Grow vs. Mow: 10 Reasons to Replace Your Lawn with Native Plants

With spring in full swing, many of us are starting to turn our attention to outdoor landscaping. For some this means pulling out the mower and grass seed to achieve that perfect, manicured lawn. For others, this means finding joy in native plants – plants that evolved, grow naturally, or have historically existed in certain areas.

We reviewed information from native plant gardening specialists, biologists, and government resources to share the top ten ways replacing lawns with native plants is better for our communities, wallets, and planet.
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Native plants:

1. Need less maintenance: Native plants usually need very little upkeep once they are established. They are naturally suited to local soil, which reduces the need for fertilizers, pesticides, and frequent mowing required with traditional lawns.
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2. Need less water: Just watering our lawns accounts for one-third of all residential water usage. Unlike lawns, native plants are adapted to local climate conditions, which means they need much less water once they are established. In fact, native plants use 4 times less water per year than turf grass lawns.
   
   This reduces water usage and conserves this important resource, a key factor in regions prone to drought. Drought is a growing concern across North America thanks to climate change.

3. Provide flood protection: Native plants generally have much deeper root systems compared to turf grass roots, which are only 1-2” long on average. Not only does this make them more tolerant to drought, it also provides much better protection against flooding.
   
   The deep roots systems of native plants help soil stay in place and store more water, which reduces the above-ground runoff that can result in flooding. This means that the more native plants there are in a community, the more protection that community will have against floods.
   
   Looking at this image, can you even believe how much deeper the native species roots’ go?

4. Give a home to pollinators and wildlife: Native plants attract a variety of local wildlife such as birds, butterflies, bats, and beneficial insects, and provide them with healthy habitats. They are also excellent sources of food for bees and other pollinators, who help our plants (like food) survive and reproduce.
   
   According to the David Suzuki Foundation, “Converting just a small strip of each [lawn] into pollinator habitat could help bees and butterflies thrive.”

5. Improve air quality: Garden maintenance equipment alone contributes 5% of toxic chemicals in the air in places prone to smog, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Native plants all but eliminate the need for fossil fuel-powered lawn maintenance equipment like mowers, leaf blowers, and hedge-trimmers.
   
   Plus, native plants remove carbon from the air and store it for long periods of time than non-native plants – resulting in healthier air quality wherever they’re planted.
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6. Cool the air: According to Heather Reynolds, a biology professor at Indiana University, native plants help cool the air – which is especially important with the increase in climate-driven extreme heat events.
   
   They do this by using the heat from their environment to pull water up from the soil to their leaves. “It’s a process that actually removes energy from the system, thus cooling the air. It’s the exact same principle as sweating,” says Reynolds.
   
   Here’s a great video from Reynolds about how this process works, and some of the other benefits we cover here:

7. Need fewer chemicals: Traditional lawn maintenance often involves the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides, which can have harmful effects on the environment and for our health.

As a result of long periods of evolution and adaptation, native plants usually require fewer (if any) chemicals in order to grow and thrive

Not only does this make the area around your home safer, it also keeps those chemicals from entering our groundwater and polluting streams, ponds, lakes, and wells.
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8. Can withstand climate extremes: Native plants have adapted over time to local climate conditions, making them more able to survive extreme weather events such as droughts, heatwaves, and storms. This means that by replacing turf grass with native plants, you are creating a landscape around your home that has better protection from the impacts of climate change.
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9. Cost less than traditional lawns: Lower maintenance means less money spent on special tools, chemicals, and equipment. Plus, the lower watering needs of native plants also mean you’ll spend less on your water bill than you would with a turf grass lawn.

In fact, research shows that you can expect to see a 90% cost savings over 10 years for maintenance of native plants in comparison to turf grass.
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10. Look beautiful: Compared to a sea of green turf grass, native plant landscapes offer a variety of colors and textures that change seasonally. They turn an otherwise uniform, empty space into a place filled with life, vibrancy, and movement. It’s hard not to feel a deep sense of joyful connection to the planet in a place like this! 
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Tips to get started:

You don’t have to tear out your whole lawn at once. A good first step is learning about what plants are native to your area. Here are some resources for Canada and the United States to get started.

It also doesn’t need to cost a lot of money. You can start with just a few native plants that you find at your local nursery, and add to them each year.

If you have more time and a bigger vision, there are also grants in Canada and the United States to help people with planting native plants in their communities – at home or in shared spaces like schools and community centres – that you can apply for. 

Happy planting!