Clinton Twp., MI - Macomb County MSU Extension will host ‘Adding Ornamental Grasses to the Garden,’ an event for individuals and gardeners interested in learning more about alternative options to complement or replace turf.
The class will be held on Tuesday, June 27 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the VerKuilen Building – Entrance E, located at 21885 Dunham Road, Clinton Township. This class is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. At the conclusion of the class participants can take home a complimentary tussock sedge plug to plant in their garden.
In 2020, the Macomb grasses and sedges demonstration garden was planted outside the VerKuilen Building in Clinton Township (pictured here). The garden incorporates six low-maintenance turf-alternative plants that include a variety of textures and benefits. Drought tolerance, less frequent mowing, and no fertilizing are some of the advantages of a turf-alternative garden according to David Lowenstein, who oversees the garden along with an Extension Master Gardener volunteer. While a turf lawn provides recreational and aesthetic value, it often requires annual chemical or fertilizer inputs to keep its green color and healthy appearance. Turf-alternative plants come in a range of heights from 1 foot to 6 feet, in a variety of green—and even purple—hues.
The program will include recommended turf alternatives, and suggestions for installation and ongoing maintenance as well as a walking tour of the garden. For certain turf alternatives, spring weeding, a layer of mulch and cutting back the brown stalks to the ground in late winter is all that is needed and is a welcome change from remembering to water and mow the lawn each week. As we are in a period of prolonged dryness, this type of garden is beneficial for reduced water needs.
David Lowenstein, a consumer horticulture supervising extension educator for Macomb County MSU Extension, recommends “starting small with an area of your yard to see if this is a look that you like.” Turf alternative gardens are known to provide habitat for wildlife such as ducks or frogs as well as beneficial insects. If you are a gardener with full or partial shade and open to including native plants with environmental benefits, this program will teach you another option to enhance your garden.
This event is free due to support from the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program [grant no 2021-70006-35450] from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
To register, go to https://events.anr.msu.edu/turfalternative/. For more information or registration assistance, call 586-469-6440 and to learn more about MSU Extension, visit https://www.canr.msu.edu/outreach/.
MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status.