Did you know that in the United States of America people spend more money watering grass than any other crop or plant? It's sadly true. Grass, a naturally occurring carpet, which does not produce any fruit or vegetables that you can eat, is spent a lot of money on. People water it, fertilize it, and take care of their lawns and it does not give back to them. People should get into permaculture and start growing fruit forests and beautiful gardens. What even is the point of no native grasses from Europe? You just spend money mowing it and it doesn't grow any fruit for you to eat! You got to buy gas, lawn mowers, and waste your time all at your expense! Or hire an expensive mower! Seriously, American and European countries need to wake up and start growing permaculture and gardening! Finished.

Wow!
This isn't happening any time soon.

BigBill said:Wow!
This isn't happening any time soon.

Unfortunately, I do not think it is. I wish people would wake up and try though. Grass is just a waste of money, time, and space. And it is also replacing native species of plants.

Laylu said: People should get into permaculture and start growing fruit forests and beautiful gardens.

Yer preaching to da choir!

Hi & welcome! Where is Crater Village?

The problem is that with new developments, expensive homes, and alike, beautiful lawns are installed as just a matter of fact. Builders, owners etc. just trying to maximize $$$$. In our culture, dollars win out every time over "what would be better"! Dollars are much more tangible for most people. Waterless gardens, fruit trees, perennial gardens, butterfly gardens do not enter into the thinking process.

The way one changes the world is by one mind at a time. You can't ramrod new ideas down people's throats. The current administration is trying to do the same thing really with mandates. How is that working out???? Enough said about that.

Just try to straighten one windmill at a time.

Laylu said:Did you know that in the United States of America people spend more money watering grass than any other crop or plant?

Could you please provide a link to the source of this information?

BigBill said:The problem is that with new developments, expensive homes, and alike, beautiful lawns are installed as just a matter of fact. Builders, owners etc. just trying to maximize $$$$. In our culture, dollars win out every time over "what would be better"! Dollars are much more tangible for most people. Waterless gardens, fruit trees, perennial gardens, butterfly gardens do not enter into the thinking process.

The way one changes the world is by one mind at a time. You can't ramrod new ideas down people's throats. The current administration is trying to do the same thing really with mandates. How is that working out???? Enough said about that.

Just try to straighten one windmill at a time.

Okay. Thanks for the advice

stone said:
Yer preaching to da choir!

Ameen. My words on grass shall be heard, InshAllah.

While lawns offer little in terms of biodiversity, whether they're worth the time and expenses are a matter of opinion.

Trading in part of the lawn for some more green and lush plantings is welcome, but don't try and force people to go all out on permaculture and food forests; not everyone is into that, or even gardening for that matter.
Meadows and open spaces are part of the natural landscape too and variety is just as important. Very few people actually do have a 100% monocultural lawn. Weeds like dandelions and clover inevitably creep in, adding to the wildlife attraction.

I personally like to walk beneath the trees and smell of the woodland floor, but I equally enjoy vast open spaces and feel the wind in my hair and the sunshine on my face. I'd never want to be without that. Hence why I'll always have SOME lawn in my garden, present or future.
Also, they're just that more handy to have guests over, play on with the kids and some space for any pets to run around. All just flower borders/trees and shrubs would feel suffocating.

Arico said:While lawns offer little in terms of biodiversity, whether they're worth the time and expenses are a matter of opinion.

Trading in part of the lawn for some more green and lush plantings is welcome, but don't try and force people to go all out on permaculture and food forests; not everyone is into that, or even gardening for that matter.
Meadows and open spaces are part of the natural landscape too and variety is just as important. Very few people actually do have a 100% monocultural lawn. Weeds like dandelions and clover inevitably creep in, adding to the wildlife attraction.

I personally like to walk beneath the trees and smell of the woodland floor, but I equally enjoy vast open spaces and feel the wind in my hair and the sunshine on my face. I'd never want to be without that. Hence why I'll always have SOME lawn in my garden, present or future.
Also, they're just that more handy to have guests over, play on with the kids and some space for any pets to run around. All just flower borders/trees and shrubs would feel suffocating.

