Reading between the lines of your request for an alternative to lawn, it sounds like you just don't like doing garden maintenance, period. It may be useful to remember that mowing and caring for a lawn is relatively less work than keeping weeds and invading seedling trees out of large areas of ground cover, and that weeding and uprooting tree and shrub seedlings requires both more skill and diligence than mowing a lawn. Given that you live in a wooded area that probably also has year round rains that encourage rapid regrowth of a forest, you may be setting yourself up for a big mess, or more work than your lawn currently requires. You need to look around your neighborhood and see what works in your climate, as well as get more informed about the maintenance requirements for various planting styles. Talk to your neighbors, get input from neighbors who actually do garden, visit local nurseries and engage them in questions about lower maintenance garden options. I'd be very reluctant to give you more specific advise until you were more up to speed on the relative work that different garden styles require. The first thing you need to face is that gardens don't take care of themselves, and any garden requires a certain minimum amount of care. If you don't want to do the maintenance yourself, or are unwilling to pay others to do it for you, maybe you should reconsider whether condo living with maintenance provided by the HOA isn't a better option for your lifestyle.

Great timing that someone brought this up again. I'm giving the culture session at our society this Friday and this fits right in. The last culture session was given by one of our meticulous growers who measures the ph and ppm of tap water and maintains a meticulous record when his orchids need to be repotted etc. Mine is entitled: 'Keep your eye on the ball' The 'ball' should be different for different people as long as it gives you personal happiness and satisfaction. Getting AOS awards and growing perfect orchids may be the goal but not necessarily so. Growing them so that it makes you want to go out there in the morning and so that it never feels like work is more important as long as you get: 'Results that are good enough for you'. I have numerous examples, will only relate one here. I have about 100 Cymbidiums. I'm not into Cymbidiums and will never get an award or Ohs and Ahs for my plants. They are just there. 10 years ago I over potted them in rock, have never repotted them and except for a few who busted their pots and needed bigger pots, they are all sitting there, make new growths and blooms on a regular basis. Mine and my 3 daughter's homes get decorated with them every spring and that is 'GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME'. I plan to show a Cymb Sara Jean Ice 'Cascades' which has 12 spikes and has been in the same 2 gallon pot 11 years. I'm sure there is a better way of growing them, the Cymb greats in our area don't grow them in rock, but having to repot 100 big Cymbidiums in the spring gives me a chill. The message to our group is to grow them in such a way that you don't get tired of it, as long as you get reasonable results. If it's in your nature to be meticulous and spend lots of time repotting, then do it but never let the hobby become work, that's the beginning of the end. Nick

forget about 'soaker' hoses ... they are too low tech ... as you know.. you will never know which trees are not getting the water ... get some engineered irrigation line.. with connections to a regular hose .... so that the amount of water ... over a given length ... can and will be predictably applied ... check out the link ... and then call them.. or any other irrigation store ... e.g. .. [.52] gals per hour ... per emitter ... etc ... for each 20 pounds of spigot pressure.. are you on well or city??? do you have a bladder tank ... i used to have a .. i think.. 50 foot piece.. with a female to hose connection .... and in 2 hours.. could put down two inches of water.. and then move the thing.... its coiling can be a problem ... but some cutup hangers will help there ... but you are missing.. i think .. the fact.. that they only need to be watered .. WHEN THEY NEED WATER ... when i planted about 50 oaks.. i got lucky.. and it rained about every 5 days.. i doubt you will get that lucky .... i never HAD TO water ... are there any local irrigation stores.. high end nursery.. which might set you up .. with the GOOD STUFF ... understanding that you are not about to drop 3 grand on a total inground system ... i am tempted to have you call me.. so i can talk some of this out.. to give the lingo.. to have a decent conversation with a salesman ... but to succeed ... you need an 'engineered' irrigation line ... on my hosta... i can water up to 3 zones .... at 8 pounds of water pressure .... covering upwards of 500 hosta.. with irrigation lines that emit .25 gallons per hour ... the 8 pounds by 3 zones.. is the 24 pounds that my well head can push.. w/o effecting the house pressure.. and bypassing the bladder tank ... one thing you should talk to a local guy about.. is putting ONE one inch supply line.. with spigot every 75 feet or so.. straight down the property ... wouldnt your life be so much simpler.. to only need one 75 foot hose to water those plants 700 feet out??? and then to simply connect to the movable drip .... think about it.. one hose.. one length of irrigation ... and NEVER FORGET ... trees dont need all that much water.. with proper mulch.. you might not need to water.. until the heat really gets into the soil in july .. and if you give them a proper soaking at that time.. it might be a month again.. when they NEED water ... a good deep drink.. will not require you to come back every 4 or 7 days ... ken here is a pic of green giants .. if you look close enough.. you can see a line.. similar to the link .... i used to move it around the yard .... with the help of a child ... but with the 20 pound drag on this single hose.. it was all i could do at one time.. no multiple zones with this line ... Here is a link that might be useful: link

If you don't have a reason, don't say it than Jake. For one reason, I burn only my thick stalk like growth on my miscanthus...why, cut-worms, armyworms, and the like, as well as when the crown gets too thick of old growth, it eliminates the chance for dead centers. What do you think happens in grass fires and woodland fires? The devastation of fire helps crowns of plants, seeds germinate,bacterial populations grow and die and so on. I am not saying burn your whole yard,I am talking about selective burning of the crown and I asked if the person was outside city limits, because of ordinance...It works for me, it has worked for nature before you and I were even in the evolutionary chain. Now, if you want to do "the old fashion way", go for it. I mix my work with innovation, "hard work" as you put it, and let nature do the rest..... Next, you will tell me not to spray my grasses to control japanese beetle because grasses are not intended to be sujects of biological and organic chemicals....To some it up, that is how I do it, it works great, never had a problems, never lost a plant, and never had an excuse to change it, even if someone has "never considered it, and never will consider it."