I wish he had spent more time talking about alternatives, because just letting your lawn grow isn’t a very good solution, front yard gardens are not feasible for anyone who can’t dedicate hours each week to gardening, and xeriscaping can be just as bad as a lawn by still destroying habitat, introducing non-native species, or using features like rocks that need to be quarried and transported.
A real solution is to tear down and rebuild much of suburbia to focus on proper multi-generational / multi-family housing instead of sprawling single-family housing and planning neighborhoods to have large undeveloped “wild” corridors that flow through the neighborhood creating a habitat for wildlife, surrounding residents with nature, and allowing animals to travel through the area without requiring dangerous road crossings.
My house has an artificially large front yard, the house was placed further back on the plot (shrinking the usable back yard) so the house could have that large lawn to show off. I hate it, but this is a common feature of many houses here. Not only is using front yard space for anything other than a lawn taboo or illegal, it also requires a longer driveway which needs more concrete and maintenance, and it shrinks the back yard, you know, the outside space that people actually use! The point of a lawn (and suburbia in general) is literally to waste as much space as possible, and that’s just stupid. /rant
Native grass lawns are also good. Our environmental science prof encouraged them for people with houses, as native grasses don’t really require maintenance (since they’re basically weeds), is better for soil in many cases, and can help support local wildlife like pollinators. Here in Vancouver, Canada, clovers seem to be a popular option.
Only problem is that most people think they’re “ugly” (again, they’re considered weeds by most people), and your HOA might not allow them.
Thanks, that’s awesome! We’ve been cultivating clover in backyard for a couple years and it’s starting to take over like we wanted with lots of flowers for pollinators. I hadn’t really looked into native grasses before, but I’m trying to see if there are any good no-mow varieties that I could test in our backyard.
I might be able to get away with some native grasses in the front yard, but only if I incorporated them into some nice landscaping. There’s no way I could get away with planting an entire lawn of native no-mow, though.
Beyond just grasses, it is better to include native flowers too like some clovers that you mention. Maybe one of the reasons the video didn’t go too far into alternatives is because geography changes your options quite a bit. Some ecologist focused on genetic diversity will tell you that you shouldn’t be getting your plant stock from more than 10 miles from your location, and some “native” wild flower mixes sold nationally in the US have non-native (usually european) or even invasive plants (usually european thistles) mixed in.
You seem to realize that isn’t all or nothing. Converting a portion of your lawn every year might be a more manageable decision. If you take on a project like this it is a long haul. Don’t bite off more than you can chew or you’re likely to burn out. Plantings are usually pushed as zero maintenance, but more accurate would be to say that you are able to front load a bunch of effort that will pay off 5 years down the road.
Last, I spent a decade of my professional career designing and implementing wetland, prairie, and savanna restorations in the upper midwest and northwest regions of the US. Anyone who wants help looking at appropriate plants for their area and specific situation (eg focus on pollinator, edibles, low maintenance, or birds) can DM me. I am passionate about it, like to do the research, and am happy to help.
I wish he had spent more time talking about alternatives, because just letting your lawn grow isn’t a very good solution, front yard gardens are not feasible for anyone who can’t dedicate hours each week to gardening, and xeriscaping can be just as bad as a lawn by still destroying habitat, introducing non-native species, or using features like rocks that need to be quarried and transported.
A real solution is to tear down and rebuild much of suburbia to focus on proper multi-generational / multi-family housing instead of sprawling single-family housing and planning neighborhoods to have large undeveloped “wild” corridors that flow through the neighborhood creating a habitat for wildlife, surrounding residents with nature, and allowing animals to travel through the area without requiring dangerous road crossings.
My house has an artificially large front yard, the house was placed further back on the plot (shrinking the usable back yard) so the house could have that large lawn to show off. I hate it, but this is a common feature of many houses here. Not only is using front yard space for anything other than a lawn taboo or illegal, it also requires a longer driveway which needs more concrete and maintenance, and it shrinks the back yard, you know, the outside space that people actually use! The point of a lawn (and suburbia in general) is literally to waste as much space as possible, and that’s just stupid. /rant
I’ve lived in some US states that were hotter. Tons of ppl have rock lawns, which I really loved. Zero maintenance, no water waste, etc.
Native grass lawns are also good. Our environmental science prof encouraged them for people with houses, as native grasses don’t really require maintenance (since they’re basically weeds), is better for soil in many cases, and can help support local wildlife like pollinators. Here in Vancouver, Canada, clovers seem to be a popular option.
Only problem is that most people think they’re “ugly” (again, they’re considered weeds by most people), and your HOA might not allow them.
@Jeffrey@lemmy.ml
Thanks, that’s awesome! We’ve been cultivating clover in backyard for a couple years and it’s starting to take over like we wanted with lots of flowers for pollinators. I hadn’t really looked into native grasses before, but I’m trying to see if there are any good no-mow varieties that I could test in our backyard.
I might be able to get away with some native grasses in the front yard, but only if I incorporated them into some nice landscaping. There’s no way I could get away with planting an entire lawn of native no-mow, though.
Beyond just grasses, it is better to include native flowers too like some clovers that you mention. Maybe one of the reasons the video didn’t go too far into alternatives is because geography changes your options quite a bit. Some ecologist focused on genetic diversity will tell you that you shouldn’t be getting your plant stock from more than 10 miles from your location, and some “native” wild flower mixes sold nationally in the US have non-native (usually european) or even invasive plants (usually european thistles) mixed in.
You seem to realize that isn’t all or nothing. Converting a portion of your lawn every year might be a more manageable decision. If you take on a project like this it is a long haul. Don’t bite off more than you can chew or you’re likely to burn out. Plantings are usually pushed as zero maintenance, but more accurate would be to say that you are able to front load a bunch of effort that will pay off 5 years down the road.
Last, I spent a decade of my professional career designing and implementing wetland, prairie, and savanna restorations in the upper midwest and northwest regions of the US. Anyone who wants help looking at appropriate plants for their area and specific situation (eg focus on pollinator, edibles, low maintenance, or birds) can DM me. I am passionate about it, like to do the research, and am happy to help.