I can generally agree with you but my dream is that every couple blocks in a neighborhood will have a grassy and empty lot for kids to play on and throw the football around and have parties and cookouts and that everybody's backyards will be old growth self-sustaining fruit forests and front yards can be small grassy lawns with flower beds.

Laylu said:

Unfortunately, I do not think it is. I wish people would wake up and try though. Grass is just a waste of money, time, and space. And it is also replacing native species of plants.

Yea! I have a small lawn that I am slowly letting the meadow garden/beds encroach. I'm extending the borders of my flower beds and removing more and more lawn. I have to keep some still, a small patch, for Max.

sedumzz said:

Yea! I have a small lawn that I am slowly letting the meadow garden/beds encroach. I'm extending the borders of my flower beds and removing more and more lawn. I have to keep some still, a small patch, for Max.

Its ways good to have a small clearing and some nature trails for maintenance and viewing your amazing Garden.

my goal this season is LESS LAWN. if i have to rip out the sod one clump at a time I'll do it. Honestly lawns are a waste of time, money and energy. I never fertilize or intentionally water the "lawn" and really it's more weed that grass anyway. Using gas to run the mower and weed whacker-really? A path down the middle serves my needs as long as I can get into my beds. admittedly a beautiful swath of velvety green grass sets off perennial garden nicely but it's doing just that. it's a punctuation mark to the colors of the flowers. I'll take no lawn -thank you.

breith95 said:my goal this season is LESS LAWN. if i have to rip out the sod one clump at a time I'll do it. Honestly lawns are a waste of time, money and energy. I never fertilize or intentionally water the "lawn" and really it's more weed that grass anyway. Using gas to run the mower and weed whacker-really? A path down the middle serves my needs as long as I can get into my beds. admittedly a beautiful swath of velvety green grass sets off perennial garden nicely but it's doing just that. it's a punctuation mark to the colors of the flowers. I'll take no lawn -thank you.

I agree with you all the way.

I agree with several others that it is nice to have a balance. The biggest plus with lawns, where I live, is mosquitos don't like them. The only way we can sit outside most of the year is to be surrounded by a lawn.

I wish that worked here. Plenty of "lawn", plenty of mosquitoes.

I put lawn in quotes because it's not a monoculture of 1 kind of grass. It's whatever grasses & weeds that can scratch out a living while being mowed often enough to satisfy to municipal regulations.

If one is assuming that everyone who tends a mowed area likes the grass, or whatever is growing there, you are incorrect.

I have been anti-lawn since my first year horticulture classes. But I have discovered most people are afraid of plants and people are sheep they will do what the neighbors do. Ands since it is a billion dollar industry in this country it is a no brainer, nearly all the "gardening" stuff in the garden centers is just for grass, one can "cook-book" it, no thinking required.
Grass is good for wiping your muddy boots on, as long as it isn't mowed

Ok, forgive my ignorance, but why can't people just grow lawns AS WELL as grow fruits forests and beautiful gardens? Might I add that lush green lawns are almost always part of beautiful gardens?
But I see your point, Laylu. I agree that if a person doesn't have the money, they definitely shouldn't spend their money on it. But then they just shouldn't have a garden because beautiful gardens and fruits trees are just as expensive as keeping a lawn at times. I also agree that if a person is in a drought, don't waste water by trying to make your lawn green! Let whatever sparse rain that comes do that for you.

As for us, we knew already we do not like to mow the lawn..so when we got our house, thankfully, the builder left the sideyard bare..so it was up to us what we want to do it with.

I already know our area is so arid, and I do not like a lawn..so we just hardscaped with pavers and do succulent container gardening. There are also city trees by our fence line that gives us shade and year round chore especially once dormant season comes around.

Not all areas are lucky to always have good rain access. It is the nth year of ongoing drought here..water is so precious. Our area..just so bone dry 6 to 7 months a year. This year it really started early already since last Jan zero rain...so..it all depends on ones growing environment and personal choices.