The days of the perfect-looking yard -- often lawns that guzzle copious amounts of water to stay green -- may soon be gone.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/18672298

The days of the perfect-looking yard – often lawns that guzzle copious amounts of water to stay green – may soon be gone.

Homeowners are increasingly opting to “re-wilding” their homes, incorporating native plants and decreasing the amount of lawn care to make their properties more sustainable and encourage natural ecosystems to recover, according to Plan It Wild, a New York-based native landscape design company.

About 30% of the water an average American family consumes is used for the outdoors, including activities such as watering lawns and gardens, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In the West, where water is absorbed almost immediately by the sun or thirsty vegetation, outdoor water usage can increase to an average of 60% for the average family.

As concerns for the environment – as well as increasing utility bills – grow, so do homeowners’ preferences for how they decorate their yards.

  • @[email protected]English
    4•4 months ago

    I get fined if I don’t cut the front lawn :c luckily it’s small.

    Backyard? FOREST. We don’t use it so it’s up to my shoulders. We get so many neat bugs.

    • @whatwhatwhatwhatEnglish
      5•4 months ago

      My state passed a law preventing HOAs from penalizing homeowners who xeriscape or eliminate their lawns. Can’t wait to stick it to them!

    • @[email protected]OPMEnglish
      3•4 months ago

      Yeah my front yard is HOA managed so it’s boring as hell. Back yard is where things get wild.

      I’ve thought about applying to do my own thing in the front but I’m not sure I have enough design chops to make the cranky busybodies happy.

      Ironically the front looks worse in my opinion since they don’t take care of the plants very well and they’re all half dead but since the HOA did it they won’t fine themselves 😆