The best way to convert a lawn into a meadow

What is the best way to convert an unwanted lawn into a meadow without using herbicide?

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**FULL QUESTION** Dear *Gardening Life*, I'd like to convert a large chunk of lawn into a meadow or low-maintenance lawn. What is the easiest way to do this? I don't want to use a herbicide to kill the existing grass, and it's too big to dig up the sod. *—Louise Cameron, Halifax, NS*

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**FULL ANSWER** The best way of getting rid of lawn is to save up piles and piles of newspapers and make a thick layer (up to four inches) of them on the hated grass. Make sure the newspapers are dampened but not falling apart. This will kill off anything growing underneath. Then top with soil and sow your meadow seed (the newspaper will eventually rot down). You may have to take two runs at this, doing half now and the other half later. Remember that proper meadows take time to establish and need some maintenance including mowing a couple of times a year. You could also try Eco-Lawn, a slow-growing grass that requires little mowing. Check out Wildflower Farm for details on both meadow mixes and Eco-Lawn. *—Marjorie Harris, Editor at Large* Other questions recently answered by the GL team: Buying exotic plants in Toronto Preventing brown leaf spot Information on peony-flowered poppies Tips for growing tulips and lilies When to move irises Maintaining blue spruces The best way to grow gunneras Getting rid of sawfly larvae on roses Eliminating earwigs from clematis flowers Beetle damage to spruce trees Removing whiteflies from hibiscus leaves Building a cactus garden Maintaining redbud trees Maintaining Boston ivy growth Using black walnut leaves for mulch Stopping powdery mildew on maples Planting trees near a swale Growing on a septic field How to battle weeds between flagstone and alternative options Mysterious orange powder on the lawn What to do with end-of-season potatoes on the vine How to control Japanese knotweed What to grow in a dry area The proper way to plant astrantia What is the star flower and how do I manage it? How do I eliminate my ant problem? Preventing red beetles from attacking lilies Vine types to grow on a new pergola Maintaining purple fountain grass Keeping bougainvilllea healthy throughout the winer How to rid invasive green goutweed Good garden uses for fireplace ashes Growing grape hyacinth indoors

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