LeighAnn Ferrara is transforming her small suburban yard from grass bordered by a few shrubs into an anti-lawn 鈥� a patchwork of flower beds, vegetables and fruit trees.
It didn鈥檛 happen all at once, says the mother of two young kids. 鈥淲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,鈥� she says. 鈥淓very year we do more.鈥�
Her perennials and native plants require less upkeep and water than turf grass does. And she doesn鈥檛 need herbicides or pesticides 鈥� she鈥檚 not aiming for emerald perfection.
For generations, the lawn 鈥� that neat, green, weed-less carpet of grass 鈥� 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, they鈥檙e chipping away at it.
鈥淎merica is unique in its fixation on the monoculture lawn,鈥� says Dennis Liu, vice president of education at the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation in Durham, North Carolina. 鈥淥ur English inheritance is our own little tidy green space.鈥�
Now, drought, crashing insect populations and other environmental problems are highlighting -鈥� in different ways, in different places 鈥�- the need for more kinds of plants in spaces large and small.
Some people are experimenting with more 鈥渆co-friendly鈥� lawns, seed mixes you can buy with native grasses that aren鈥檛 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.
鈥淭he more you can make your little piece that you鈥檙e a steward of go with nature鈥檚 flow, the better off everyone is,鈥� says Liu.
In states with water shortages, 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. Gardening exploded as a hobby, 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 鈥渉ealthy yard鈥� 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.
鈥淔or people interested in gardening, a lot have come to the realization it can鈥檛 just be ornamental anymore. It has to serve some other purpose, whether food, habitat 鈥� pack in as many uses as you can,鈥� says Alicia Holloway, a University of Georgia Extension agent in Barrow County. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a shift in thought, in aesthetics.鈥�
Monrovia, a major grower of plants for nurseries and other outlets, has seen lots of interest in a 鈥淕arden of Abundance鈥� trend -鈥� a more 鈥渁live-looking鈥� yard with a variety of plants, says company trend watcher Katie Tamony. She says it鈥檚 a way of thinking about your yard 鈥渁s not just being yours, but part of a more beautiful, larger world that we鈥檙e trying to create.鈥�
Plants that attract pollinators were the category most sought-after in a survey of Monrovia鈥檚 customers, she said.
And yet. The lawn isn鈥檛 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 鈥渇raught political environment.鈥� He says electric alternatives to those tools aren鈥檛 feasible yet for the big lawns that professionals handle.
The landscapers鈥� trade group set up a new public platform this year, Voices for Healthy Green Spaces, to present its side of things. 鈥淲hether people want to have a large yard, plant a forest of trees in their backyard, or want a meadow and unstructured plantings,鈥� all are green options, he said.
Those concerned that grass lawns fall short in helping pollinators and other species face another problem. 鈥淎 lot of people don鈥檛 want bees 鈥�- there鈥檚 fear of nature,鈥� says Holloway, the Georgia extension agent.. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 changing, but it still has a long way to go.鈥�
Replacing grass also takes patience. 鈥淥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 it鈥檚 helped me get over the mindset that everything has to be done all at once. It really takes time鈥� to create a yard that鈥檚 got plantings, rather than just lawn, Holloway says.
And it鈥檚 hard to overcome tradition and neighborhood expectations. A lawn 鈥渓ooks tidy, and it鈥檚 easy to keep doing what you鈥檙e doing,鈥� Liu says. But 鈥渙nce you鈥檝e established the new equilibrium, it鈥檚 easier, it pays all these benefits.鈥�
Some neighbors might see a yard without a lawn 鈥渁nd think, there鈥檚 the crazy person,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut a lot of people will just think it鈥檚 so cool.鈥�
鈥擩ulia Rubin, The Associated Press
RELATED: Plant for pollinators to get ahead of No Mow May, says Nature Conservancy of Canada
