Lots of people are obsessed with their lawns.  For some reason, they feel there shouldn't be anything but grass growing there.  Why?  What's a lawn for?  How does a monoculture of grass serve that purpose better than a diversity of plants?
For me, the purpose of my "lawn" is to have a cleared area
between buildings that we can walk on.  Sometimes we use
it to play croquet.  Although our lawn doesn't get mowed
very often, I do love the smell of freshly cut grass on a warm
summer day.  Mingled in with that is the wonderful
fragrance of the other things that grow there too.
Dandelions seem to be the most hated lawn plant.  In
moderation, I think they are beautiful, especially when they
are in full bloom. Yet, too many dandelions may be an indicator
of imbalance.  Perhaps more species of plants are needed
to restore a yard full of dandelions to the perfect
balance. 
The next hated plant is ground ivy, also known as creeping
Charley.  This one is my favourite.  I can't
understand why people don't like it in the lawn.  Seems to
me, it is the best of the green and growing things in the whole
yard. Ground ivy is a lovely shade of green; it has a very soft
feel to walk upon.  It releases a minty aroma when you
step on it and when it is mowed.  With regular cutting, it
keeps a very low profile.  And its tiny purple flowers are
pretty. 
How do you feel about clover?  We have both red and white
clovers growing in our yard. 
Clovers are good for the soil.  They take nitrogen from the air and enrich the soil.  The plants are generally low profile, and the flowers are pretty.  They do attract bees though, so you have to be careful if strolling along on your bare feet.
Our yard has a lot of broad leaf plantain growing in it. 
This is not so pretty, not terrifically fragrant, and not
particularly soft to walk on.  But it has its
uses. 
For one, the crushed leaves are very good at relieving the
sting from bees.  This is a good thing to teach kids to
identify as a healing plant.  Any time they get a scratch,
or mosquito bite or even a bump on the knee, show them how to
make a poultice of plantain to take away the pain.  In
pesticide and pet-free areas, I crush the leaf briefly between
my teeth, then apply the whole leaf like a band-aid.  In
our yard, there's an unlimited supply of these natural
band-aids.
Around the fringes of our yard there is a wonderful transition
zone where the lawn gradually blends in to the natural, native
plants of the forest edge. Buttercups and wild strawberries
mingle with hawkweed and pearly everlasting.  These give
way to bunchberry, wild lily-of-the-valley, pipsissewa, and
then blueberries. And in a few special locations, the pink
lady's slipper pokes her way through. 
Viki Mather is a naturalist who lives by a lake near Sudbury.
