What is a Lawn?

By Emily Maeda

April 26, 2021

Have you ever driven down the street in your neighborhood and stopped to think about the green grass you see in every direction? Probably not. Like most Americans, you see the green front yard as simply another given in our collective lives. People go to college, get married, and buy a house with green grass to mow, water, and clip. We accept it like we accept blue jeans and rock and roll. While green grass in front yards is as American as apple pie and football, people should rethink their reliance on lawns, especially in the arid West because grass lawns require too much water, do not support a healthy ecosystem, and are unappealing aesthetically.

What is a Lawn?

In different parts of the country, the answer is not the same. In some climates with plenty of water, all sorts of different plants can make up a lawn from fescues and clover, to bluegrass and rye. But in Colorado, lawns are mainly composed of Poa pratensis otherwise known as Kentucky Bluegrass. This grass has a lot going for it: it’s a perennial, it grows easily, it restores itself. But this plant doesn’t grow in Colorado without a lot of added water. It flourishes in Kentucky which has a much higher annual rainfall.

For this reason, Coloradans need to find alternatives to grass lawns because they require too much water for our arid climate. Colorado on average receives about 14 inches of precipitation per year. Unfortunately, Kentucky Bluegrass requires way more water in order to be green. To keep our lawns green in the heat of the summer (Kentucky Bluegrass is a cool season grass), water in thousands of gallons is necessary. Landscape use accounts for about 25% of all water use in Colorado. As water becomes an even more precious commodity than it already is, the push to reduce landscape consumption will grow. If we consider alternatives now, we will be able to adjust when water is needed for our growing population to drink rather than to water their lawns. 

Along with water consumption, green lawns are monocultures that invite disease and do not create sustainable ecosystems. Monoculture has become the dominant way Americans understand agriculture and horticulture. From fields and fields of soybeans, to grass lawns as far as the eye can see, monocultures surround us in the age of agribusiness. Green lawns fit right into this paradigm and perpetuate genetic sameness rather than genetic variation and a reliance on multiple species of plants. Monocultures do not support the diverse insects and wildlife that thriving ecosystems require. Grass lawns do not feed migrating birds, nor beneficial insects like butterflies and moths, and their need for pesticides and fungicides actually kill those very species. As our world shrinks and wild spaces disappear, the urban and suburban environment become more important for harboring and nurturing the species with whom we share the earth. Green lawns do not support the diversity our suburban environments desperately need.

If these reasons were not enough, the absence of aesthetic appeal would be enough to convince many people that green grass should be replaced. Grass lawns are boring. They offer no seasonal interest, provide no color other than green or brown when they are dormant, and express no individuality for the homeowner who works so hard to sustain the green. The possibilities for yards are endless. From prairie inspired plantings, to vegetable gardens intermixed within larger plantings, to boulders for play, and patios for sitting, the private landscape has the potential to welcome nature into our domesticated lives and express what we value as people. Instead of boring monoculture, our yards and gardens can become oases of the wild, a space conducive for both people and the natural world, a space which welcomes the seasons and responds to them, a space which rejuvenates and restores our weary souls. Our yards can be as unique as we are and inspire us in return. 

But some will object to not having a lawn. Why can’t we have our green grass? To that I say, you can! Rethinking our reliance on grass doesn’t mean it needs to totally disappear and be replaced with a jungle of plants. Having small spaces of grass is fine and allows for our favorite activities like kicking balls and throwing frisbees. But if every house reduced their sod to only what they used for activities, everyone would have less grass. If we utilized our shared spaces - parks, schools, and open spaces - we would need far less grass in our private spaces. I am not calling for an end to lawns, only the mindless use of grass to fill spaces without good reasons. Of course, grass is essential for many activities and we should keep it for those activities, but not as a groundcover that requires water, pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizer to look good.

Green grass as an endless groundcover in our arid climate is not a sustainable nor pleasing solution for our landscape needs. While we enjoy grassy areas for recreation and refreshment, the possibilities of reducing water use, nurturing wildlife and a diverse plant palette, and expressing what makes us unique are all reasons to rethink our reliance on green grass. It may take more planning and an initial investment, but yards that hold seasonal interest and thoughtfully respond to the needs of their owners are a priceless investment. They not only honor the earth but bring contentment and joy to those lucky enough to live in them.