Chill Out on Lawncare, Help the Bees

If you look at any typical suburb in the United States today, you’ll likely see a sea of tidy lawns full of Kentucky bluegrass/fescue mix, a few trees and…little else.

Whether it’s culture, a desire to look neat, or a mix of both, many people today feel pressured to have green lawns with little diversity. Unfortunately, lawns like this suffer from two essential issues: They are hard to maintain and they are not helpful to local pollinators and wildlife.

Your typical lawn requires a lot of watering to stay green and lush; it also requires frequent fertilizing, seeding, and a constant fight to keep out weeds like dandelions. And to meet your city’s safety rules, you’ll likely have to frequently mow it, especially in summer. It’s pricey, it’s time-intensive and it’s honestly silly.

Lawns like this don’t offer a whole lot to the environment either. Bees and insects need access to a wide variety of flowers and plants; there is nothing in a lawn of fescue to entice a bee so they’ll move on elsewhere. The same goes for birds and other critters–if there is no food for them on your lawn, they won’t stay.

Considering all of this, there’s got to be a better way, and there is!

I’m not going to tell you to transform your entire front yard into a wildflower oasis or spend years trying to convert your fescue lawn into something more sustainable, like clover. Those projects take lots of time and money.

Instead, I’m asking you to consider letting your lawn do its own thing.

Instead of mowing in the spring as soon as the grass reaches 3 inches tall, let it go a little longer. Let the bees and insects make the most of those early flowering plants while they can. Instead of hating on the dandelions and plucking them as soon as you see them (or applying weed killer!) recognize them as crucial food sources for pollinators and enjoy their little rays of sunshine.

Let your yards be full of violets, vinca, clover, henbit, and more…not just fescue or bluegrass. Not only will your yard be easier to maintain over time, but it will be full of insects, bees, and butterflies. You’ll also have a beautiful carpet of tiny flowers and greenery every spring.

I’m interested in letting my lawn “go native” but I’m worried about my city’s ordinances for property management. What should I do?

Many cities have ordinances or rules about lawn grass length and management as a way to reduce risk of fire and cut down on hiding places for potential critters. I suggest familiarizing yourself with your city’s rules by doing some research or speaking with a member of your county’s risk reduction team. Even if letting your grass grow sky-high isn’t an option, you can still look into rewilding your lawn through the use of native plants, which are usually okay if kept well-maintained.