After the Lawn (2015)(kcet.org)
kcet.org
After the Lawn (2015)
https://www.kcet.org/home-garden/after-the-lawn-part-i
53 comments
I hate the sweetgum tree. Those balls are the most annoying things ever. Pretty tree, but the Western Sycamore is better and native.
Ideally there is a balance between native trees and plants that help cool the environment for one's lawn. One particularly amazing native California tree/shrub is the Manzanita which branches have an extremely cool-to-the-touch feel. They truly cool the air around it and the birds and small animals love it in the summer. Many California native plants have these amazing properties that promote a wonderfully diverse ecosystem.
Ideally there is a balance between native trees and plants that help cool the environment for one's lawn. One particularly amazing native California tree/shrub is the Manzanita which branches have an extremely cool-to-the-touch feel. They truly cool the air around it and the birds and small animals love it in the summer. Many California native plants have these amazing properties that promote a wonderfully diverse ecosystem.
I've always called those balls "gum balls" and only just now realized it's from a *gum tree and not just a silly name.
I'm sure they'll replace it with something better suited... eucalyptus, maybe?
please tell me this is a joke...
> Well there's your problem. They planted trees which are totally off for the local environment.
That's also why most squirrels you see in the Seattle area are eastern grey squirrels.
A bit over a century go people decided that they wanted squirrels in the parks.
You'd think the easy way to do that would be to send some people out to head to the nearest forest and capture some western grey squirrels and release them in the parks. But western grey squirrels only like to live in native trees and eat native plants, and parks are mostly non-native trees so that wouldn't work.
The parks are mostly non-native because people like parks where the trees aren't too dense, aren't too tall, and have wide canopies. The native trees here are more toward the tall, dense, triangular canopy kind of tree.
They had eastern grey squirrels shipped in from the other side of the country. The kinds of trees in the parks matched the trees where the eastern grey squirrels were native so the hope was they'd be happy in those parks. They were, and they were also happy to live and native trees and eat native plants, so were also happy to spread from the parks.
That's also why most squirrels you see in the Seattle area are eastern grey squirrels.
A bit over a century go people decided that they wanted squirrels in the parks.
You'd think the easy way to do that would be to send some people out to head to the nearest forest and capture some western grey squirrels and release them in the parks. But western grey squirrels only like to live in native trees and eat native plants, and parks are mostly non-native trees so that wouldn't work.
The parks are mostly non-native because people like parks where the trees aren't too dense, aren't too tall, and have wide canopies. The native trees here are more toward the tall, dense, triangular canopy kind of tree.
They had eastern grey squirrels shipped in from the other side of the country. The kinds of trees in the parks matched the trees where the eastern grey squirrels were native so the hope was they'd be happy in those parks. They were, and they were also happy to live and native trees and eat native plants, so were also happy to spread from the parks.
I can't speak to what's appropriate in Southern California, but here in the UK I've become a bit advocate of replacing lawns with meadows. The simplest route is to just stop mowing and let whatever comes up after a few years stay there. The hardest is to get rid of all the grass, plant a meadow mix of seeds, and then basically leave it alone. Not only it is better for the environment than lawn, it's dramatically less work as you only need touch the thing a maximum of once a year.
> I've become a bit advocate of replacing lawns with meadows.
This is a great idea.
> The simplest route is to just stop mowing and let whatever comes up after a few years stay there.
This is a horrible idea.
In most suburban environments there aren't a lot of native plants left around to be spreading seed, and most of the plants that have survived heavy artificial landscaping and will propagate on their own are weeds (often invasive) that are nothing like a nice native meadow. They will look ugly, have thorns, spread like wild fire into people's gardens if not kept under control, and make everyone hate you.
A native landscape will be less maintenance and use less water in the long run (if meadows aren't native in your area substitute whatever is), but it will take effort to get it into that state.
This is a great idea.
> The simplest route is to just stop mowing and let whatever comes up after a few years stay there.
This is a horrible idea.
In most suburban environments there aren't a lot of native plants left around to be spreading seed, and most of the plants that have survived heavy artificial landscaping and will propagate on their own are weeds (often invasive) that are nothing like a nice native meadow. They will look ugly, have thorns, spread like wild fire into people's gardens if not kept under control, and make everyone hate you.
A native landscape will be less maintenance and use less water in the long run (if meadows aren't native in your area substitute whatever is), but it will take effort to get it into that state.
