It didn’t happen all at once, says the mother of two young kids.
But a surge of gardeners, landscapers and homeowners worried about the environment now see it as an anachronism, even a threat.
“America is unique in its fixation on the monoculture lawn,” says Dennis Liu, vice president of education at the E.O.
Some people are experimenting with more “eco-friendly” lawns, seed mixes you can buy with native grasses that aren’t as thirsty or finicky.
Elsewhere, the pandemic has speeded the trend away from lawns.
Municipalities across the country are handing out lawn signs with “healthy yard” bragging rights to homeowners who forgo lawn chemicals or mow less often.
“For people interested in gardening, a lot have come to the realization it can’t just be ornamental anymore.
Andrew Bray, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Landscape Professionals, a trade group, says lawns are still the mainstream choice.
The landscapers’ trade group set up a new public platform this year, Voices for Healthy Green Spaces, to present its side of things.
Those concerned that grass lawns fall short in helping pollinators and other species face another problem.
I go to backyards that people have been working on for 20, 30 years, and it’s helped me get over the mindset that everything has to be done all at once.
And it’s hard to overcome tradition and neighborhood expectations.
The remaining grass lawn is now mostly a path between flower beds, vegetables and fruit trees.