Have you looked at your house from Google Earth? How much of your property is just grass? How about your neighbors’? It’s probably a high percentage and parts of it most likely go unused. In the 1950s, new housing developments began showing off their properties with manicured swaths of lawn as far as the eye could see. It has been ingrained over time that surrounding our house with grass is one of the tenets of homeownership.…but what if we all reduced our lawn size by just 10-20%?
Over the last few weeks, we’ve shared some ways to DO LESS and have a more beautiful, healthy yard; here’s another.
DO LESS TIP #4: HAVE A SMALLER LAWN & HELP THE POLLINATORS
Give back a part of your lawn to nature! You’ll add some color, beauty, and usefulness to your yard and have less grass to mow. Take an unused section or corner of your lawn and turn it into a pollinator oasis for hummingbirds, butterflies, and most importantly…bees. Populations of bees are crashing all over the region and you can help by planting clumps of native flowering plants that bloom from spring through fall. Most native plants require less watering and upkeep than ornamentals and the pollinators you attract will help your other garden plants and vegetables flourish as well.
These practices not only save you time, but also reduce the need to fertilize, reduce your energy and water use, and ultimately cost you less money.
So what will you do with all your newly found free time? We suggest going out to the Sound and exploring all it has to offer. You’ll see for yourself why it’s so important that we protect it together.
Have a landscaper and don’t know what to ask them to do?
Click here to DOWNLOAD a letter that you can give to your landscaper with ways they can help you have a healthy, environmentally-friendly yard [available in English and Spanish].
Take care of your own lawn?
Click here to DOWNLOAD a healthy yard checklist.