I'd add that, where I live but probably in a number of areas of the US, even a plowed and wildflower-seeded tract of land will basically turn into mixed forest over time--which has actually happened with a lot of former farmland in New England. Which is fine to some degree. I moved into an old farmhouse 25 years ago and let a section out towards the road basically regrow into forest which has fairly tall trees at this point--which better screens the house from the road. But you probably don't want that all the way up to the house for fire and other reasons.
(I keep a fairly small lawn and the rest--other than the forest break between me and the road--gets cut by a tractor once a year.)
(I keep a fairly small lawn and the rest--other than the forest break between me and the road--gets cut by a tractor once a year.)
> But you probably don't want that all the way up to the house for fire and other reasons.
There are best practices for wildfire zones. Up to 5'/2m you don't want anything flammable, and up to 30'/10m you want to minimize vegetation (though some with appropriate spacing is okay):
* https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/...
There are best practices for wildfire zones. Up to 5'/2m you don't want anything flammable, and up to 30'/10m you want to minimize vegetation (though some with appropriate spacing is okay):
* https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/...
but it will take effort to get it into that state.
Yeah, this exactly. There's a local horticulturist who specializes in replacing lawns with meadow-ish, native species setups. I had him come in and look at what I'd need to do to get there (no more mowing? Drought resistant? Fewer/no chemicals? I would like to subscribe to your newsletter...).
It's a lot of time/work: from getting rid of the grass, conditioning the soil, finding the right balance of species to thrive in your conditions, to keeping the invasive species out. Pretty much if you aren't regularly maintaining it, the same crud trying to take over your lawn will take over and smother your prairie. So...maybe it's 'less maintenance', but there's still good bit of maintenance.
Yeah, this exactly. There's a local horticulturist who specializes in replacing lawns with meadow-ish, native species setups. I had him come in and look at what I'd need to do to get there (no more mowing? Drought resistant? Fewer/no chemicals? I would like to subscribe to your newsletter...).
It's a lot of time/work: from getting rid of the grass, conditioning the soil, finding the right balance of species to thrive in your conditions, to keeping the invasive species out. Pretty much if you aren't regularly maintaining it, the same crud trying to take over your lawn will take over and smother your prairie. So...maybe it's 'less maintenance', but there's still good bit of maintenance.
In the US, the biggest issue with meadows is legislative: In my entire county, my ordinance, I have to have a lawn, not dirt, and it has to be no greater than 8 inches tall. I couldn't avoid it by moving my property closer to the road either: Minimum setback is 15 feet. This standards can, and often are, raised by further municipal codes and home owner associations.
Therefore, getting a meadow here starts with changing multiple layers of regulations. Much better for the environment, but a significant amount of work, arguing with people that just don't want anything to change.
Therefore, getting a meadow here starts with changing multiple layers of regulations. Much better for the environment, but a significant amount of work, arguing with people that just don't want anything to change.
> just stop mowing
... and add a tick check every couple of days to your routine :-(
... and add a tick check every couple of days to your routine :-(
And be prepared to interact with many other animals. This includes the ones we all seem to love, like birds and bees and fireflies, but also those that are typically considered vermin, like spiders, snakes, mice, wasps, roaches.
Not that there's anything really bad about that. It just requires a change to how you approach your outdoor spaces.
Not that there's anything really bad about that. It just requires a change to how you approach your outdoor spaces.
Friend of mine has 2 neighbors who have gone full don't mow back to nature and all that. No, it doesn't look 'natural' or anything else nice. It looks like what is: overgrown weeds, sprawling vines (kudzu, poison ivy), several years of desiccated branches and stems (glad we aren't in a fireprone area), and scraggly, non-native trees trying to take hold.
But the best thing for my friend is how much rats like it. Not mice, rats. Lots of rats.
But the best thing for my friend is how much rats like it. Not mice, rats. Lots of rats.
As someone who lives in the woods of the Ozarks: Every couple of days is not enough. If you're outside from April to November, you check.
Yeah. It depends on the season and the year but I've had days around where I live in MA where, especially in the late spring, I can't walk a mile out through my field--which is typically short at that time of year--down to the river without finding multiple ticks on me when I get back.
This was the case growing up in PA too but it's much more troublesome disease-wise these days.
This was the case growing up in PA too but it's much more troublesome disease-wise these days.
The forest around my house has be minimally cleared to include about a 30' gravel "yard" and there's no where to be safe from the damned ticks and chiggers. It always requires an application of something.
Given the increase of Alpha-gal issues caused by the ticks locally, it's an absolute necessity.
Ticks are not a concern in most of the UK.
> The simplest route is to just stop mowing and let whatever comes up after a few years stay there.
