The latest issue of the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer (my favorite magazine — and it’s FREE) included an article about sustainable-minded landscaping.  Really great stuff here, and I especially liked the diagram of an easy-care yard landscaped mostly with native plants — including no-mow grasses.

I’m planning on seeding my yard this fall, and I must say the no-mow grass concept really intrigues me.  We use a reel-type mower, so we wouldn’t really be saving any energy except human energy, but still.  We kinda have,  uh, a lot to do around the yard so not having to mow sounds all right to me.

Anyway, though the article goes a bit lighter on edibles than I would in landscape planning, I think it’s a great resource, especially for someone who is new to landscaping and is not interested or able in spending a lot of time maintaining their yard.  Because, let’s face it, many edibles do require a bit of work over and above what a native plant would require.  That’s what makes landscape design so fun — you can tailor it to your specific needs/interests/desired activity level.