Someday I May Retire the Lawnmower

Why would I write about mowing the lawn in mid-winter? The simplest answer is I do not enjoy mowing the lawn and dread the thought of getting the mower ready in a few months. The more complex answer is I do not like the typical lawn. Lawns full of plush, green grass have a great appeal, but they seem so unnatural to me. Seldom do I see a large area of one type of plant growing naturally. Nature breaks up patterns and provides a variety of species growing together. Also, the typical lawn is a water hog when it is full of grasses that are thick and tall. In my semi-arid region of Kansas, plants space themselves apart because of the scarcity of water and they grow close to the ground.

More people are xeriscaping their lawns. Xeriscaped lawns are full of native plants that survive in arid environments. Such grasses and forbs thrive in their environment because they need less water and fertilizer than typical lawn grasses. They also do not require weekly mowing. Recent studies give me another reason lean toward xeriscaping and to dislike the typical lawn for "greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer production, mowing, leaf blowing and other lawn management practices are four times greater than the amount of carbon stored by ornamental grass in parks." Perhaps one day I will be able to retire the lawnmower and enjoy the natural diversity of plants in my lawn.