Don't do this. It's not clever - it's just lazy. If you don't want a lawn that's fine. But just neglecting it will result in something awful and everyone will hate it. Just letting everything grow to seed so that it spreads everywhere is also kind of rude. Be a good neighbor. Don't attract mosquitoes or ticks, etc.
Be thoughtful about it and think about how you want your yard to look. If your idea results in no maintenance then it's not a good idea. Even a meadow look or something more natural will require time and energy to maintain. Probably more than cutting a lawn.
> it's dramatically less work as you only need touch the thing a maximum of once a year
No, it's not. What you have is something that looks awful. I'm glad my town will come and chop your lawn down once it hits 10".
If you live in a rural area then do as you please. But if you have neighbors, this is a really bad thing to do.
Don't do this. It's not clever - it's just lazy. If you don't want a lawn that's fine. But just neglecting it will result in something awful and everyone will hate it. Just letting everything grow to seed so that it spreads everywhere is also kind of rude. Be a good neighbor. Don't attract mosquitoes or ticks, etc.
Be thoughtful about it and think about how you want your yard to look. If your idea results in no maintenance then it's not a good idea. Even a meadow look or something more natural will require time and energy to maintain. Probably more than cutting a lawn.
> it's dramatically less work as you only need touch the thing a maximum of once a year
No, it's not. What you have is something that looks awful. I'm glad my town will come and chop your lawn down once it hits 10".
If you live in a rural area then do as you please. But if you have neighbors, this is a really bad thing to do.
This is a cultural attitude that prevails in the US. Home values are tied to curb appeal, not only of your house but of your neighbors' homes. It's a very unfortunate situation because a strictly aesthetic concern results in untold amounts of fertilizer and pesticide in our ecosystems and of course endless water use. It's easy to forget that fertilizer is an ecological disaster both on the production and consumption sides - ammonia production for fertilizer is one of the larger carbon emission sources on the planet. I really don't have a solution to suggest, but at the very least we can all start checking our negative reactions when we see an ugly lawn. Cultural attitudes can change over time.
I literally say you don't need to have a lawn. Just don't mistake being lazy and not doing anything for somehow being a virtuous environmentalist. Build a prairie - it looks great when done well. But you have to put some work and thought into it. Just letting your lawn overgrow is not the way.
In this thread I even mention using clover if you really don't want to manage much and have a ground cover that prevents erosion and is attractive to bees that doesn't need fertilizer because it draws nitrogen from the air.
But yes, if you do nothing and let a lawn just overgrow I'm happy the town will cut it down and charge you.
In this thread I even mention using clover if you really don't want to manage much and have a ground cover that prevents erosion and is attractive to bees that doesn't need fertilizer because it draws nitrogen from the air.
But yes, if you do nothing and let a lawn just overgrow I'm happy the town will cut it down and charge you.
In the context of the UK you are wrong. Here's what the RHS has to say about growing a meadow: https://www.rhs.org.uk/lawns/wildflower-meadow-maintenance You will notice that maintenance for an established meadow consists of three cuts a year, two of which are not needed in certain circumstances.
> They may look natural and untamed, but both new and established perennial meadows need specifically timed maintenance to create a balanced mix of grasses and wildflower species.
You claim you don't have to do anything. The article immediately says you do. It takes work for it to not be awful. I have friends in the UK with a large property and part of it is a meadow and it still takes taking care of.
You claim you don't have to do anything. The article immediately says you do. It takes work for it to not be awful. I have friends in the UK with a large property and part of it is a meadow and it still takes taking care of.
I do this and it looks pretty damn good, lots of different wildflowers and tall grasses, but I guess it's a matter of taste. I like the feel of having my own bit of nature close to me. I even saw a huge violet oil beetle walking along recently.
> Even a meadow look or something more natural will require time and energy to maintain. Probably more than cutting a lawn.
How do you think the meadows you come across get taken care of? For the most part the farmer just comes by 2-3 times per year to mow, it's not that deep. What the best meadows have going for them are years and years of the same mowing schedule which has allowed a huge variety of native plants to spread.
> Even a meadow look or something more natural will require time and energy to maintain. Probably more than cutting a lawn.
How do you think the meadows you come across get taken care of? For the most part the farmer just comes by 2-3 times per year to mow, it's not that deep. What the best meadows have going for them are years and years of the same mowing schedule which has allowed a huge variety of native plants to spread.
It of course depends on where you live but in my area ticks are not a concern and just keeping weeds out of your lawn takes a lot of work, dandelions take over within a couple years if all you do is mow. Keeping things reasonably green and level requires filling, fertilizer, overseeding, etc, etc. We plan to gradually convert most of ours to native bushes and meadow.
