Gone grass, welcome flowers: why grass is a green tile

With spring really on its way and so-called "tile-sweeping" on the rise, it doesn't seem very surprising that I want to dedicate this piece to a new trend, namely: snatching away some grass in exchange for bigger borders and thus more flowers and plants. A little account of how to turn your garden into a biodiverse paradise. 

I am often called a "grass hater." Not entirely unexpected, as I find grass very overrated. I don't hate it - why should I - but I am convinced that for too long it has been seen too much as something that belongs in a garden by default. And that, in my opinion, is not the case. Of course it is often just necessary in a large garden, but the reality is that a lot of people have to make do with much less and also have a little garden in the city, for example. The idyllic pictures of meters-high grass in the setting sun are fantastic, but not for everyone. And that is precisely why I think you should be able to say: grass is nice, but I will pass on this cup. 

Besides the fact that grass doesn't belong in every garden, keeping it green and healthy is increasingly challenging. It has always been of this era that turf struggles during the summer months, but the extended periods of drought make it seem more like walking on straw. So much for dew tramping. Grass is a plant - because that's just what it is - that requires a lot of water to be green. This is mainly because it roots fairly superficially and is therefore more susceptible to drying out. Not mowing the lawn too short brings relief, because the higher the grass, the less likely the sun can dry out the soil. Actions such as "Don't Mow May" are very good initiatives, which I am happy to support, but isn't it time we addressed the grass instead of working around it? This can be done very simply by making the grass smaller and your borders with plants larger. Grass hardly contributes anything to biodiversity if it is constantly cut short. Indeed, you can leave it untouched for a long time and let everything that grows in it flourish. Fantastic for everything that flies around. Only again, that is not a viable option for everyone.

That's quite a statement: grass is a green tile. But unfortunately, there is a lot of truth in that. Just think how much such a short cut of grass contributes to the biodiversity of your garden. Nothing, nada, nope. The shorter you cut it, the less it can do for insects. Especially when you make it "weed-free" and clovers, dandelions or daisies don't even have a chance to bloom. The only advantage to short grass is that it has roots and thus still absorbs water. It is permeable to water and it is a thousand times better decision than pouring concrete. There's no question about that. But it is also nothing more than that. Grass, for example, is not suitable as a path. This becomes quickly apparent when you always take the same route, walking from A to B in your garden. The grass collapses, you see obvious walking tracks forming. If you want a path in the garden, there are better alternatives for that, which are permeable to water and in combination with many flowers, shrubs and trees support biodiversity much more.

So it can be done differently, I think you agree with me on that by now. Am I proposing to take away all the grass? No. I quite understand that playing children like to do that on a piece of grass. And that grass often just needs a place during a certain time in our lives. But may I encourage you to sacrifice some of that grass and turn it into an extra border? You can then decorate that border with trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs so that there is almost a year-round something to enjoy. For yourself, but also for the wildlife in our garden. I tell you hand on heart that your instant attracts more bees, bumblebees and butterflies. In other words, you create a mini ecosystem, where everything is in sync. Trees and shrubs attract birds. Those birds, in turn, are hungry and seek out (pesky) insects. It's great to see how quickly nature takes over when you provide a spot. To be clear, a lawn is not the culprit in this ever-changing world. And I don't like to point fingers. But we really can make a difference by thinking about things a little more carefully. Especially if they are happening at your back door. And flowers do make one happy, so why not opt for more of that? Creating an extra flower border doesn't always mean more work. On the contrary. Grass you mow every week. With a border, once it matures, you spend less time on it. Do you dare?