Misunderstood
People think that tall grass attracts rats and other pests, which isn’t true, it attracts the predators for rats and other pests. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean your town or community will care. Many municipalities have laws against letting your grass grow. Exercise caution and prudence when attempting this method.
A Whole New Bed
For most people, their turf grass lawn comprises the majority of their green space. This is still true in cities & row home communities. Once you start planting in it, the opportunities are endless.
Signage Helps
I was lucky to live in an HOA that didn’t mind my quest to re-wild my lawn. But just because they didn’t, didn’t mean that our landscaping company understood or cared. Signs (and well placed rocks) kept them at bay