I've been against the manicured lawn for quite some time now and seeing collages like this give me hope that at least some people in America agree it is unnecessary to have a plush 2" high lawn. This idea feels, in my opinion, wasteful and unnatural.
In any case, going lawn free is just a part of permaculture, "an approach to designing human settlements and agricultral systems that mimic the relationships found in natural ecologies." I first heard of permaculture when listening to the survivalpodcast in August 2008 and I was hooked straight away. It just makes so much sense! Not to mention the added benefits: less expense and maintenance. I wondered why permaculture didn't catch on earlier, but I think most people thought it was some sort of radical concept that a group of environmental nuts conjured up. Oh well. I love it.
My goal is to eventually use permaculture on our own property by using the seven layer system and native plants. Fifty percent of our backyard is an incline and for this I would like to plant native wildflowers and grasses. Be careful to not plant invasive plants! Check your state.
The following list is the seven layer system of permaculture; its most basic principle.
Seven Layers of Permaculture:
1. canopy
2. low trees
3. shrubs
4. herbaceous
5. rhizosphere (root crops)
6. soil surface (cover crops)
7. vertical (climbing vines)
A few sites for procuring wild seeds:
http://www.americanmeadows.com/
http://www.wildflowermix.com/
http://www.seedsource.com/
A great native plant database:
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/
