Anna’s hummingbird feeding on Red Flowering Currant
Photo credit: Mary Ann Whitney-Hall

Article submitted by Peter Katon, Design Native Northwest LLC

The signs of early spring are exhilarating; the iridescent Anna’s Hummingbird darting in and out of the brilliant pink flowers of Red Flowering Currant and that first sight of Oso Berry’s almost neon-green leaves at Tryon Creek State Park.

Another common sign of spring, though arguably less pleasant, is the sound of the lawn mower. While lawn can be a good choice for high traffic play areas, its benefits are limited when it comes to supporting bird, pollinator and wildlife populations.

Turf-oriented landscapes, however, can be an invitation to start fresh with a blank slate.

Lake Oswego resident and Clackamas County Master Gardener, Leah Puhlman, took that opportunity when she first moved to her house in 2012. “Our goal in removing most of the lawn was to restore our half acre into a thriving natural ecosystem. We planted a lot of native trees and shrubs to establish a framework, then we have been filling in with perennials and annuals to create more floral richness for pollinators,” she said. “One of my favorite plants has been the Salal (Gaultheria shallon) in the front yard. It provides early flowers for bees, it’s a great caterpillar host plant, and it’s evergreen.”

AFTER: Leah Puhlman’s Front Yard “Humble Habitat” (2023)
Native plants pictured include Salal, Fireweed, and California Poppy.
Photo credit: L. Puhlman

The American lawn consists of approximately 40 million acres, roughly the size of Washington state. The ubiquity of the lawn in American landscapes is a legacy of European aristocracy, where expansive and well-tended lawns signified wealth and status. While visually, lawn can be an attractive element, turf grass provides little of the food and shelter that beneficial insects and birds need to survive. And expectations for pristine lawns often leads to intensive and ecologically harmful inputs such as fertilizer and pesticide application. Maintaining green and manicured lawns is also resource intensive, requiring regular water and mowing.

Healthy soils require a diversity of root types and decomposition of leaves and other organic matter. Without integration of leaf litter and other organic matter, soil tends to function similarly to a hardscape, hindering rainwater percolation which can lead to stormwater run-off and flooding.

Wondering what to plant in place of turf that will support birds, pollinators and wildlife?

Native plants and native wildlife have co-evolved for thousands of years. As such, native plants are the foundation of a thriving habitat. In place of the lawn, now a diversity of native perennials, shrubs, and trees can be planted, with flowering times spread throughout the growing season. The colorful blooms add visual interest while birds and pollinators are provided with essential resources needed to sustain them throughout the year. With the lawn removed, fallen leaves can be left in place where they will decompose and create healthy, spongy soil that absorbs stormwater. The leaves will also provide essential habitat for overwintering caterpillars and a multitude of beneficial insects. Ninety-six percent of terrestrial birds feed their young insects, so healthy insect populations directly support the ability of birds to rear their young (Tallamy 2019).

Leah Puhlman’s garden, which she calls “The Humble Habitat Garden”, is now an educational field trip site for high schoolers learning about urban ecology and practices that we can all take to support the health of birds and other wildlife. “The food and shelter plants have really increased the bird activity, and our “no-pesticide” policy assures that there are lots of insects, berries, and seeds that are healthy nutrition for them all year,” she said.

White Oak Savanna

If you have Oregon White Oak on your property, removing lawn will help prevent soil compaction due to mowing, and allowing these areas to remain dry in the summer without irrigation will help prevent Armillaria root rot that afflicts Oregon White Oaks that are subject to summer watering.

Ready to remove some or all of your lawn?

Below are a few common approaches. At the conclusion of this article is a list of resources for further information about these methods, and more.

Lawn Removal Methods:

• Sheet mulching: Mow the lawn as low as possible. Then cover it completely with cardboard or a thick layer of newspaper (remove all tape and staples from cardboard). Overlap the pieces by about 6”. Place a 6” layer of bark mulch on top of the cardboard. Let it rain and after 3 to 6 months, once the grass is completely gone, you can plant.
• Heavy mulching directly over lawn: Mow the lawn as low as possible. Place a 12” thick layer of bark mulch over the lawn area. Let the lawn decompose over the rainy season(s). In 3 to 6 months, once the grass is completely gone, the area should be ready to plant.
• Mechanical removal: Removing sod by hand power, with a shovel, or use of a motorized sod cutter.

To Learn More:

• Digital Handbooks
  • Conserving Oregon White Oak in Urban and Suburban Landscapes
  • The Meadowscaping Handbook
• Books
  • Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy (2009)
  • Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy (2019)
  • Lawns into Meadows: Growing a Regenerative Landscape by Owen Wormser (2020)
  • Real Gardens Grow Natives by Eileen Stark (2014)
• Programs
  • White Oak Engagement Project
  • www.backyardhabitats.org