or... is it worth the effort? I guess that depends on how much effort you put into it.
a. Why would one want a lawn in the first place?
A lawn is a very special place to hunt pterodactyls...
or to just lay around when you feel lazy...
a lawn is a super place to have a few friends over for a picnic...
a lawn is a great place to go for a jog...
... or to take a walk... just you and your mom...
A lawn is the very best place to chase a big brother barefoot...
Lawn can be a bridge from here to there...
... and the path that leads to who knows where....
and the cartilage that gently separates the bones of these garden beds.
b. Assuming that 'lawn' is not a dirty word in one's vocabulary (I'm well aware that many feel that it is), how does one reasonably maintain a respectable plot of grass set amongst gardens?
Mulch your grass rather than blowing it to the side or gathering it up. This is one of the best ways to avoid thatch as well as to provide a bit of nutrition to the lawn...
Mow often... unless the grass is dormant, I normally mow two to three times a week. Don't think of it as a chore, but rather as a lovely tour of your property...In fact, design your property with this in mind... mowing is one of my favorite pastimes and I have designed the yard so there is virtually no trimming to be done.
Maintain good edges on all your garden beds... this will increase the appeal of your design tremendously...
Design garden beds in such a way that when they need water in dry weather, the lawn can easily receive it as well...
Keep your lawn lush with inexpensive fertilizers that don't burn such as Milorganite (5% nitrogen). Plan on using this monthly but at least 2-3 times each season which will do the trick.
Don't obsess over weeds... if I start seeing more crab grass than what I can easily pull by hand, every few years I use a pre-emergent herbicide only where needed . This past year I had a fair amount of wood sorrel in a particular area and this will require a pre-emergent as well as a bit of Weed-B- Gon or Trimec for the established weed plants in the lawn, but again, I will only treat the area that has the problem. To my way of thinking, touch-up spraying with a hand sprayer is the way to go, and only when weeds start to get out of control. I don't care for white clover in my lawn, but can accept some. When all I see in an area of perhaps a few square feet taken over by white clover and virtually no grass, I will treat the area and regain control. Yes, these weeds will eventually return... this is particularly the case with gardening in farm country where weed seeds blow in from the fields constantly. Were I to obsess over weeds in the lawn, chances are that I'd damage some of the garden plantings... easy does it is the answer for me... simply try to stay ahead of the problem by spot spraying small areas a couple of times over the course of perhaps ten days for effective treatment. This is something I do perhaps once during the garden season. Also, spot touch-up of dandelions as they appear helps prevent the really big problems that can occur if they are ignored for too many seasons.
For a lush turf that gets complements, the best approach is not mowing too short, avoiding compaction, and providing some moisture if needed... preferably an inch per week... the few weeds that show up will generally be incidental...
The only time I mow really short is as the lawn goes into dormancy for the winter.... come spring, a little over-seeding in thin or damaged areas will take care of those concerns.
I must admit... I like having some nice lawn on our property, although there seems to be less with each passing year and each new garden. It truly does make bare-footed pterodactyl hunting so much more comfortable!
Shine a light on your lawn this season... it can be an important part of a good gardening experience!
Take care, Larry
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