Rethinking the Perfect Lawn | The Importance of Reducing Lawn Size

A well-manicured, lush green lawn has long been the epitome of the ideal home, a quintessential symbol of suburban living. It represents not just a maintained, appealing space but also homeowners’ perceived pride and dedication. However, beneath this green carpet’s surface, there are often overlooked environmental impacts that need our attention.

Lines in a Lawn — *Look at those lines! It only took time, water, fuel, fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides and little imagination. This landscape is sterile, and we can do better!* *Image credit: The Lawn Forum*

The Real Cost of the Perfect Lawn

Maintaining a large lawn is a time-consuming and resource-intensive endeavor. It requires regular mowing, abundant watering, and often the application of fertilizers and pesticides. But what’s the environmental footprint of these activities?

Water Usage

In the United States alone, lawns consume approximately 9 billion gallons of water daily. This excessive water usage is a significant concern, particularly in regions suffering from water shortages and drought. Lawn irrigation is close in water usage to all of the water used for U.S. food crops.

In contrast, native plants, once established, rarely if ever, need additional watering.

Chemical Pollution

In pursuit of the perfect lawn, homeowners use up to 10 times more chemical pesticides per acre than farmers use on crops. This runoff can find its way into local water bodies, leading to widespread water pollution and endangering both aquatic life and human health, not to mention it’s an unneeded waste.

Native plants, if sited properly, do not need any fertilizers. In most cases, if given fertilizers, will become tall and lanky.

Additionally, there can be real health and environmental issues associated with chemical usage.

Of 30 commonly used lawn pesticides, 19 are linked to cancer, 13 to birth defects, 21 to reproductive disorders, and 15 to brain damage
Of those, 17 detected in groundwater, 11 toxic to bees, 16 toxic to birds
And, idling a gas-powered leaf blower for 10 minutes produces as much toxic exhaust as driving a large pickup truck for 235 miles¹

Loss of Biodiversity

Expansive, monoculture lawns do little to support local biodiversity. Native, diverse plantings provide habitats for a range of species, from insects to birds, contributing to a healthier, more balanced ecosystem and are the basis for a connected food web.

The Greener Alternative to the Typical Lawn

So, should we abandon the concept of lawns altogether? Not necessarily but we sure could use more of it. However, it’s about reducing the size of our lawns and embracing alternatives that are more environmentally friendly.

Native Plant Garden

Swapping part of your lawn for a garden filled with native plants can be a game-changer. These plants are adapted to your local climate and soil conditions, which means they require less water and care than non-native species. Additionally, they can provide a natural habitat for local wildlife, promoting biodiversity in your backyard. And yes, the foundation gardens next to your house can be expanded to reduce your lawn and be planted with something other than boxwoods!

Prairie

A prairie is a far more environmentally friendly choice than a turf grass lawn, offering many benefits. First, prairies promote biodiversity by providing a natural habitat for a variety of plants, insects, and birds, while traditional lawns typically support only a single species, or monoculture, of grass. This biodiversity is crucial for maintaining a healthy, balanced ecosystem.

Prairie plants, with their deep roots, also improve soil health by enhancing its nutrient content, preventing erosion, and increasing water infiltration, helping to prevent flooding and replenishing groundwater supplies. On the contrary, turf grasses have shallow roots and require significant human intervention to remain healthy, often leading to extensive water, fertilizer, and pesticide use. This heavy input makes the turf grass root system even shorter because the roots don’t have to go far to search for what they need.

Native Plant Roots — Image showing long roots for many native prairie plants suspended in the air. Image credit: The Secret Life of Roots, U.S. Botanic Garden

Lastly, prairies require far less maintenance than a traditional lawn once established, saving time and resources. By choosing a prairie over turf grass, homeowners can contribute to environmental conservation and enjoy a beautiful, low-maintenance, and wildlife-friendly garden.

A simple “pocket prairie” like this first-season prairie in my own yard is enough to provide a lot of habitat and reduce the lawn size. I’m amazed every day when I look at this simple prairie at the amount of bumblebees, butterflies, and moths I see in there. I also frequently see goldfinches eating seeds from seedheads and a bluebird who loves to drop hunt at the transition zone at the edge.

Pocket Prairie Out my Window — *This is a first-year pocket prairie on my property right where turf grass grew just a year before. Here, you can see Black-Eyed Susan and Sunflowers putting on their first-year display.*

Rewilded Space

Allowing a space to rewild or return to its natural state has multiple environmental advantages over maintaining a turf grass lawn. When a landscape reverts to its natural, wild state, it becomes a thriving habitat for a multitude of flora and fauna, fostering biodiversity and creating a balanced ecosystem.

This is in stark contrast to turf grass lawns, which are essentially monocultures that provide little to no habitat for local wildlife. Wild spaces also act as carbon sinks, helping mitigate climate change by absorbing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Additionally, natural landscapes require significantly less maintenance and resources, eliminating the need for regular mowing, watering, and chemical applications associated with traditional lawns. In essence, by allowing a space to rewild, we can not only conserve resources and support local biodiversity but also contribute to larger environmental goals such as climate change mitigation and ecosystem restoration.

Tall Grass Along Side Fenceline — This is one area along a fence between my neighbor and me that I am rewilding. In this one section, I have pulled in some downed logs, created a brush pile, and allowed plants to show themselves. I have a volunteer Chokecherry, two Red Oaks (too small to see in the pic), a Common Hackberry, *Asters, and a Black Walnut. I will mow this area once in late spring while allowing the volunteers I want to keep to grow as they wish.*

Vegetable Garden

Converting a portion of your lawn into a vegetable garden offers a range of benefits. Not only do you reduce the size of your intensive lawn, but you also get to enjoy fresh, homegrown produce. It’s a win-win for both the environment and your palate! You can learn a lot about gardening from many resources. One good source to start with is Grow Food Not Lawns.

Rock Garden or Xeriscape

If you live in a dry climate, creating a rock garden or a xeriscape — a landscape that requires little to no irrigation — is another excellent option. Such landscapes can be strikingly beautiful and require minimal maintenance, making them a sustainable choice. Learn more About Xeriscaping, PBS

The Cost of Lawns

Lawns replace crucial habitats and are costly in terms of time, resources, and air pollution.
Homeowners are using 50% more herbicides than they did 20 years ago, about ten times more per acre than used on farms.
Watering lawns amount to as much as 2/3 of water use in some cities.
The average homeowner spends the equivalent of a typical workweek simply mowing the lawn each year.
$8.5B is spent annually on retail sales of residential lawn care products and equipment.
According to the EPA, lawn mowing produces more than 5% of urban air pollution.
Operating a mower for one hour is the equivalent of a 600-mile trip in a car in terms of pollution.

Final Thoughts

Reducing the size of your lawn does not mean giving up on having a beautiful outdoor space. On the contrary, it opens up a world of creative possibilities to cultivate a garden that’s not only pleasing to the eye but also kind to the planet. As homeowners, we can redefine the ‘perfect’ garden — one that values biodiversity, conservation, and sustainability over mere aesthetics.

We didn’t even address the amount of fuel and time that can be saved nor the reduction in pollutants from lawnmowers. These are valid reason in and of themselves for reducing your lawn.

Remember, every small change we make in our backyard can contribute to a healthier planet. Let’s cultivate this change, one garden at a time.

Patrick goes native…and you can too, by reducing the size of your lawn.

Related Resources

Need Help Going Native?

There are a lot of “rules” we’ve been told over the years and some hard-and-fast beliefs that we’ve developed as homeowners and gardeners. If you’d like help to understand a more eco-friendly, natural, and beneficial method, please reach out to learn more, and we can go native together!