The real answer is to plant native ground ground cover.
Clover tends to be a good thing. Bees love it too. And it doesn't need fertilizer as it takes nitrogen from the air. It also tends to not get out of hand.
We use clover. Max, it only grows like 8" or so (which isn't as tall as it sounds. We mow it a few times a year.
It is drought tolerant too, so we don't need to water the lawn. It's win-win-win.
It is drought tolerant too, so we don't need to water the lawn. It's win-win-win.
Agreed. That's exactly what a meadow is in the UK.
> just stop mowing
Oof.. this must be regional. Around here if I stop mowing I would have a yard full of tumble weed, goat heads, and white top. All of which are invasive species. The best I can do with native plants that will live without much intervention is sage brush and compacted soil which is neither pleasant to look at or pleasant to live in. =/
Oof.. this must be regional. Around here if I stop mowing I would have a yard full of tumble weed, goat heads, and white top. All of which are invasive species. The best I can do with native plants that will live without much intervention is sage brush and compacted soil which is neither pleasant to look at or pleasant to live in. =/
I definitely agree that the advice is regional. I live in Arizona and I've been working to transform my backyard though some managed neglect with some success. The big thing for me was knowing what plants live in my yard: what to keep and what to remove. After killing the bermuda grass, I did get some nice volunteer sunflowers that I've encouraged to the point that we yearly get a good amount of them on our back porch (water settles in the area when it rains). I've added some globe mallow and other natives over time. I've also learned about all the different invasive weeds in my neighborhood (globe chamomile a.k.a stinknet is a plague). This past winter/spring I added more wildflower seeds which turned out pretty nice. I'm hoping over time I can get more native plants or at least more desirable plants to out-compete the less desirables so it gets easier to manage. In the end I think it's more work than a lawn and takes some education, but to me it's infinitely more interesting and enjoyable to work on.
Funny. I was just sitting on my lawn a couple hours ago eating lunch with my dog, thinking how much I love my lawn, and how fortunate I am to have one. Then we played a little fetch on the lawn before I went back to work. It was great, and I hope to always have a lawn to do that on. I couldn't imagine a large useless zeroscaped swath of land around my home.
I do feel back for folks that are forced to have a lawn that they don't use, but they do have options to live in housing without lawns, I suppose. Or they could figure out how to actually enjoy their lawn like I have. But to each their own.
I do feel back for folks that are forced to have a lawn that they don't use, but they do have options to live in housing without lawns, I suppose. Or they could figure out how to actually enjoy their lawn like I have. But to each their own.
I don't want to fight, I'm just surprised that after expressing that you "feel [bad] for folks that are forced to have a lawn" you follow up with the suggestion they just move elsewhere or "figure out how to actually enjoy their lawn".
Wouldn't a better solution be to change the laws / regulations forcing people into having lawns? The current status quo isn't benign - it requires people to spend time and/or money during summers doing many bad things: creating noise pollution, burning gasoline inefficiently in residential areas, etc - all to achieve an outcome that is arguably worse than what they would have done otherwise.
Wouldn't a better solution be to change the laws / regulations forcing people into having lawns? The current status quo isn't benign - it requires people to spend time and/or money during summers doing many bad things: creating noise pollution, burning gasoline inefficiently in residential areas, etc - all to achieve an outcome that is arguably worse than what they would have done otherwise.
If you bought a place that had land use regulations that you now don’t (or always didn’t) like, suggesting a move seems reasonable to me. Plenty of places have no such regulations.
Personally, I love our (small, city lot) lawn. It’s great for kids, the dog, and to have a relaxing place to have friends over. If someone doesn’t want one, I don’t want to force them to have one, but they have to take some agency in not choosing a place that’s a poor fit for their desires.
Personally, I love our (small, city lot) lawn. It’s great for kids, the dog, and to have a relaxing place to have friends over. If someone doesn’t want one, I don’t want to force them to have one, but they have to take some agency in not choosing a place that’s a poor fit for their desires.
The big problem is that, as far as I can tell, the status quo is too pervasive. I can't find statistics, but I strongly suspect it's far fewer than 30% of of houses listed for sale which are in places that do not require lawns.
What I was able to find:
> Most zoning codes require lawns, and many don’t allow much deviation from grass.
Are you against people changing laws? Why is moving from where you live the default option, rather than changing the rules?
What I was able to find:
> Most zoning codes require lawns, and many don’t allow much deviation from grass.
Are you against people changing laws? Why is moving from where you live the default option, rather than changing the rules?
We have a democracy in various forms and of course I support people changing laws when there is broad consensus. My sense is that broad consensus is in favor of lawns in areas that currently require them by regulation, making “move” a reasonable option.
