Every weekend the ritual begins. Each of us starts a lawn mower and begins the pleasant task of trimming the grass. Round and round in circles, enjoying nature at its best, listening to chirping birds, enjoying the sunshine; more like getting a sunburn, hoping the high decibels from the lawn mower does not cause hearing loss and wishing the grass would mow itself. Once we finish the main lawn, the worst begins, trimming around trees and various other obstacles on the lawn. Lawn mowers are not designed to make tight circles around tree trunks, nor pointy noses to get in between the exposed roots.

Trees, while providing shade and beauty, are a lawn-mowing nightmare. Many of us put mulch around trees, to eliminate the need to mow there, until the weeds poke their ugly little heads through the mulch. Some of us use the almighty weed eater, prolonging the torture of trimming the grass, with an even hotter and dirtier job.

There may be hope, an alternative to the nightmare; plants. There are many different varieties of shade flowers and shade plants, when planted around trees, can eliminate the need to mow. The Hosta is a great choice; they require light maintenance and can grow to a large size, shading out any weeds attempting to grow. Violets are also a good choice, a low growing spring flower, with pleasant foliage for the rest of the year. Combining mulch with shade flowers or plants will further inhibit weed growth. This method adds beauty to your landscaping and eliminates unwanted growth.

Some trees will require plantings that are more specialized. Pines, cedars and hemlocks are too acidic to allow many plants to survive. The shedding of needles also causes mulch that ornamental plants are unable to tolerate. There are a few plants able to endure. Celendine is a weed to most landscapers; however, it is one of the most resilient groundcovers. Greater Celendine grows to approximately 18 inches in height and has small yellow flowers that bloom continuously from spring to fall. There are no special soil or sun requirements and is extremely drought tolerant. Celendine is an old world plant that was brought to America by the European colonists for its medicinal qualities. The plant was used in a variety of concoctions, but its most notable quality is the ability to cure ringworm and athletes foot.

Next time you look at your trees with dread, consider these easy landscaping alternatives. Plantings will not only enhance your lawn, they cut the dreaded grass trimming time down considerably. Plantings also work in other lawn mowing trouble spots. Talk to your local nursery for other planting options and enjoy your lawn.