The Benefits of Leisurely Landscaping

The average homeowner spends 40 hours per summer mowing. That means, with a no-mow Blue Thumb planting, your yard just gave you a week of vacation!

If the only time you go out to your yard is to mow, maybe it’s time to rethink your yard. Planting gardens, raingardens or shorelines that can pretty much take care of themselves in areas not used for recreation may be a great option for you.
By reducing your mowing, you will be also helping air, noise and water pollution. Today’s gas-powered lawn mower emits as much pollution in one hour as driving a newer car 140 miles. An older mower may belch out four times as much pollution. One pound of phosphorus from grass clippings washing into lakes - either directly or through stormdrains - makes several HUNDRED pounds of algae.
In areas that you need grass, consider a no-mow seed mix.

It’s a lot of work to move those dirty, heavy, wet hoses around. Plus, area aquifers that supply our drinking water are not without limits. In the Twin Cities Metro areas, about 50% of summer water use is for watering lawns. Blue Thumb plantings only need to be watered for the first 3 months until they established.

...Your Water Bill
Watering your lawn the recommended inch per week costs you money on your utility bill. And, if your city needs to dig new wells, you will feel that too.
...Plants. Buy Plants Once - Not Once a Year.
Blue Thumb plantings use perennial plants that come back year after year. You can purchase small perennials called “plugs” which typically come in packs like annual flowers do. These plugs will be full sized and established after just few months.
...Chemicals
No need for purchasing fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. Native plants don't need them.

The long roots of native plants - especially prairie plants - hold soil on steep slopes. Shoreline and aquatic plants slow down incoming waves protecting your valuable land from slipping away.

If you plant it, they will come. One New England Aster can draw hundreds of monarch butterflies in the fall before they migrate. Your yard can help provide food, habitat and cover for native birds and critters. Try the plant selector tool to find out what would grow well in your yard.

Short lawn grass is the preferred habitat of Canada Geese. Geese like open vistas where they can see potential predators. If you have too many geese hanging out and leaving a mess behind, plantings that are approximately their height will make them feel vulnerable to predators and discourage them from congregating.

The EPA has named stormwater runoff as our nation’s biggest water quality threat. Runoff whisks pollutants from our streets to streams via storm drains.
One way to improve water quality is to allow water to infiltrate into the ground with Blue Thumb plantings. Native gardens and shorelines have incredible root systems that reduce soil compaction and create air spaces for water storage. Raingardens are designed to absorb runoff from streets, roof and other impervious surfaces.
Since most land is privately owned, it is up to each individual to do what they can on their own property to keep the water clean.