Re-Landscaping the American Lawn

The modern lawn didn’t start with lush green rectangles adorning American suburbs. In fact, the modern lawn didn’t even start in America. Instead, modern lawns first appeared in the 1700s, popularized by the Palace of Versailles, which maintained lawns for prestigious royal events. Following this trend, English aristocrats maintained expansive lawns, defining lawns as a symbol for wealth, primarily planting grass with chamomile or meadow plants. 

By the late 18th century, wealthy American families began importing grass seed, mimicking English landscaping. When lawn mowers were introduced and popularized in the 1860s, maintaining lawns became widely accessible among households, reducing intensive and heavy labor. Congress even allocated $17,000 to find the best grass varieties for lawns in 1901, turning grass into a profitable industry. 

A few decades later in 1938, New York City setback zoning laws required a 30-foot gap between the structure and sidewalk. At the same time, the codification of the 40-hour work week gave Americans more time for recreational pursuits, leading to the emergence of managed lawns, country clubs, and golf courses. Lawns, therefore, became cemented in American culture (“Lawn”). 

Bilanol. American suburban landscape with private homes between green palm trees in Florida quiet residential area. Shutterstock, https://www.archdaily.com/1021933/the-lawn-as-battleground-how-domestic-landscaping-became-a-symbol-of-american-identity. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

The Environmental Cost 

Before European colonization, American soil was covered with native grasses – mostly broom straw, wild rye, and marsh grass – which settlers believed to be inferior for providing nutrition for livestock. As Europeans colonized America, overgrazing by livestock killed many native grasses. Thus, the market for imported grass seed grew, with Bermuda grass and Kentucky bluegrass being the most popular (Milman). 

Today, there’s more surface area in the United States devoted to lawns than to any single irrigated crop, such as corn or wheat. These lawns are biodiversity dead zones – monocropping reduces native plant abundance, perpetuates suburban homogeneity, and relies on synthetic chemicals. By the early 2000s, American homeowners were using ten times more pesticide per acre than farmers (“Lawn”). 

Not only do lawns contribute significantly to biodiversity loss, they also don’t provide sufficient habitat or food for most insects, birds, and reptiles and require large amounts of energy and water. A single lawn mower emits as much emissions per hour as 34 cars. In addition, maintaining green lawns in the U.S. requires roughly 200 gallons of drinking-quality water per person per day just to irrigate the almost 50,000 square miles of grass, a statistic that has raised drought-related concerns in drier regions (“Lawn”). 

American Grass Culture 

The modern lawn grew alongside the suburban American Dream in post-WWII America. The G.I. Bill led to the increase of home-ownership rates alongside the importance of landscaping and grass-dominated American culture (Evans). 

Unlike in Europe, where lawns are associated with aristocracy, elitism, and geometric garden design, American lawns are accessible to everyone, seen as a “democratic river” that connects neighbor to neighbor. Yet, this vision also brought social pressure (Evans). 

The suburban lawn culture is maintained and regulated by Homeowners Associations (HOAs), which often have stringent lawn regulations. Simultaneously, unspoken neighborhood expectations made keeping well-maintained lawns a social duty. American lawns subsequently became a symbol of neighborliness and high property values (Milman). 

Even today, lawn culture is still prominent. The “Great Outdoor Initiative” in Florida includes building golf courses, pickleball courts, and hotels in state parks, leading to decreased biodiversity, increased fertilizer runoff, and unnecessarily high irrigation needs in areas where native nature should be protected (Kim et al.). 

Rethinking American Lawns: Alternatives to Grass 

Instead of planting grass, homeowners are starting to reimagine the creative and climate-conscious possibilities of lawns. Other alternatives to non-native grass lawns have recently gained popularity, such as tapestry, clover, moss, and native lawns (Manning and Buiano). Moss lawns can help soil retain water, require little maintenance nor fertilizers, and attract fireflies. As moisture lovers, fireflies love to lay eggs in moss, maturing into the beautiful glowing insects we love to watch (McQueeney). 

The “No-Mow Movement” has also gained momentum in recent years, encouraging homeowners to transform conventional lawns into wild, biodiverse landscapes (Talbot). For example, Christopher and Won-ok, an American couple who spent the past few years rewilding their property, have incorporated native plants and upcycled structures to provide a sanctuary for butterflies, rabbits, birds, and other species (Lancette). 

Zen Tranquility . 3 June 2018. The Guardian, Getty Images, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jun/03/blade-runners-the-joy-of-moss-lawns. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

“Meadowscaping” imagines turning traditional grass lawns into meadows adorned with native grass, shrubs, flowers, and trees. Beyond their visual appeal, meadows are less expensive to maintain because they require less water and energy and sequester more CO2 from the atmosphere. In addition, they increase biodiversity as they appeal to pollinators, keystone species crucial for ecosystems (Hirschlag). Together, these alternatives are reimagining the American landscape, exploring the possibility for both lawn culture and sustainability to coexist. 

The American lawn, once a symbol of biodiversity loss and social pressures, now represents a symbol of innovative change – a move towards embedding native species and biodiversity into American suburban culture. 

References

Evans, Farrell. “How the Perfect Lawn Became a Symbol of the American Dream.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 17 Feb. 2021, www.history.com/articles/lawn-mower-grass-american-dream.

Fonseca, Stanley. “Whiteness on the green.” Pacific Historical Review, vol. 90, no. 4, 2021, pp. 448–474, https://doi.org/10.1525/phr.2021.90.4.448.

Hirschlag, Ally. “‘Meadowscaping’: The People Turning Their Lawns into Meadows.” BBC News, BBC, 27 Apr. 2025, www.bbc.com/future/article/20250425-meadowscaping-the-people-turning-their-garden-lawns-into-wild-meadows.

Kim, Brian, et al. “Policy Analysis of the ‘Great Outdoors Initiative’: Yip Institute Environmental Policy.” RSS, Institute for Youth in Policy, 11 Nov. 2024, yipinstitute.org/policy/policy-analysis-of-the-great-outdoors-initiative.

Lancette, Christopher. “‘We Rewilded Our Yard DIY Style – and Got the Neighbours on Board Too.’” Rewilding Magazine, Rewilding Magazine, 17 Feb. 2024, www.rewildingmag.com/rewilded-yard-neighbours-on-board/.

“Lawn.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Sept. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn.

Manning, Kelly, and Madeline Buiano. “12 Alternatives to a Traditional Grass Lawn-and Why You Should Consider Making the Switch.” Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, 12 Apr. 2024, www.marthastewart.com/8116129/grass-lawn-alternatives.

McQueeney, Cathy. “The Benefits and Ecology of a Moss Lawn.” Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District, 29 Nov. 2018, conservationdistrict.org/2018/the-benefits-and-ecology-of-a-moss-lawn.html.

Milman, Oliver. “The Cult of the American Lawn.” NOEMA, 20 Mar. 2025, www.noemamag.com/the-cult-of-the-american-lawn/.

Talbot, Mary. “More Sustainable (and Beautiful) Alternatives to a Grass Lawn.” NRDC , 30 Sept. 2016, www.nrdc.org/stories/more-sustainable-and-beautiful-alternatives-grass-lawn.