Green lawns are widespread in the US today. They have some major advantages – they are relatively easy to maintain with the proper equipment, and they look uniform – just like your neighbor’s. They are good for children playing on them. And, for anyone who has traveled elsewhere in the world and seen neighborhoods that lack lawns, they know that lawns prevent your yard from being a dustbowl when it’s dry and a mud bath when it rains.
The main drawback of green lawns is that they are biological deserts. They are dominated by a single species of grass, and everything else is a weed. Weeds are defined as plants that grow where you don’t want them to. “Good-looking” lawns are “treated” with pre-emergents to prevent other plants from growing in your lawn. Then they are fertilized so they grow better and faster – and thus need frequent cutting. This fertilizer often runs off into storm drains and pollutes rivers and lakes and results in algae blooms. A vicious cycle throughout the growing season that yields nothing but a surface that supports little life. Every weekend the sound of homeowners with their lawn mowers, weed eaters and dust-blowers is heard throughout most neighborhoods. If homeowners don’t have the time there are lawn care companies willing to fertilize, cut, and trim your lawn throughout the growing season for substantial fees.
The alternative to green lawns can be seen in some parts of the US. In coastal California the weather permits gardens that are green year-round. In Arizona, most houses do not have grass, but rather cactus and other succulents in xeriscaped yards. But for most of the US, with sufficient rainfall, lawns dominate. But they need not.
Today, front yards can be planted with native perennials and maintained with a diversity sufficient for native wildlife. Note the emphasis on native plants – especially perennials. They are adapted the climatic conditions of the location and being perennials, they will come back year after year. See this US Department of Agriculture site for more information. While most emphasis has been on planting for pollinators like Monarch Butterflies, native plants also support many other insects and many birds. Best of all, native plants require little maintenance – they are adapted to your town’s environment. Cutting lawns is replaced with trimming shrubs, cutting branches, and removing some weeds you don’t want among your main native plants. This can be less work than regular lawn maintenance – or more work. However, it can be more satisfying as you will see your plants flower and attract insects, birds, and other wildlife.
A problem with natural landscapes is that they currently conflict with the green lawns of most homeowners. If they are unkept (truly natural) they can reduce the property values of the neighborhood – much like parking a broken-down car on your front lawn. Your neighbors won’t like this if they have to sell their house. So natural yards tend to first appear in the backyard, and front yards require special care to appear “acceptable” to the neighbors.
The acceptance of naturalistic-gardens around houses very much depends on the understanding of residents in a neighborhood. A great many people have little appreciation for nature and want nothing to do with insects of any kind, plants that they don’t recognize, or animals (e.g. skunks, opossums, field rats) that might view their garden as a refuge from the surrounding suburban “desert”.
The Sutton Wilderness 