My sense is that most people do not have enough time and or energy to try to change laws. The status quo is absurd. If there was some weird law on the books that made all these lawn-only requirements go away in 2024, how many people do you think would actively try to reinstate the lawn-only laws?
I clearly hang around different people, since just about everyone I talk to thinks its bonkers that we mandate lawn-only, and fine people for doing otherwise.
I clearly hang around different people, since just about everyone I talk to thinks its bonkers that we mandate lawn-only, and fine people for doing otherwise.
In communities that have a gate, my guess is that those requirements would mostly be re-instated within the year. In communities that have a sign with a community name on it [but no gate], I'd guess that around half of them would come back within a year.
Thank you for sharing specifics. I'm guessing fewer than 50% of the houses in USA are of the two types you mention - most homeowners, I think, live in regular suburban sprawl under township rules. I suspect most of those communities would not fight to demand lawns.
Except maybe in cases where (as perhaps often happens in politics), one individual with free time gets to impose their preferences on others (by being the loudest and perhaps the only voice in local government meetings).
We need UBI (Universal Basic Income) and a 4DWW (Four Day Work Week) so that people would have more free time to contribute to the communities where they live (and not be burnt out from day-to-day work).
Except maybe in cases where (as perhaps often happens in politics), one individual with free time gets to impose their preferences on others (by being the loudest and perhaps the only voice in local government meetings).
We need UBI (Universal Basic Income) and a 4DWW (Four Day Work Week) so that people would have more free time to contribute to the communities where they live (and not be burnt out from day-to-day work).
I really didn’t get the point of lawns until I had a child and wanted to give them a place to run and play and roll around outside without having to worry too much about them hurting themselves on rocks, short sharp sapling stumps, etc. We do still have woodland on our property but its kind of gnarly in there.
I realize this is a very narrow use case and many places require lawns for not necessarily great reasons and also a ton of chemicals and resources go into maintaining them. I try to do it as minimally as possible, and it’s not a very big area.
I realize this is a very narrow use case and many places require lawns for not necessarily great reasons and also a ton of chemicals and resources go into maintaining them. I try to do it as minimally as possible, and it’s not a very big area.
Having children play outside did not used to be a "very narrow use case". Hopefully that is not our future.
Yeah, I think there is a balance. Lawns are for play, so if you're using it that way, great. Many people have front lawns that they don't use. I live on a hill where lawns are sloped and useless. It's nearly impossible to play on something that steep. The children that live around here don't ever play on their front lawns that are like this. The space could be put to better use.
Do you have and use both a front lawn and a back lawn? There are lots of people who use one of their lawns functionally, but I don't know anybody who uses both of their lawns functionally.
my HOA still hasn't budged and wants a percentage of your front lawn being real grass that isn't over like 4 inches in height
In Colorado at least HOAs are banned from a) requiring lawns and b) disallowing solar
a and b) https://news.ucdenver.edu/hoas-go-green-colorado-bill-forces...
b in more detail) https://www.cohoalaw.com/covenant-enforcement/solar-panels-w...
a and b) https://news.ucdenver.edu/hoas-go-green-colorado-bill-forces...
b in more detail) https://www.cohoalaw.com/covenant-enforcement/solar-panels-w...
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver just had an episode sharing problems with HOAs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrizmAo17Os
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrizmAo17Os
A good xeri-landscaper will be respectful of existing trees in the yard. In fact their design will be anchored around those trees that will be kept.
Keeping weeds and other unwanted plants out is really the challenge, even if you don't remove the grass. In San Diego I saw a lot of color-coordinated crushed rock with succulents, looks pretty nice but a bit sterile.
> Once-treelined street losing its shade. The flaming red leaves of the liquidambar displayed fall colors before the rest of the street's once orderly progression because it went unwatered. The tree is now diseased and should be taken out. The upshot for the house and street it once shaded will be far higher summer heat and cooling bills
The Wikipedia entry for liquidambar:
> Liquidambar, commonly called sweetgum (star gum in the UK), gum,redgum, satin-walnut, or American storax, is the only genus in the flowering plant family Altingiaceae and has 15 species. They were formerly often treated in Hamamelidaceae. They are native to Southeast and east Asia, the eastern Mediterranean and eastern North America.
Well there's your problem. They planted trees which are totally off for the local environment.
Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't has a video where he shows that many of the trees planted after the LA earthquake are stunted and dying because they came from an eastern US plant catalog. The locally native trees and shrubs he planted himself are doing great. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvtqKMxZ95s