One of the big aspects of this movement that people don’t get is that turf works when it has a distinct purpose, not as the default state. So if you need a small patch for dogs, fine. If you need it for a soccer pitch, fine. If you use it for paths through your yard, fine. Turf grass is about the best thing for high traffic spots. Someone said that we should be using it as an area rug, NOT wall to wall carpet. My dog uses turf for bathroom spots, but she enjoys sniffing around my native plant beds and the overgrown fence line of our yard much more than being stuck in one boring bit of mowed lawn.
Great way of puting it! I have massively shrunk out yard, but we keep walking paths and high traffic areas with grass.
I will say when people ask about kids, at least with my kid (who is obsessed with bugs), grass is the most boring part of the yard! Spends all his time digging and mucking about mulched areas where the bugs thrive.
They keep wearing out the grass, especially with playing games with them.
Area rug! Exactly.
Our back yard is completely turf-free and we have two very happy dogs. We mulch the paths and they romp and snarfle through the rest. You have to temporarily protect plants when they are new, putting fencing around sections you are converting, but when they are mature you can take the fencing down. Honestly I think they have more to do and are more stimulated than if we had just turf grass. More critters to sniff out and chase, more hide and seek.
Stopped by to appreciate snarfle. Perfect word
I had to google it. "Snarfle" is such a perfectly descriptive word, I thought you invented it.
Well now I need to plant some sedum…
I have 3 very active dogs. Straight "normal" grass doesn't hold up. It doesn't grow here naturally, and you have to do so much to keep it alive. So I hiked around, took pictures, and looked up what is native. My "lawn" for the dogs is a mixture of Buffalo grass, yarrow, and clover (the clover isn't native, but it works really well) . It looks and feels like a regular lawn. But I only mow it once a week, and I don't need to water it till late July and then only once a week till October.
I let the yard develop naturally, and it's taken years. First seeding with a mix, patch by patch till it was filled in. Then, I let the humans and animals create trails naturally. I learned that prebuilt trails look nice but don't get used. So after everyone wore a trail in, I built one there. With paving stones, wood chips, and creeping thyme. The dogs tear through the entire yard constantly. It looks good, and the house doesn't get muddy.
My son just got a puppy he drops off with me while he works. Is yarrow safe around puppies? I was thinking of doing my path with it.
It is just so cute that your son drops the dog off for grandparent time while he works. What a good owner!
Thanks! I attachment parented my kids. Holy mirror neurons, Batman! It worked! 😉
Editing to say: maybe if I do a good enough job with this, he will find a wife and have kids and I can be a grandmother to humans, too!
Someone told me it's toxic to dogs. But my dogs have never gotten sick. Any of my dogs in the 40 years I've lived here with dogs. There is yarrow at all the parks and growing wild, so maybe it's a case by case thing like grapes.
I love this idea, thank you 😊
Oh this is nice, this is what I’m shooting for, about 50% yard and 50% bushes/wild/pollinator focused stuff.
Why are those brown land seals/yard pigs so silky smooth? Almost glossy, even
They get good food and lots of pets! I tell them they are special and loved. Can't hurt, right?
Lawn schmon, what on earth are you feeding these beautiful glossy babies?!?! They look like seals 🥰 is it a raw food diet?
Purina pro plan, the salmon one!
Right? I was like ma'am those are otters
Mud. Dogs love mud. Everything turns to mud with dogs. Cut out the middle man: mud.
My apologies. My comment didn't stick on the post!
We are in the PNW, Zone 9a. He put up the fence so he could grow grass, and the goober schloobers turned it into a race track.
Please advise what kind of ground cover will stand up to these kids being kids? They are both under 3, and I promise they feel no guilt or shame about tearing up the grass. No fucks given.
Thanks y'all! 😊
You have just described my yard and pack o hoodlums. They’re getting older now but I’m never not going to have doggos, so I’m happy with maintaining a portion of the yard as turf for their fun and play dates.
Question for the group at large: how would thyme or the sedum work over a septic drain field? Or even vinca actually - I’ve had a fair amount of success with vinca on the W side of the property, and the doggos know it’s basically there for them to do their business in. I just need a few things I can put over the drain field that are perennial, don’t leave a mud pit during the winter, and don’t have deep root systems. Happy to hear suggestions!
Following because I host our family dog dates and my yard (now more of a mud and dirt pit) will be full with 6 dogs.
I'm hoping to plant tall native grasses (big blue stem and Indian grass) in patches in my dirt patches since turf grass doesn't grow/it's also the dogs easiest running path.
Clover didn't take in my yard, I might try buffalo grass. It's hard, I have big dogs too and their paws are like 4 garden shovels while running dirt flies up behind them
They seem pretty happy on that race track!
Creeping thyme is good but my dogs have always preferred a large area to run on grass and all were trained to use the vinca to their business. I have 1/8 of acre devoted to native plants and polluters which they instinctively stay away from and a half of acre of woods which they want to explore but never run in. They preferred the grass.
Gaaaah! I love your Chocos! They look really happy❤️
They aren't "technically " mine, but I am significantly involved in their lives.
They are shiny and beautiful!
Potential solutions really depend upon the activity level of the dogs.
My lazy partner and I adopted a second dog last year after our lazy 16yo terrier passed, so our lazier beagle mix could have a friend. “Adopt don’t shop” is fine for us b/c we knew the risks of not knowing the dog’s temperament ahead of time. But. Our yard was not prepared for the sweet pup we adopted to grow into a professional athlete within 2 weeks of getting her 😂
We now have a turf grass yard with paths of dirt/mud cut into it by her racing. We’ve looked into plant alternatives as well as other materials, but at the end of the day there really isn’t anything that can stand up to a 50lb dog running full out & practicing her parkour. So we treat the remaining grass nicely, clean her feet of mud when it’s wet out, and will reseed the yard or switch to another ground cover once she’s 10 and calms down.
Well, sounds like we only have to be patient for another 8 years!
Thoughts and prayers for your yard and mine 🙏
We have pavers in the yard where the dogs can go (back yard). Fully native where the dogs cannot go (front yard).
My dog killed my grass. He seems just fine without it. Likes to zip through the trees and lay in the mulch.
Look at those shiny coats!!
Wood chips.
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If you are in North America, check out the Wild Ones Garden Designs and NWF's Keystone Plants by Ecoregion
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