The Citizen, 2012-05-03, Page 13THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012. PAGE 13.
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Come in and see the latest inCome in and see the latest in
1968 2012
Low-maintenance lawn alternative tested in Huron
A new lawn alternative that
doesn’t require weekly cutting will
be tested in several sites throughout
North Huron, Morris-Turnberry and
Howick this fall, hopefully reducing
costs if approved by each
municipality’s council.
Eco-Lawn is a highly drought-
tolerant lawn that requires next to no
maintenance. It is a blend of seven
fine fescue grasses that produce a
healthy, thick and green lawn with
minimal care requirements.
Originally introduced to the
market in 1998, Wildflower Farm’sEco-Lawn combines seven varietiesof fine fescue that make them idealfor low maintenance turf. The
combination has a rich green colour,
it does not form uneven clumps and
it has shown extreme tolerance of
sun and shade.
Locally, the Trees for North
Maitland program would use the
product to reduce lawn care costs for
three municipalities, while at the
same time increasing tree cover in
the area.
The program was proposed for
North Huron, Morris-Turnberry and
Howick said Phil Beard of the
Maitland Vallery Conservation
Authority by way of the Maitland
Watershed Partnerships Terrestrial
Team, a forum of agencies,
businesses, municipalities and
community groups interested in
improving the health of area forests.
However, the North Maitland
proposal changed its direction at one
point and became more about a new
lawn product that could greatly
reduce maintenance costs
throughout the three municipalities.
Beard met with Kim Delaney,
owner and operator of Hawthorn
Farm and he discussed Eco-Lawn
with her. Delaney, who is a
landscaper by training, had worked
with Eco-Lawn in the past and felt
that planting such an alternative
grass mixture that didn’t require
weekly cutting could help reduce
costs throughout the municipalities,freeing up more funding for theTrees For North Maitland project.The initial plan was to look at the
northern section of the Maitland
River watershed (which
encompasses all three
municipalities) where there are large
amounts of marginal land and
unbuffered watercourses, buildings
that lack shade, a number of open
fields without windbreaks, an
extensive road system that is subject
to winter ground drifting and a largenumber of existing woodlots andbring maintenance and energy coststo a reasonable level by planting
trees. The trees would not only curb
those costs, but they could improve
crop production due to windbreaks
and increase environmental health.
“These municipalities still had to
cut all of this grass, so this was
something that could reduce the
grass cutting with not only trees and
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
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Less cutting, less emissions
Eco-Lawn, a recently developed, highly drought-tolerant
lawn mixture composed of seven fine fescue grasses has
the ability to produce a thick, green lawn with minimal care
requirements. The product is going to be tested at several
sites in North Huron, Howick and Morris-Turnberry
townships this year. With reduced maintenance necessities,
the lawn could provide a truly green alternative to cutting
one-to-two times per week. (MS photo)
Continued on page 14