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!