I used to have a Lawn….but now I have a Lawnlet
This post used to be titled “Don’t be so quick to Jump on the Bandwagon”. I’ve re-titled it since I’ve joined an incredible coalition of gardeners at Lawn Reform, a new website who’s goals are to promote:
1) regionally appropriate lawn species,
2) Eco friendly care for all lawns,
3) Design ideas to reduce or replace lawns.
On this site you’ll find a TON of blogs with the title “I used to have a lawn….” written by other gardeners who have found some amazing ways to reduce or eliminate their lawns. Check it out – I’m sure you’ll get not only inspiration but some very wise advice, indeed!
If you think I’m going to write something like “If you don’t rip your lawn out NOW you’ll destroy our planet’…you’re wrong. I’m going to confess something to you. I happen to like my front-yard lawn. Now STOP – please! – before you click off my site, let me explain.
It’s WAAAY to easy to jump on the ‘Lawns are Evil’ bandwagon (which also happens to be the ‘No Balled Topiaries’, ‘No Marigolds’, and ‘No plastic flowers’ bandwagon, just with a different banner waving in the wind).
YES, with the current water situation what it is, lawns are NOT the best choice. And YES, with the amount of chemicals normally used to keep that lawn looking ‘pristine’ – again, lawns are NOT the best choice. BUT – there are ways to have your lawn and not completely assault the environment, too! I was so heartened to read this blog, written by the editor of Fine Gardening Magazine. He stuck is neck out, and publicly asked the forbidden question “are all lawns really that bad for the environmentâ€?? I applaud him for that!
Sometimes a small patch of ‘green’ is really unifying to a design, tying colorful borders together and creating a calm sense of space. Or, sometimes you don’t have the space in your backyard (or a backyard at all) and need a soft place for your kids to run around. Or, maybe you just happen to like the look of a lawn in your front yard because it reminds your of your childhood home. There’s a million reasons, but the end result is if you like lawn, then try and find a way to put one in that’s the least harmful to the environment as possible! Maybe you can reduce the size of your lawn? Maybe you can use a different variety of lawn that doesn’t require so much water? Maybe you just need to adjust your ‘lawns must be perfect’ attitude? All of these things can lead to a lawn that is less environmentally ‘uncool’.
Here’s a few sites which offer great alternatives to a typical lawn: www.greenleenursery.com and www.stepables.com
Several years ago we reduced the size of our front lawn. It was your typical ‘wall to wall carpeting’ style of lawn, and I needed more room to indulge my plant obsession. I had considered removing it entirely, but was hesitant because my kids still liked to use the front lawn. So after carefully measuring out a circle, we began to chip away at the lawn. As my confidence grew, the circle was reduced smaller and smaller until I felt there was a good balance between the calming green and the colorful borders.
The overall effect has been really great – I now have a ‘living fence’ which provides a ton of privacy from the street (I can even go out into my garden in my pajamas without being spotted by the neighbors). And you know what? My kids are now teenagers, but we STILL hang out on our front lawn sometimes. Actually, even more than before since it’s now our ‘hide-away’ and we can just sit still and observe (and ‘spy’ on those walking by who can’t see us – a fun thing to do no matter how old your kids are)!!
So don’t feel guilty just because you enjoy your front lawn. It’s perfectly okay. There’s worse things you could be doing (I won’t even go there). But with so many options out there in terms of design, size, maintenance and many varieties of native no-mow grasses it might be time to re-consider your definition of the typical ‘American lawn’….
August 17th, 2009 saat: 9:28 pm
I’ve been feeling guilty about the large grass area in my front yard and have been thinking of reducing it. Your picture shows me how attractive a small grass area can be.
September 10th, 2009 saat: 6:54 am
I’m with you — in my climate (central MI) lawns stay looking quite decent (if not golf course perfect) with nothing more than mowing. We get enough rain that they are actually a reasonable choice of ground cover. Personally, I still find them boring, but certainly not evil.
September 10th, 2009 saat: 7:13 am
You’re right – boring, yes. But important? Sometimes! Where else are you going to have that croquet game?? Unfortunately in California, where our water is so precious, our lawns don’t tend to look as great as yours do, which is why reducing them to a manageable size makes sense (a little goes a long way)!.
September 23rd, 2009 saat: 1:55 pm
Ah, BRAVE ONE – you LAWN LOVER! Hahahaha!
You are totally right! Lawn is such a beautiful unifying element, it is hard to be a hater! It is so important to show people, as you did here very well – that you can keep a lawn in a responsible way. I love diversity … and I’d hate to see ALL swaths of green gone because of environmental correctness! But I want small, healthy, justified lawns! Does that make sense? If you have kids – well, of course you need lawn! But – in my opinion – if you live where I live, you need to have a VERY good reason for keeping your lawn. And if you have that reason, then go for it! But I want those people who keep their lawns to do what you did; create a reduced, thoughtful, useful space that is free of chemicals. And is beautiful to boot! High Five!!! Great post!!!
September 28th, 2009 saat: 8:31 am
I like that term, “lawnlet”. And I agree, it seems like the perfect resting place for the eye in the midst of the variety of other plants. Thanks for sharing!
September 29th, 2009 saat: 3:28 pm
I too love the term lawnlet and really connect with what you’re saying here. The whole “away with the lawns” brigade sometimes veers into sounding judgmental, and it is hard to say in the face of all that vigor – “but I LIKE lawns!”.
But: I do like lawns. Most of my clients want some lawn. They are nice to sit on, fun to play on, good for entertaining, they highlight beds nicely, and they can be kept sustainably and organically, especially if we chill out on the need for utter weedless perfection.
I get that most lawns are not kept sustainably. I also get that many areas of the US have water shortages (not my area) and those folks would be wise to reduce their lawns in favor of a more drought tolerant solution (and as water becomes pricier most people will be led by their pocketbook to do so, even if the sustainability aspect isn’t enough to convince them).
But many of the anti lawn folks seem to be anti lawn for the sake of being anti-lawn. For instance, I often see stepable groundcovers touted as a better option. I’ll tell you folks, most of those stepable groundcovers need every bit as much water and fert as lawns, plus they are less tough and less able to out-compete weeds.
Many clients in my area just let their lawn go brown in summer and deal with the inevitable increase in weeds from that practice. They don’t water their lawns ever. That’s more sustainable than stepable groundcovers, even the toughest of which need some summer water.
Thanks for stepping up and discussing this in such a neutral way. I love many of the proponents of the no-lawn movement and agree with many of their values, as I think many gardeners do, so it is hard sometimes to speak up for the other viewpoint!
September 29th, 2009 saat: 3:41 pm
Yes, with some I felt I was taking ‘my life in my hands’ admitting I like a little lawn, as there are many who are too vigilant about insisting all lawns are bad. But I agree with everything you’ve said, and I’ve found that most anti-lawn folks are really okay with a ‘reduced’ lawn (their hearts are certainly in the right place). My lawn is fairly small, I use no fertilizers on it (but instead I use John & Bob’s Soil Optimizer – read my other post ‘having a healthy garden with a hint of hazmat’ for more info on this) and water it just twice a week. I use my lawn a TON – for various kid related activities, hanging out on it with the dog, etc.. and would be so sad without it. Thanks again for your thoughtful response.