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"Ripping out the boxwoods along the front path and getting rid of the lawn was the best thing I did when we moved here," says Susan Lamont, who moved from New Canaan to South Norwalk a couple of years ago. "We used to spend a fortune on our lawn, between fertilizing and mowing, and I just didn't see the point of it anymore."
The Lamonts, who live near the water, slashed their yard maintenance bills to practically zero by replacing the lawn and shrubs with crushed oyster shells from one of the Norwalk oyster companies. It's a clean look with a very "beachy" feel.
Increasing numbers of people are looking for alternatives to that classic fixture of the American backyard the lush green lawn. Keeping all that grass green and healthy is an expensive line item in the household budget. Families with young children are concerned about using lawn chemicals that could be harmful, and environmentalists argue that pesticide and herbicide runoff from lawns is damaging our water systems.
Area nurseries have many options for people interested in replacing some or all of their lawn, from Zen-like stone and rock gardens (no watering required!!) to ground cover and native grasses. If your lawn gets a lot of sun, you might even consider a vegetable garden.
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