LeighAnn Ferrara is transforming her small suburban yard from grass bordered by a few shrubs into an anti-lawn B次元官网网址� a patchwork of flower beds, vegetables and fruit trees.
It didnB次元官网网址檛 happen all at once, says the mother of two young kids. B次元官网网址淲e started smothering small sections of the lawn each year with cardboard and mulch and planting them, and by now the front yard is probably three-quarters planting beds,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淓very year we do more.B次元官网网址�
Her perennials and than turf grass does. And she doesnB次元官网网址檛 need herbicides or pesticides B次元官网网址� sheB次元官网网址檚 not aiming for emerald perfection.
For generations, the lawn B次元官网网址� that neat, green, weed-less carpet of grass B次元官网网址� has dominated American yards. It still does. But a surge of gardeners, landscapers and homeowners worried about the environment now see it as an anachronism, even a threat.
Like Ferrara, theyB次元官网网址檙e chipping away at it.
B次元官网网址淎merica is unique in its fixation on the monoculture lawn,B次元官网网址� says Dennis Liu, vice president of education at the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation in Durham, North Carolina. B次元官网网址淥ur English inheritance is our own little tidy green space.B次元官网网址�
Now, , and other environmental problems are highlighting -B次元官网网址� in different ways, in different places B次元官网网址�- the need in spaces large and small.
Some people are experimenting with more B次元官网网址渆co-friendlyB次元官网网址� lawns, seed mixes you can buy with native grasses that arenB次元官网网址檛 as thirsty or finicky. Others are mowing less and tolerating old foes like dandelions and clover. Still others are trying to replace lawns, entirely or bit by bit, with garden beds including pollinator-friendly and edible plants.
It all leads to a more relaxed, wilder-looking yard.
B次元官网网址淭he more you can make your little piece that youB次元官网网址檙e a steward of go with natureB次元官网网址檚 flow, the better off everyone is,B次元官网网址� says Liu.
In , many homeowners long ago swapped out turf grass for less-thirsty options, including succulents and gravel.
Elsewhere, the pandemic has speeded the trend away from lawns. , and many non-gardeners spent more time at home, paying more attention to the natural world around them.
Municipalities across the country are handing out lawn signs with B次元官网网址渉ealthy yardB次元官网网址� bragging rights to homeowners who forgo lawn chemicals or mow less often. Many towns are slapping regulations on common tools like gas-powered leaf blowers and mowers, mostly because of noise.
B次元官网网址淔or people interested in gardening, a lot have come to the realization it canB次元官网网址檛 just be ornamental anymore. It has to serve some other purpose, whether food, habitat B次元官网网址� pack in as many uses as you can,B次元官网网址� says Alicia Holloway, a University of Georgia Extension agent in Barrow County. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a shift in thought, in aesthetics.B次元官网网址�
Monrovia, a major grower of plants for nurseries and other outlets, has seen lots of interest in a B次元官网网址淕arden of AbundanceB次元官网网址� trend -B次元官网网址� a more B次元官网网址渁live-lookingB次元官网网址� yard with a variety of plants, says company trend watcher Katie Tamony. She says itB次元官网网址檚 a way of thinking about your yard B次元官网网址渁s not just being yours, but part of a more beautiful, larger world that weB次元官网网址檙e trying to create.B次元官网网址�
Plants that attract pollinators were the category most sought-after in a survey of MonroviaB次元官网网址檚 customers, she said.
And yet. The lawn isnB次元官网网址檛 disappearing anytime soon.
Many homeowners associations still have rules about keeping yards manicured. And lawn services tend to be geared toward maintaining grassy expanses.
Andrew Bray, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Landscape Professionals, a trade group, says lawns are still the mainstream choice. People want neat outdoor spaces for relaxing, playing and entertaining.
He says his group supports the goal of making lawn care more environmentally friendly, but believes some recent ordinances, like those against gas-powered blowers and mowers, have created a B次元官网网址渇raught political environment.B次元官网网址� He says electric alternatives to those tools arenB次元官网网址檛 feasible yet for the big lawns that professionals handle.
The landscapersB次元官网网址� trade group set up a new public platform this year, Voices for Healthy Green Spaces, to present its side of things. B次元官网网址淲hether people want to have a large yard, plant a forest of trees in their backyard, or want a meadow and unstructured plantings,B次元官网网址� all are green options, he said.
Those concerned that grass lawns fall short in helping pollinators and other species face another problem. B次元官网网址淎 lot of people donB次元官网网址檛 want bees B次元官网网址�- thereB次元官网网址檚 fear of nature,B次元官网网址� says Holloway, the Georgia extension agent.. B次元官网网址淚 think thatB次元官网网址檚 changing, but it still has a long way to go.B次元官网网址�
Replacing grass also takes patience. B次元官网网址淥ne of the best parts of my job is site visits. I go to backyards that people have been working on for 20, 30 years, and itB次元官网网址檚 helped me get over the mindset that everything has to be done all at once. It really takes timeB次元官网网址� to create a yard thatB次元官网网址檚 got plantings, rather than just lawn, Holloway says.
And itB次元官网网址檚 hard to overcome tradition and neighborhood expectations. A lawn B次元官网网址渓ooks tidy, and itB次元官网网址檚 easy to keep doing what youB次元官网网址檙e doing,B次元官网网址� Liu says. But B次元官网网址渙nce youB次元官网网址檝e established the new equilibrium, itB次元官网网址檚 easier, it pays all these benefits.B次元官网网址�
Some neighbors might see a yard without a lawn B次元官网网址渁nd think, thereB次元官网网址檚 the crazy person,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淏ut a lot of people will just think itB次元官网网址檚 so cool.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址擩ulia Rubin, The Associated Press
