Monday, March 4, 2013

Giveaways, Book Party, Die Lawn Die

So many of my recent posts have been, well, you know, serious -- so I'm happy to lighten the atmosphere and celebrate the release of Lawn Gone by Pam Penick. I contributed some lawn alternative choices for the northern Great Plains, and I am pleased as punch to be part of a book that advocates more sustainable, cheaper, and just plain exciting examples on lessening our typical lawns.


Lawn Gone is full of encouragement and advice -- the section I think is particularly neat is on tips for dealing with neighbors and cities, and converting lawn a bit at a time to ease folks into the transformation. Of course, regional plant picks from around the country are also a good starting point for anyone wanting to get there feet wet with a new kind of gardening that, it seems, is sweeping the country like the harlem shake.

You have until midnight on March 10 to enter for 7 great prizes at 7 great blogs. Leave a comment on this post with an email address (no email, no win -- replace @ with AT to avoid spam bots), and I'll use a good ole random number generator to pick one of you to win my prize from Prairie Nursery (see below). Winner must reside in the U.S. and will be announced on this post on March 11 -- unless I'm too busy ripping out my lawn, or my neighbor's lawn.

WINNER -- Peter! -- WINNER

Here's my giveaway:


Ready to seed a No Mow lawn? Win a 5-lb. bag of No Mow Lawn seed mix from Prairie Nursery (valued at $35). Prairie Nursery's specially designed blend of fine fescue grasses is an ecological alternative to a traditional, high-energy-input lawn. No Mow grows in sun and shade and also performs well as a footpath or border with moderate traffic. With deep roots, it’s drought tolerant and well suited to regions with temperate to average summers.  


The Other Lawn Gone Book Party Giveaways:

1) As a nod to cultivating a moss “lawn” in lieu of grass, Meems at Hoe & Shovel is giving away an adorable Moss Rock in a medium/Cobble size and Toadstool color (valued at $30). Moss Rocks are living sculptures and zen moss gardens all rolled into one. Donated by Moss and Stone Gardens, a design firm in Raleigh, N.C., specializing in moss landscapes.

2) Loree Bohl of Danger Garden is giving away a $50 gift card from Plant Delights, a mail-order nursery that’s a plant lover’s dream. Since 1988, Plant Delights Nursery has been the choice of serious gardeners and plant collectors looking for the best and rarest perennial plants. They have an enticing selection of groundcovers, ornamental grasses, and small perennials, all of which make excellent substitutes for lawn grass.

3) For those in temperate-summer climates, you’ll want to try the 5-lb. bag of Eco-Lawn seed (valued at $55) that Rebecca Sweet is giving away at Gossip in the Garden. Eco-Lawn, donated by Wildflower Farm in Ontario, Canada, is a beautiful, sustainable turf alternative that consists of fine fescues and rarely needs mowing. This giveaway is available to readers in Canada as well as the U.S.!

4) To dig out grass or to weed your new garden, you’ll want a nice set of tools, and Dee Nash at Red Dirt Ramblings is giving away a fantastic tool package from CobraHead: a CobraHead Weeder and Cultivator, a CobraHead Long Handle Weeder and Cultivator, and a set of 15 BioMarker weatherproof plant markers (valued at $115). CobraHead is a family-run business that produces and sells “The Best Tools In Earth.”

5) Genevieve Schmidt at North Coast Gardening is giving away a $50 gift certificate to the charming and tempting online nursery Annie’s Annuals. Annie’s specializes in rare and unusual annual and perennial plants, including cottage garden heirlooms and native wildflowers. They also have a wonderful selection of grasses and succulents, which make great substitutes for lawn.

6) At Digging, Pam Penick is giving away the only patch of lawn you may ever need – a tongue-in-cheek, 13x13-inch “grass” pillow (valued at $60) from Potted, a stylish Los Angeles garden shop and online store. Made from a high-quality synthetic grass, with Sunbrella fabric on the back, these pillows stand up to life out-of-doors beautifully. And doesn’t it look comfortable? Plus you’ll never have to mow this bit of lawn.

48 comments:

treefairies said...

These products sound great! So excited for your giveaway.

vickie moore said...

I have the perfect spot for a no mow lawn!

Unknown said...

I tried a sample pack of that lawn seed and it looks great - gimme more!

Karen Hanneman said...

Bought this book a few weeks ago and was totally inspired by it - that's how I found your website! I am so ready to start converting my lawn over this spring - thanks for all the good info!
karen_hannemanAThotmail.com

Unknown said...

Great that you're promoting less lawn!!! I couldn't agree more...BUT, why offer "No-Mow" or "Eco-Lawn" as giveaways, which are still monocultures that may attract a few Robins. It's still lawn.

Benjamin Vogt said...

Jennifer--You're right, they are still not as good as garden or shortgrass prairie. Many new alternative lawn mixes do have a variety of grass in them, which helps. But the true advantage for those who MUST have lawn is that it requires less inputs like mowing and watering and fertilizers. I'd like to experiment with buffalo grass, though....

Unknown said...

Benjamin,
I too have a lawn (no-mow actually), I just think folks get the wrong message when it's promoted as "Ecologically Responsible"....that's a stretch. Bluegrass lawn could also be labeled as "ecologically responsible" if just let go to grow a bit taller than how it's typically manicured. I used to sell low maintenance lawn mixes and my clients would get confused thinking it was native grasses...it would ease their mind that they could have a lawn and feel good about it thinking it was native (have their cake and eat it too)...I think the lawn mixes branded as "Ecologically Responsible" should be clear that the fescues that comprise the blends are (most likely) not native to your area.

