We knew we were in trouble when bald spots began to appear. Pale, patchy, dead bald spots. Despite my husband’s best attempts to revive our struggling front lawn, we finally realized it was time for something new. We pondered replacing the old grass with new but instead rebelled against our long-held notion that all American homes must have a green front lawn. Our back-to-nature instincts kicked in and we got busy creating a front yard free of lawn but full of natural beauty.

Our first step was to kill what was left of the lawn. It didn’t make sense to spray Round-up on our grass only to replace it with eco-friendly native landscaping. Instead we spread out black garbage bags and tarps (shown below on right) and then waited over a month for the grass to die on its own.

Once the grass was truly dead we broke it up with picks and shovels and worked healthy compost and rich soil into the grass - turned -mulch to create a living, breathing foundation for our new yard. Next we brought in local river rock and pieces of dead wood to create a walking path and add textural interest to the garden.

Then the fun part began – plants! Plants are expensive but we found we could fill a lot of space just by moving around what we already had shoved into flower beds. We took some plant starts from my parents’ fabulous garden. Free plants are the best plants! Now we’re starting to fill in with native grasses, roses, lavender, coriopsis, and native trees to complete the space.

We’ll continue to fill it in gradually as we find plants or shrubs we love at the local nursery. The birds and butterflies are already enjoying our new garden and so are we. We’re the only house on our street without grass in front but it feels so good each time I drive home and see my front yard in full bloom.

–Beth Sethi

I just came across an inspiring article in the Independent on the growth of urban-edible gardens and its importance for a sustainable planet. According to Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming, “we need to grow more food closer to where people live.” Due to projected population growth, increase in food-transportation costs and the scarcity of land, the idea has suddenly become hot. We love that. Check it out…

No grass lawn here. A family in California planted edible foods in their front yard. Beautiful.

Architect Fritz Haeg is sometimes called the Urban Farmer. In his new book, “Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn” he describes his theory of inner city agriculture.

A New Jersey family and community in the process of planting an edible front yard. How fun.

I’m inspired and can’t wait to to this to my front yard. I have a feeling the rest of my neighborhood will soon follow. Linda, what do you think? Your house would be the perfect place for a fabulous urban garden. Let’s do it.

Oh, sweet little lady bug, thank-you for being so adorable and helping to heal our planet…

Ok, so you get it right? I’m completely enamored with the lady bug…Aren’t we all?…After I heard this eco-news on Treehugger, I went all mushy, gushy….

Check this out…”The Coalition of Environmentally Conscious Growers, a partnership of farmers dedicated to the continuance of sustainable farming practices, is making this Earth Day (April 22nd!) memorable for a group of 4th graders in Oregon. They’ll be working together with them to release tens of thousands of ladybugs in a bid to help these kids better understand that there are natural alternatives to chemical pesticides.”

That’s 250, 000 to be exact. How beautiful. Anyone wanna go hang out with the ladies? For more details, click here.

Offered by Branchhome.com these biodegradable plates can be put in the compost bin!

The latest issue of Real Simple magazine arrived in my mailbox the other morning and I opened it up to these eco-fabulous biodegradable plates! They are super cute and totally affordable offered at: $5.50 to $9 for 50. Hello!

The best thing about them is their earth-friendly-eco-chic-ness. These eco-plates are made from a byproduct of the sugarcane refining process, bagasse, which is biodegradable and can be put in the recycling and/or compost bin…Em Hmmm…So next time you are at the grocery store, just say NO to those icky plastic or styrofoam plates that are harmful to the planet. And for your next party, picnic or meal, think about these. It’s the first time I’ve seen anything like it!

Click here for more info on purchasing.

This sacred garden just inspires me….Deep breath here…

Ok, so today and actually a good part of last week, I’ve been pulling weeds in my garden…and I have to admit, it feels really good. Anybody know what I mean? One of my feng shui teachers once told me, “When you want to shift your ch’i (energy), go to your garden and start pulling weeds.” Sage words I say. I listened and let me tell you….it works. That coupled with the coming of Spring and the birds singing, aaahhh deep sigh…

These cherry blossoms are popping up all over town lately and they whisper sweet pitter patter sounds of love in my ear. Any Portland dwellers out there know what I’m talking about? It’s one of those of times of the year when I am so grateful to be living here. My shoulders are relaxing now…

Daffodils just like these are blooming in my garden as I write this….

Ok, so back to the therapeutic qualities of pulling weeds. It falls under the important category of self-care which as we all know, is incredibly eco-chic. It’s easy to do. No instruction required. Just know what a weed looks like and get your hands in the dirt and start pulling. There is something about it that just soothes the soul in ways that logic cannot explain. In feng shui, the symbology of removing our “external weeds” is akin to removing our internal blocks…Try it and see what I mean…

Next up…planting vegetables and flowers for summer and fall. I’ll keep you updated. One last thing. Got any suggestions for me? Leave them here and I will name you honorary citizen of the planet… pinkngreen that is….

Happy Tuesday!

Cheryl