One person's native plant lawn is sprouting a heated debate.
A recent Reddit post spotlighting a colorful native plant lawn has become a battleground for the merits of biodiversity versus conventional green grass in the r/NoLawns subreddit. The original poster shared a photo of their vibrant yard overflowing with black-eyed Susans, purple coneflowers, and more. However, one dissenter fired back, "Boo this man!"
What ensued was a frustrating dialogue.
"Imagine being offended by a bit of biodiversity," the original poster replied.
The dissenter snapped back: "Imagine having a neighbor who is too lazy to upkeep their yard so they just start calling it intentional biodiversity instead?"
"The second picture looks absolutely stunning!" the original poster defended. "Colorful and pretty. It doesn't look messy at all. Why are you pretending it's a junkyard?"
"You must be a tick," said the troll.
As temperatures continue to rise globally, embracing sustainable lawns aligns with many folks' values of conserving water and supporting pollinators. Research shows native plants demand less maintenance while benefiting the environment more than a monoculture of plain grass.
The troll found the native plant lawn unattractive, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and a skyrocketing number of beholders are coming to appreciate the vibrant hues and textures of native flora — not to mention the diverse, exciting array of local pollinators they attract.
Beyond aesthetic appeal, native plant lawns provide practical perks: no mowing needed, fewer weeds, drought resistance with less watering required, and major savings on lawn care bills. The initial investment pays future dividends by letting nature's resilience shine through.
Could native plant lawns suit your lifestyle? Gradual steps work wonderfully. Simply swapping patches of grass for native plants, clover, or buffalo grass saves time, water, and money. Any movement toward sustainable lawns benefits the land. If you'd like to get started today, consult our step-by-step guide.
What if we saw yards not as consumer products but as shared, collaborative ground that links the well-being of people, plants, and pollinators? Supportive commenters seem to think it would be a great idea.
"Too LAZY!?! Ayfkm? Getting my small side yard in Dallas Tx to look like that has been a job of work!" defended one passionate gardener.
Another wrote: "Lazy?! This yard speaks to anything but being lazy, the amount of hours/days or even weeks it would have taken to put all those plants in! The nerve of some people."
"Imagine thinking a flat green lawn looks good!?" said another supporter. "They just spray chemicals instead of taking time to properly handle any invasives. talk about lazy!"
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