'Wow. Just Wow': The Front Lawn Transformation That Is Amazing Redditors

Lawns have always been a staple part of suburban life. Vast, luscious grassy slopes have been around for centuries and are often seen as a way to enjoy nature in more built-up residential areas. Who doesn't love getting their deckchairs out on the grass, lemonade in hand, on a warm, sunny day? But the lawn may soon be an unusual sight, as many folks across the U.S. are transforming their grassy spaces into an ecological wonderland. One homeowner has sparked a lot of activity on Reddit by posting photos of their amazing work converting a patchy lawn into a garden full of life. 

A user from Georgia posted the beautiful pictures on r/nolawns, sparking comments from other users celebrating their achievement. They explained that they chose to make the change because of the 'many articles coming out about the benefits of reducing lawn and introducing natives'. After getting rid of their lawn, they worked hard planting a range of shrubs and trees, including some beautiful native flowering plants, such as black-eyed susan, bee balm, and coneflowers. This user is part of a larger group of people who are moving away from traditional lawns because of their drawbacks, such as reduced biodiversity. By removing your grass and adding more plants, you are inviting more native insects, bugs, and pollinators into your yard to support the local ecosystem. But should we all be tearing up our turf? Or, is the anti-lawn movement just a fad? 

When something trends, there is always going to be a counterargument. Although the anti-lawn movement is getting a lot of love, with organisations such as Garden for Wildlife celebrating it, there are also some people who don't agree with it and point out that going no-lawn isn't that easy. To beautifully transform your lawn into a garden full of plants takes time, effort, money, and knowledge. The Redditor who posted their magnificent no-lawn transformation said that because their mother was a master gardener, they knew quite a bit about what perennials to plant. Taking out the turf means buying new plants, planting them, and looking after them. Some people don't have green thumbs (or a huge budget), and that is fine. Furthermore, for elderly people or busy families with children, a lawn is a safe, easy-to-maintain outdoor space to enjoy.

Like a lot of things, a middle-ground approach is usually a good idea when it comes to the case for going without a lawn. There are ways to embrace a rewilding landscape in your own yard without completely removing your lawn. Even adding a few native plants to your garden beds can make a difference for biodiversity and wildlife. And, this still leaves your lawn space free to enjoy. Instead of focusing on lawn vs. no lawn, we should be doing what we can to make our yards suitable for our lives and the environment, whether that means keeping the lawn for ease of use or building our own butterfly gardens full of native flowers.