Is it time to get rid of lawns?

omanomad · 22-03-2022 3:48pm #1

Reading all the threads on here about people trying to make there lawns look half decent has got my wondering why do we even bother with lawns? When you think of all the time, effort and money that goes into trying to make a lawn look good, I just don’t think it’s worth it. Those in a typical 3 bed semi -d who have small gardens would be better of just paving it and having trees/hedges/plants at the side and back, and maybe a feature tree in the middle of the garden. That way you have the greenery in your garden without the heartache of having to maintain a lawn. Lawns must be pretty bad for the environment too when you think of all the energy needed to power lawnmowers, all the weed killer/moss killers/seeds produced and packaged every year for gardens and all the tools/machinery needed for their upkeep. And let’s not forget all the diesel trucks driving all over the place to collect grass cuttings every week- madness when you think about it.

Xander10 · 22-03-2022 4:15pm

I wouldn't do without grass space in my back garden. It really isn't that hard to maintain if tended to on a regular basis. Costs are actually low. Some might choose to spend a bit more, others won't be put off with a few weeds. The amount I spend on petrol is minor. Plus grass can be composted.

Ubbquittious · 22-03-2022 4:16pm

Get off ma dang lawn!

Allinall · 22-03-2022 4:18pm

And people are wondering how more and more houses are getting flooded?

HeidiHeidi · 22-03-2022 4:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118819491#Comment_118819491

This.

In a word, gardens/lawns provide drainage. And soakage. (ok, that's two words!)

And if you're worried about petrol/diesel usage - get a push mower and compost the cuttings (which you should be doing anyway!)

Robxxx7 · 22-03-2022 4:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058238404/is-it-time-to-get-rid-of-lawns

ok Greta, just leave the lawn for us to enjoy

magicbastarder · 22-03-2022 4:41pm

people with kids like lawns, for good reason.

but yes, lawns are a waste of good garden.

looksee · 22-03-2022 6:14pm

An expanse of green can be very restful and sets off shrubs and trees. However I did say green - that can be anything from daisies, creeping buttercup, clover, and any amount of other 'weeds' that are mow-able but still create that restful space. At the same time the flowers are valuable to insects and other small wildlife. I would argue with myself about the buttercups - the dratted things also get into all the places where they are not wanted, like flower and vegetable beds, still that's what chooses to grow and its generally fine by me.

There is a place for paving in a garden, but there must be scope for drainage - as mentioned - gravel is ok, but concrete and cobblelock is just water repelling hard surface.

Brussels Sprout · 22-03-2022 6:22pm

From a Biodiversity point of view there is certainly an argument for getting rid of lawns but absolutely not if you are just going to instead pave over it. No, instead more people should consider leaving some of their garden grow wild. It's great for pollinators like bees and butterflies and all of the other insects that whose populations have been plummeting at alarming rates.

Dempo1 · 22-03-2022 6:36pm

I've just much of an area not to have a lawn but as the years have gone by I find it's easier to maintain, normally a decent spread of evergreen 4in1 around now, rake away moss growth and hopefully catch those dreaded dandelions and Daisy's . Living rurally it's a yearly battle to fend off weed growth but impossible to avoid dandelions completely.

One mistake I've made was to cut to low , I tend now to cut at a higher level and less frequently during summer months .

BraveDonut · 22-03-2022 6:41pm

Also it's the dog's toilet

billyhead · 22-03-2022 7:17pm

I did away with my lawn when I brought my house in 2006. Its all paved in the back garden with a border going all the way around for plants and shrubs. I've no front garden just off street parking so I don't have a lawnmower.

SouthWesterly · 22-03-2022 7:19pm

You may end up digging your lawn to grow veg the way things are going.

I've a 4 acre field for the kids. Plus half acre for veg and fruit

E30M3 · 22-03-2022 7:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118820209#Comment_118820209

Do the kids take long to grow?

SouthWesterly · 22-03-2022 7:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118820296#Comment_118820296

I've an 11 year old who is 5'9" and still no sign of stalling. The slurry going on every year is working 😂

Strumms · 22-03-2022 8:04pm

My folks when they built their new place 15 years ago decided to go full stone patio out the back, now they have a quote to get it totally redesigned, going back to about 80% grass, looks so much better, more of a relaxing homely feel…the stone landscape slabs lost their color and it looks like blandsville… just asked my Dad and they are going for artificial synthetic grass which will just need cleaning…and looks perfectly natural ..

looksee · 22-03-2022 8:05pm

I was 5' 10" when I was 13 but then I just stopped growing (thank god) and have been the same height since.

Edit, this is so far off topic I shouldn't have bothered...