Benjamin Vogt said...

Agree, Jennifer. I'm with you. Pick your poison I guess. I can't stand my neighbor who mows 3 times a week, fertilizes several times a year, waters daily, and NEVER walks, plays, naps on the grass. It's evil.

Domestic Diva said...

Lovely! Thanks for the chance.

lovelydomesticdiva (at) gmail (dot) com

Sunflower Days said...

Love Pam's book....thank you for your kind opportunity for all of us in the giveaway! God Bless! Pamie G.

greggo said...

Just starting to "dig" into the book. Enter me....no mas denaro.

Susan NC Price said...

Living in IL at the edge of prairie country, I'm thrilled to find this blog--and the grass seed prize sounds fabulous.

Anonymous said...

Would love to win! Thanks for the giveaway! longhornkjm at yahoo.com

Gemini Gardens Montana said...

It's a day full of inspiration for lawn killers like me :) Thank you! GeminiGardensMontana AT gmail.com

MLT said...

I love your time lapse work on your garden. If there is any software you use to keep track of all your plants let me know! I have around 200 different texas natives and just write them all down. Great blog.....
Michael

Anonymous said...

So tired of spending on a lawn time,money,and water. These give-a-ways all sound great.... Elm at wemoserATcneconnect.com

Modern Mia said...

It would be wonderful to have a no mow lawn. More time to garden!

Backyard Getaway said...

What a wonderful way to unite gardens by working together to offer these great giveaways.

Unknown said...

I've been planning to start replacing my lawn with no mow. It would be great to win this. tms.cvtATgmail.com

Anonymous said...

Most of my front lawn was replaced with planting beds years ago. Love it!
Kathy Kruer
cclouisville2000@yahoo.com

Sue said...

I had a chance to tour Prairie Nursey a couple years ago. I'd love to experiment with this seed to complement my growing native plant garden.

Yolanda BD said...

Hope to win!

pczick said...

Love it - my friend Wes Skiles used to say that "lawn" needed to become the next four-letter word. Good work.

Ned Dorff said...

Thanks for promoting wild and no-mow lawns. neddorffATgmail.com

Anonymous said...

Your book looks very interesting! Would like to learn more about low maintenance alternatives for my yard! smileygalgreenATgmail.com

Anonymous said...

I'm very happy to have stumbled onto your sight. Here in the Northeast dealing with neighbors, covenants, and town regulations can be a problem when attempting to do something out of the ordinary. I look forward to reading your blog and Pennick's book (I just placed an order) for inspiration on both the gardening and the political aspects of the issue.
cathydorsey (dot) cd (at) gmail (dot) com

Sue said...

We just had to have our whole front yard dug up to replace the well pump......would love to have some ideas for lawn alternatives to replace the grass that was there!! pazburd@yahoo.com

Deborah Kral said...

I've been gradually replacing my lawn the past 15 years and am always looking for ideas

nymare at Optonline.net

Tony Shields said...

Thank you for the opportunity. I hate what lawn I do have.

xtramail At Tampabay.rr.com

marlo said...

We have gotten rid of our lawn - Away!
libradragon45 AT gmail.com

Peter said...

Nice books to help me with my native gardens project! peter@music-images.com

Candy DeBerry said...

I am wanting to plant a no-mow lawn around the edges of my native hedgerow. I've already replaced more than 50% of my lawn with native plants and raised beds for vegetables. My yard is certified by the National Wildlife Federation, Monarch Watch, Audubon Pennsylvania, and I'm working on the application for certification as a Pollinator Garden from Penn State! cdeberry@washjeff.edu

TBTorra said...

This looks like a great book! Every year a little more lawn is turned over for flowers and veggies.
Lauren.allpress AT gmail.com

Manda said...

Great giveaways! So excited.

shankyouverymuch11 at yahoo dot com

jrstoelting said...

jrstoelting at hotmail.com

randall031 said...

I'm thinking my husband (who has always been my go-to green thumb guy) would love to go to this lovely no mow grass. Means more time in the hammock and less behind the mower.

Maria said...

Great giveaway!

Michelle said...

I'll be ripping out part of my front lawn next week! Yahoo! Thanx for the giveaway! torttchr at sbcglobal dot net

Grassroots Horticulture said...

Great Idea to welcome SPRING too!

Gaynell said...

Thanks for your blog.

Nikki said...

YES I'm ready to seed a no-mow lawn! Thanks for offering the giveaway.

cricket_1027(at)yahoo(dot)com

Melody said...

It is too hot here for fescue grasses to survive year round, but I want to thank you for offering the prize :)

Anonymous said...

My friend had a no mow lawn in New Jersey and I fell in love with it. The problem was that the lawn was already there and she had no idea where to get the seed. As a Asthma sufferer,I can't enjoy sitting in my lawn now that I live in Pa because of the grass. If I'm not shoosen,e-mail me where I can get it. Thank You
francescaechevarria@yahoo.com

Jen Doxsee Salome aka az2brazil said...

This is awesome! How does it work in Phoenix, AZ? We are in need of drought tolerant anything and this would probably help cool things off. I would love to win this.
Thanks, Jen

Pam Kersting said...

I have long been an advocate of no mow lawns and waterwise gardening. I sincerely hope this trend continues and grows! Thanks for posting. Would love to get my hands on that bag of fescue!

Jo said...

What a great giveaway! Thank you for the opportunity, fingers crossed!

bvbabybv at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

is full of encouragement and advice -- the section I think is particularly neat is on tips....Online Nursery

bestreviewsation said...

I I a, learning so much. Thank you for sharing. bestreviewsation