Time for a new American Dream?

Do an image search of the American Dream Home, and this is what you’ll get:

Lawns

Bigger lawns

And REALLY big lawns.

I recently attended a statewide Master Gardener symposium on sustainable landscaping and learned the following surprising facts about lawns:

1. Turf is the largest irrigated “crop” grown in the United States.
2. There are approximately 30 million acres of lawn in the U.S.This is roughly the size of the state of South Carolina.
3. Lawn irrigation accounts for two trillion gallons of water every year. That’s enough to fill the Pasadena Rose Bowl 2000 times a day.
4. Annually, all those lawns use 80 million pounds of pesticides and 100 tons of fertilizer.
5. It is estimated that 6,000 acres of open space are lost each day in the U.S.  Yet we continue to choose water guzzling, chemically laden, pollution producing lawns over gardens with the power to save energy, protect soil, nurture wildlife and improve water and air quality. 

Doesn’t sound like much of a dream when you really stop to think about it.

Source: Presentation by Scott Oneto, Cooperative Extension Tuolumne County

Comments

[Catherine]

My Mom still thinks we're a little crazy that we have no grass in our backyard and less each year in the front. I think to some people they just love their grass no matter what. To me a little for a wading pool is about all we need.
Those are some pretty scary facts you share.

Catherine you have EXACTLY the kind of garden that I most enjoy designing. Completely separate from all the environmental stuff, it's just more fun to have a garden than a boring old lawn.

[Nell Jean]

Interesting facts. Did they mention what should be done instead, and how to educate the public about grasses that require little to no chemicals and go dormant in a drought?

The training part is up to us Master Gardeners who attended the session. It was actually a two day "train the trainers" symposium. Am working on the homeowner's presentation right now.

[wayne]

I want a lawn bigger than South Carolina... that's my new dream ;')

LOL! Glad you grasped the message so accurately :P

[Liz Jenkins]

When we bought our house a couple of years ago, we specifically did NOT buy in a community with an HOA. Our 1945 bungalow has no grass in the front (we're still working on the back), just a magnolia tree, perennials, veggies & herbs. Last year, a friend stopped by and said "Did you know you have eggplants in your yard?". Why yes, we do, thanks.

Sounds lovely! Hopefully you'll start a neighborhood trend.

[the Inadvertent Farmer]

When we moved here into the middle of a cow pasture we decided we didn't need a lawn anymore so we just have pasture grass that we mow periodically (for fire protection) right around the house, the rest we get hayed once a year for the camel! Couldn't be simpler!

Those figures are down right alarming.

[lostlandscape (James)]

Susan, the IF does have a point. If we all lose our lawns how will be have enough hay for our camels?

Culture is changing a bit, but things like HOAs really can do a big disservice in perpetuating unsustainable community standards. Ironic isn't it that all those young teenage boys who learned to hate mowing the lawn growing up grow up are now in homes with the same kinds of lawns they learned to hate?

The amazing part is how much power the HOAs have. A potential client wanted to put drought tolerant plants between his sideyard fence and the sidewalk. The HOA refused and insisted on grass, despite water restrictions in his city and despite the fact the area was sloped and can't even be irrigated efficiently. He consulted a lawyer who told him there isn't anything he can do about it. Fortunately, developments being built now are actually restricting the amount of lawn allowed and incorporating other water saving practices, both inside and outside.

[Susan]

I live on the rainy side of the Hawaii island. We put in turf which is better than the weeds and the lava rock! The good news is, mother nature waters the lawn.

I lived in Arizona before Hawaii and yes lots of water is used on turf grass! There we converted much of our grass to gravel.

Exactly - make regionally appropriate choices. But this continues to be a difficult topic for folks to get

[GardeningGuyJohn]

I have never understood the fascination American's have with big lawns. The lawn facts just go to show that it is better to actually do something with your property. I personally use mine for growing my own vegetables but if I didn't enjoy gardening the last thing I'd want is lots of grass.

I think part of obsession with lawns can be blamed on your countrymen! For a long time Americans copied British garden styles - it's only fairly recently that we've begun to develop new interpretations of what a garden can be, with more emphasis on the incredible regional diversity that exists here.

[Rob(ourfrenchgarden)]

I've avoided commenting on this as I have a fair bit of lawn. That said, I don't spend time feeding, scarifying, watering and generally chatting to it.

This seems to be strictly an American issue. So much of the country is culturally unsuited to the imported grasses we somehow seem to think are American, yet we can't envision a home that doesn't include large swaths of it. But little by little that's changing.

I'm surprised you commented too. The next post on the color peach seems much more up your alley - wouldn't those poppies look great with lavender or catmint?

P.S. We don't actually chat to our lawns. We pay our gardeners to do that.

[Account Deleted]

The HOA refused and insisted on grass, despite water restrictions in his city and despite the fact the area was sloped and can't even be irrigated efficiently.

Women's Health

[Kaveh]

As much as I am not a fan of lawns if you were to take a walking tour of my old northern NJ neighborhood you would see big houses like the ones pictures that completely fill the lot and leave barely any room for lawns, trees, or shrubs. McMansion after McMansion pressing up against each other surrounded by pavement. I'm not sure it is a better alternative.