Tree · 22-03-2022 8:21pm

I do love a bit of lawn as a mulitpurpose place to hang out, put out the lounger, sup on ginger beer, admire the borders. I'm (almost finished) getting part of my front driveway done (no one needs that much tarmac), and have irish wildflowers to put out. I wouldn't do the same out back just cause I like to lounge. But hard ground wise, I really only need enough patio for the table and chairs and bbq, and a bit out the front for one (1) car.

Still stihl waters 3 · 22-03-2022 8:32pm

Hate lawns and the trouble people go to maintaining them it all just seems like so much wasted time for nothing, a few nice fruit trees or native plants are much more pleasing to the eye, although a nice small lawn in the right setting can really show off a garden

mcburns07 · 22-03-2022 8:45pm

Definitely agree on big lawns, why anyone would want to spend a few hours on a ride on lawnmower mowing an acre of grass is beyond me.

If I had a large garden I’d definitely rewild some of it, leave grass grow long / redo as a wild flower meadow and just cut a strip the edges to make it look tidy 🙂. The local council have been doing that around here the last few years and it looks great.

magicbastarder · 22-03-2022 9:43pm

hopefully catch those dreaded dandelions and Daisy's . Living rurally it's a yearly battle to fend off weed growth but impossible to avoid dandelions completely.

why fight it so?

Tree · 22-03-2022 10:25pm

Dandelions are also a great excuse to stop mowing for the next few weeks as the bees emerge...

hamburgham · 22-03-2022 10:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118820201#Comment_118820201

I hate seeing gardens being paved over. ‘Low maintenance garden’, for me means nature has been killed off and as for the plastic grass, that should be banned.

22-03-2022 10:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118820050#Comment_118820050

& it's not just MY dog ...... the big devil next door uses it too!!!!!!!! Doesn't bother me though.....it used to irk me a decade ago but now I kinda enjoy his 'visits'..... could set your watch by that dog🤣

BraveDonut · 23-03-2022 6:39pm

Pick it up with a shovel and throw it back over the fence

SouthWesterly · 23-03-2022 8:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118820600#Comment_118820600

I use tractors with a mower on the back along with a bailer.

wildwillow · 23-03-2022 8:54pm

It is all very well letting a lawn go wild but it has to be cut at some stage, or even strimmed as grass will be too tall for lawnmower. A wild flower meadow is very difficult to maintain without the correct equipment.

There is no need to have a pristine green weedless space, just let whatever is there grow and cut regularly either manually or with machine.

I don't use weedkillers or fertilizer and have a small front lawn in a rural house. It is north facing and surrounded by a shelter belt of scented shrubs and trees. I use a small robot which cuts and mulches the grass. Because it is the coldest and noisiest part of the garden it gets the least attention.

Back garden is mainly shrubs and perennials in beds, fruit and vegetable garden. Patio is as small as practical to avoid interfering with drainage.

I can't see the point in cutting almost an acre as some of my neighbours do.

Jim_Hodge · 23-03-2022 9:20pm

I agree that all this talk of letting a lawn or garden go wild is over simplifying things. Successfully keeping an area of wild flowers and nature friendly flora is quite a bit of work.

I like having lawn and keep about 900 sq m in lawn but I have a little woodland area and wild meadow as well. The wild area takes up a lot of time every year. The lawn, after early season feeding and moss control is easily cut and maintained.

Ubbquittious · 27-03-2022 5:19pm

Look all of this sh1te was promoted massively in the USA during the post-war period. Everyone had their own little lawn and the resulting maintenance people had to do to it was a massive moneyspinner for the economy in those times. People chopped down their fruit trees because they could get everything from "the store". Society got about 70 years of benefit from the economic activity and keeping normal people occupied (and not protesting or pondering if the economic system was making a fool of them) with these silly little lawns. Now things have changed and we're subjected to a constant stream of sanctimonious propaganda about the environment and the lawn has to go now. After about 10 years of listening to said propaganda people are actually starting to believe lawns are bad now. It's hilarious I find that people actually fall for it. They'll run to the local garden centre now to re-plant the fruit trees their forefathers chopped down and they'll spend more money on it than said fruit will ever be worth

Fun fact: In large swathes of America you can get into significant trouble with the local council for not maintaining your lawn.

magicbastarder · 27-03-2022 5:30pm

they'll spend more money on it than said fruit will ever be worth

but it's the same with grass. at least you can eat the fruit, grass is worthless yet people still spend money on it.

Still stihl waters 3 · 27-03-2022 5:47pm

Wild flowers are nice and all but 1 native tree is the same as 1/4 acre of Wild flowers to insects and birds, alder, hawthorn, fuchsia and any native fruit tree require little maintenance compared to a Wild flower meadow, nature was never intended to be maintained

Is it time to get rid of lawns?

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