We also have an ‘ancient’ yard .... not much grass really, mostly weeds. We’re in the country and having a grass lawn isn’t all that practical - we can’t really water it and when the dry summer days hit, the weeds stay greener than grass .... you just keep them cut so they don’t ‘bloom’ or go to seed.
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OMW, you described my yard. We have 1.5 acre in a semirural area. I refer to the assorted weeds as “the lawn greens”.
The ‘ancient’ mostly non-grass yard has a charm all it’s own. It is full of wild flowers .... violets, Persian Speedwell (beautiful little blue flowers), plus lots that I don’t know the names of .... many ‘purples’. It’s like having another flower garden! We haven’t mowed the first time yet .... rained all weekend and I can ‘hear’ the grass growing so I’ll be out on the mower today.