Garden design: do we really need a lawn?
OK, so we know that this is going to be controversial for some people, but we think we need to talk about whether we always really need a lawn. We appreciate that some grass can be useful for young children (or grandchildren) and/or certain pets, but we regularly find that people are almost preconditioned into thinking a garden isn’t really a garden if there isn’t a lawn of some kind. We think this is wrong, and we’d like to explain why.
It is important, however, to be clear that we are absolutely not advocating artificial lawns. Indeed, we are very happy to endorse The Society of Garden Designers’ widely supported ‘Just say no to plastic grass’ campaign. Artificial lawns are simply unsustainable. They cannot be easily recycled, they can contribute to plastic pollution, and they are detrimental to wildlife and biodiversity.
Here are three reasons to replace or reduce our lawns:
1. Gardening with pollinators in mind
It is vital that our gardens are attractive to pollinators, and we firmly believe this should include the lawn. A regularly mown lawn is largely useless to pollinators because any ‘interesting’ plants within in tend to be cut short before they have chance to flower. Campaigns such as ‘No Mow May’ have become increasingly successful, and it is amazing how much biodiversity can flourish if the mower is kept in the shed for a while. So, if we must have a lawn could we look at leaving some of it to grow ‘wild’ for some or all of the year?
2. More room for plants
Again, it is important for us to be clear and say that we don’t want to replace our lawns with more paving. Whilst some hard-landscaping is often desirable, too much is never a good idea. Instead, let’s look at devoting more space to plants. A good selection of different types of plants will be better for wildlife, can be very beneficial to our mood and outlook, and can give far more seasonal colour and interest. A well-stocked border will subtly change every single day and can give us pleasure throughout the year. Far more interesting than a ‘static’ plain of green grass.
3. Less maintenance
A common misconception that we hear all the time is that lawns are easier to maintain than plants. We need to be really honest about the time it takes to get the mower out of the shed, to cut the grass once or twice a week (remember that our changing climate means that our lawns are often growing throughout the year), having the mower serviced annually, and then disposing of the cuttings. The hours can quickly add up across the year. In contrast, a well-designed planting scheme should be relatively easy to look once it has become established, particularly if some fairly basic rules and followed.
We guess it ultimately comes down to personal tastes and preferences, but we believe that it is definitely worth giving some thought about whether a lawn really is as essential as many people seem to think.
Tythorne Garden Design provide professional fixed-fee garden design solutions for customers in Grantham, Stamford, Newark & surrounding areas. Book your initial garden design consultation today by calling 07900 224 239 or 01529 455 355.