Would You Give up Your Grass Lawn?

In other words, would you take one for the planet and go native?

California horticulturalists have long touted the benefits of using native plants in our residential and commercial landscaping. You’ve probably seen the headlines about how much water could be saved by tearing out our lawns and replanting with a variety of drought-resistant, native plants.

Here’s some facts you may not know

1. California is among one of the world’s 36 biodiversity hotspots. That is the good news. The flip side is that, according to a blog by Andrea Williams of the California Native Plant Society, “New research from NatureServe and The Nature Conservancy shows that California has the highest concentration of imperiled species of any state in the contiguous U.S. Biodiversity here at home is in peril and Californians of all backgrounds and skills must come together to protect and steward it.”
2. California Senate Bill 337, passed in October 2023, states: “It is the goal of the state to conserve at least 30 percent of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030.” This is aimed at protecting the biodiversity of the state, which is good news for proponents of native plants. The hope is, it will also help to address the climate crisis.
3. At the other end of our nation, in New York State, Cornell Botanic Gardens is touting the use of drought-resistant, low-maintenance, native plants to replace traditional grass lawns. A New York Times article indicates that horticulturalists, scientist and conservationists hope that the use of native plants could reduce the 40 million acres of lawns in the US. The goal is to increase biodiversity and reduce continuing damage to the environment.

But like anything else, whether it is gas stoves, incandescent lighting or grass lawns, the very idea of essential change sparks outrage. The New York Times article, with the simple title, “A Viable Alternative to Conventional Lawn? Cornell May Have Found One,” evidently stirred up a proverbial hornet’s nest. Todd Bittner, a plant ecologist, with his colleagues, began their inquiries more than 15 years ago.

The idea of using native plants for residential landscaping isn’t a new one. However, it does seem to threaten homeowners who feel that an expanse of green lawn is as American as apple pie. Is it even possible to expand our horizons to imagine something very different, a bit more untamed and only in need of mowing once or twice a year? The article states that these native plant areas won’t need fertilizing and – try wrapping your head around this – it would reduce “the more than 800 million gallons of gasoline used annually to fuel the country’s lawn mowers and resulting carbon dioxide emissions.” That alone gives us good reason to think seriously about this.

For those naysayers, or those who have questions about how this is even possible, Margaret Roach of the horticultural website AWaytoGarden.com, takes up the topic with Todd Bittner, and their interview, which definitely gets into the weeds a bit, is available as a podcast.

If you are interested in finding out more about which native plants might work well for your landscaping as both a drought-resistant, water-saving alternative and a little bit of biodiversity for your backyard, check with your local native plant nursery or contact your local Native Plant Society.