Americans have a bit of a love affair with their lawns. Lawns cover 40 million acres of land in the US. Those lush, manicured expanses of grass are rooted in European aristocratic traditions, where they symbolized wealth and control over nature. And who doesn’t want to appear at least a little aristocratic? Yet, there’s another way we can love our lawns, and that’s by giving them up. Or rather, transforming them into a space that is both beautiful and supports native wildlife. It’s an idea that’s growing in popularity; the number of people planning to transform a portion of their lawn to a wildflower native landscape doubled from 9 percent in 2019 to 19 percent in 2021.
The Lawn Problem
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What’s wrong with a lovely grass lawn, anyway? From a wildlife perspective (including the ever-important pollinators, like bees and butterflies), that rolling green lawn is basically a desert. It provides no protective habitat, no food, and no water. And those lawns take a lot of resources to maintain. In the United States alone, lawns consume nearly 3 trillion gallons of water, 200 million gallons of gas (lawnmowers), and 70 million pounds of pesticides–in one year!
The Grass Isn’t Always Greener
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Replacing your manicured grass lawn has the power to reduce that environmentally-harmful resource consumption, attract beautiful pollinators, and save you hours of mowing and maintenance! It’s a win-win-win. To learn about the best no-mow lawn options, we consulted the NC Cooperative Extension, the University of Maryland Extension, and the Homegrown National Park.
Getting Started
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Maybe you’ve got a big yard. There’s so much grass, and so many decisions to make about what to replace that grass with. You’re already overwhelmed. Don’t freak out! You don’t have to remove every blade of grass all at once, and you definitely don’t have to be a botany expert to make this work. Start small. Where are the places in your yard that are already annoying to grow grass, or to keep mowed? Maybe there’s a shaded section of your yard that has never grown grass very well, or a little strip of lawn between the sidewalk and the street that’s neglected. These are perfect places to start replacing the lawn with other alternatives.
Removing Grass with Sheet Mulching
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If you’re starting with a section of your yard that already has grass growing, you’ll likely want to start by getting it out of your way. A simple (and dirt-friendly) way to start is by sheet mulching: lay down a layer of cardboard or newspaper over the area you’re working on, then cover it with a deep layer of mulch. You can also add layers of compost or manure. Sheet mulching will flatten and kill the grass and weeds beneath it, and the cardboard or newspaper will eventually break down and decompose into the soil. Alternatively, you can also cover the area in plastic sheeting until the grass beneath it is dead. But if you’re focused on eco-friendly practices, you may want to avoid plastic.
Consider Groundcovers
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Groundcovers are plants that like to spread, but don’t grow very tall. This makes them a great option for a lawn alternative that you don’t have to mow; they’re also handy in tricky locations like steep slopes (plus, they’ll help with erosion). You’ll need to do some weeding and mulching up front until your ground cover gets established, but with time, they’ll be able to choke out the weeds on their own. You’ll want to avoid invasive groundcovers like periwinkle or Japanese spurge–they’ll get out of control and are environmentally harmful. Picking a groundcover that’s native to your area will help ensure that it thrives in your yard and will benefit your local wildlife, to boot.
Try Ornamental Grasses
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Moving away from green turfgrass doesn’t mean moving away from grasses altogether. Ornamental grasses are tall and showy, and don’t require mowing. Muhly grass, for example, is a beautiful grass that grows up to 4 feet tall, in clumps up to 3 feet wide. They are especially colorful in the fall, when they create pink plumes of flower panicles. And it’s native to almost half of the United States (New York to Florida and west to Texas). These grasses require little maintenance, just cut back foliage in early spring.
Dive Into a Native Garden
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If you’re ready to invest a bit more time and effort, trading out your lawn (or some of your lawn) for a native plant garden is a great option to support bees, butterflies, wildlife, and the environment altogether. Native plants are already adapted to your local environment, so they don’t need special care to keep them happy. You can pick any variety of plants–flowers, shrubs, vines, ornamental grasses, trees–that are native to your area to create a beautiful and diverse gardenscape for your home. These plants provide food and habitat critical for the survival of crucial pollinator species. And the more plants you grow, the more carbon you sequester and store from the atmosphere (take that, climate change).
Grow Your Own Food!
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Your yard doesn’t have to provide food just for wildlife; it can feed you and your family, as well! Consider berry bushes, fruiting trees, or raised veggie and herb beds. These options can all be relatively low-maintenance, and they all taste a lot better than grass. Don’t worry if you aren’t ready to commit to a whole orchard or backyard homestead. Start small. Lowbush blueberries, for example, generally stay under 2 feet tall, and can even be as short as 6 inches.
Have More Land? Try a Meadow
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Think native garden, but bigger. This option is worth considering if you have a large area of land that gets lots of sunlight (at least six hours a day). Meadows have between 50 and 70% native grasses and flowering native perennials that are adapted to your specific ecoregion and soil conditions. It’s not quite as easy as throwing down seeds you purchased in a “wildflower mix,” unfortunately. Often, those mixes have flowers that aren’t native or perennial, so you get a very colorful and showy meadow for one year, and then it’s done. Be sure you’re using native plant seeds for your ecoregion, or opt for native plant plugs instead.
Plant More Trees
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If you have the space, consider adding a tree or two to your yard. Trees are beneficial to native wildlife habitat, and to your habitat! A carefully placed tree can provide cooling shade in the summer and act as a windbreak in winter, saving up to 25% on your home energy bills. Mulching under the dripline of your tree will help the tree stay healthy, and provide pupation sites (also called soft landings) for caterpillars, as a bonus.
Add Moss
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If part of your motivation to go grass-free is a shady yard that doesn’t grow grass well to start with, moss is a great alternative. It’s soft, beautiful, it controls erosion, and helps retain moisture and nutrients in the soil. Moss doesn’t mind deep shade, wet conditions, or compacted soil, so it can thrive in areas many other plants won’t. You may have moss growing already that you can encourage to spread. Pull out the grass and weeds to give it a better opportunity to spread.
Just.. Let it Grow
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Of course, you could always just let your grass–and whatever else might pop up– grow completely wild in your yard. Some plants that are considered “weeds” are actually great support for wildlife (like dandelions!). If it gets too crazy, you can always cut it back. Before you go for this option, however, you might want to keep your neighbor’s feelings, as well as any local ordinances or HOA rules, in mind. This might be a better option for your backyard or areas that are more out of sight, or just smaller sections of your yard.
Small Actions for Big Change
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There are a lot of options for your yard beyond those aristocratic, manicured lawns–and even changing up a small section of your yard is a great start. If just 10% of lawns in the US are replaced with plants that benefit native pollinators and wildlife, that’s an amazing 4 million acres of habitat! It’s change that can literally start in your own backyard.
