How to Flip a Chemically Sustained Lawnscape Into a Natural Paradise
For centuries, bright green carpets of mowed grass—such as the Palace Gardens of Versailles—have been synonymous with wealth and status.
In the late nineteenth century. Frederick Law Olmsted, who is considered the father of North American landscape architecture, started modeling communities around shared green spaces, and today, public and private lawns are ubiquitous throughout the Western world. In the US alone, about 2% of land (or 40 million acres) is covered by turf grasses in private homes, businesses, golf courses, parks, and many other public spaces.
But “trophy lawns” come with a hefty price: Beautifully manicured lawns typically require millions of pounds of chemical inputs and millions of gallons of petroleum to fuel mowing equipment—plus trillions of gallons of water to keep the lawns green. In fact, turf grasses are the non-food crop that requires the most irrigation in the US, which is why some states like California offer incentives to remove and replace them with eco-friendly alternatives.
Human beings enjoy the inviting space that a lawn provides, and lawns can have ecological benefits, including acting as a carbon sink and preventing run-off and erosion.
Luckily, with a few adjustments—especially to expectations of what a lawn must look like—a lush carpet of green suitable for frolicking can become an eco-friendly feature of home gardens.
Luckily, with a few adjustments—especially to expectations of what a lawn must look like—a lush carpet of green suitable for frolicking can become an eco-friendly feature of home gardens.
Going Green in Drought-Prone Climates
To create an eco-friendly landscape in dry areas, first, consider less lawn. Learn about grasses that grow naturally in the area. Even if native grasses are not suitable for a traditional lawn, grasses can still contribute to an attractive garden display. Drought gardens can make use of plants like succulents that will thrive in dry conditions. Hardscaping alternatives to lawns, such as pea gravel and permeable paving, can create pathways and gathering places that will help trap rainwater and prevent runoff.
In zones with more rainfall, lawn alternatives include extending or creating garden beds. Adding garden plants and trees that can host many different species will help diversify the home ecosystem. Just one oak tree can host thousands of different organisms. Oaks also thrive in many different climates and can furnish wonderful shade.
Flowering trees and shrubs can provide early season sustenance for pollinators and nesting habitat for birds. Perennial plants can provide food and forage for birds and pollinators as well as excellent habitat and winter cover. A vegetable garden or food forest in a home garden can reduce the use of fossils fuels for food shipping and reward the gardener with fresh produce.
Participating in ‘No Mow May’—where homeowners wait until June to start mowing their laws—helps pollinators enjoy the benefits of early blooming flowers.
If it’s impractical to replace an existing lawn, simply reducing mowing to once or twice a month helps reduce pollutants from lawn mowers. Participating in No Mow May—where homeowners wait until June to start mowing their laws—helps pollinators enjoy the benefits of early blooming flowers. In Massachusetts, ninety-three different species of bee were found to visit flowers growing in lawns. Lawns mowed every two weeks showed the highest bee abundance.
The more diversity of species that can be added to a lawn, the greater the benefit. A lawn that is a monoculture of just one or two species of grass does not provide enough diversity for insects and microorganisms to flourish, but with a few tweaks to standard expectations of what a lawn is, a picnic spot can become a thriving habitat.
Some Grass Lawn Alternatives
Clovers are an easy addition to most lawns and offer many benefits. A member of the Fabaceae (pea and bean) family, clover roots have small nodules that form symbiotic relationships with beneficial bacteria that help them take nitrogen from the air and transform it into available nourishment. Because of this mutually beneficial relationship with the bacteria, clovers can create their own fertilizer and will never require chemical inputs to grow. In addition, clover flowers make a wonderful host for pollinators like honeybees and native bumble bees. Clovers will mix freely with existing turf grasses, are easy to mow, and will regrow quickly. In general clovers are a great choice for lawns, but they require regular rainfall and may not be the best choice for dry conditions.
A thyme lawn is a great option for a full sun lawn that requires no mowing and little water. Thyme is a fragrant herb in the Lamiaceae (mint) family, and native to the Mediterranean region. It can cope well with poor soils and does not require any added fertilizers. A new thyme lawn will require some initial site preparation and watering to get established, but extremes of heat and cold do not mean much to a thyme lawn, making them a great choice for a changing climate.
Thymes have tiny flowers that native pollinators love and make a colorful display when in bloom. Other added benefits include: a soft texture for barefoot walking, and a delightful herbal smell. Thyme may also deter some unwanted insects such as mosquitos. However, a thyme lawn will not thrive in a cool, shady, or damp environment.
Mosses are ideal for areas where it would be impossible to grow a traditional lawn. Moss is a non-vascular plant and lacks the circulatory system that larger plants like trees use to pull water and nutrients from the ground. Instead, moss can absorb water and nutrients directly into its cells, but cannot grow more than an inch or two tall. That means no mowing is required for a moss lawn.
The nonvascular structure of mosses also means they have no roots and therefore require no soil to grow. Moss can grow in any area with ample shade and moisture, even at the base of a tree or on paving. Moss also fosters biodiversity and hosts a large array of tiny organisms including the fascinating tardigrade—sometimes called a “water bear” or “moss piglet.” As noted by celebrated bryologist and author of Gathering Moss Robin Wall Kimmerer, one gram of moss can harbor hundreds of thousands of microfauna.
A perfect carpet of lawn that requires large amounts of water, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides might feel like a trophy, but a lawn that is a real prize is one that provides beauty without harming the ecological neighborhood.
*Mal Cole is a freelance science and nature writer based in Massachusetts.