The best way to replace a lawn

What is the best way to replace my lawn with low maintenance shrubs and how do I prevent weeds?

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##FULL QUESTION## Dear *Gardening Life*, I’d like to replace my lawn with a low-maintenance mix of shrubs, rock and mulch. I already have a Japanese maple and a mature birch clump. How do I avoid weed problems? What shrubs would work? I’m in Zone 5a. *—Mary Mulholland, Guelph, ON*

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##FULL ANSWER## Mary, What a sensible solution. Be sure to add lots of organic material to the soil you are prepping for the new plants. Think of putting in structural native shrubs or small trees such as serviceberry (*Amelanchier canadensis*), fringe tree (*Chionanthus virginicus*) and buttonbush (*Cephalanthus occidentalis*). Prickly pear (*Opuntia humifusa*) would be your best bet for drought tolerance. To keep weeds out, use a thick mulch of well-rotted manure, compost and ground-up leaves. *—Marjorie Harris, Editor at Large* Other questions recently answered by the GL team: 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 The best way to convert a lawn into a meadow The proper way to grow rhododendrons Eliminating beetle damage to spruce trees Annual resembling Japanese maple Planting ivy near cedar trees In search of the 'Sundance Kid' sunflower Caring for canna bulbs A supplier for barren strawberry ground cover Winter care for roses Cutting back mauna loa The best time to harvest curly-leaf lettuce Eliminating invasive trumpet Caring for double-flowering hibiscus trees Eliminating white aphids from honeysuckle vine Where to purchase Japanese blood grass An alternative to rhododendrons Growing a vegetable garden over a septic field Dividing and replanting daylilies Proper care for oakleaf hydrangea The best care for shrub roses 'The Fairy' Pest eating purple leaf sand cherry Preventing lawn brown spots Keeping plants sturdy Preventing suckers from a cut-down serviceberry tree Best tomato seeds to sow Preventing wind damage to grasses Plants to highlight a pool Reshaping yew tree

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