#VictorianEra #Garden #Backyard #Sustainability #DesignHistory
That smooth, green lawn in front of your house? It started as an aristocratic status flex in 17th-century Europe – and today, it’s an environmental disaster. From sheep “lawnmowers” to Japanese moss gardens, here’s why the perfect lawn isn’t so perfect… and the beautiful, eco-friendly alternatives you can choose instead.
Which garden is a luxury status symbol? I bet you picked that one and you’ve been biased. That idea of a smooth, perfect grass lawn started in 17th century Europe. Aristocrats in France and England used them as a flex. Having acres of short grass meant you were so rich you didn’t need to grow crops and you could afford to waste land and time on something purely decorative. And back then lawnmowers didn’t exist. Estates had to hire teams of workers to cut the grass with sights or sometimes they used sheep as living lawnmowers. In Victorian England, the truly extra would actually send out servants to sweep the dew off the lawn before guests arrived in the morning. That style spread to the US and by the 1950s advertisers had cemented the perfect green lawn as part of the American dream. But in many cultures, the lawn was never in. In Japan, traditional gardens use moss, stones, and ponds. In the Middle East and parts of North Africa, grass is rare because water is precious. So instead, you’ll find shaded courtyards with fountains and hardy plants. In Australia’s dry regions, native drought tolerant landscaping is now more common than thirsty grass. And in parts of Latin America, front yards often overflow with fruit trees and flowering shrubs instead of grass carpets. The main problem is that lawns are biodiversity deserts. They offer little food or shelter for wildlife. And in the US alone, keeping them alive takes about 34 billion liters of water every day. If you’re privileged enough to own lands, there are better, greener options. White flower meadows, clever lawns, moss gardens, native plants, and even edible gardens.
26 Comments
Ot's a fact not a bios. I prefer the one on top though.
america suck
It’s all “look at their culture!” Until it’s time to shit on Americans. We have plenty of access to water, which we pay for because we’re not commie cucks, and we like our lawns short because its tidy and not an eyesore. Piss off
I grew up in North America, a green lawn was for sports, slip and slides, family games, playing catch with the dog, and outdoor parties. Had alot of fun! Having open space is great. They do prevent rats and mice, and how is that bad? You're also forgetting people have landscaping, gardens, ponds, pools AND lawns. We just have more space than you, and we like it.
And the water recharge the ground water
Apparently the only practical use of these lawns is (very slowly) bleaching linen.
imperialism might be gone but its harm is not. Lets reclaim native ecosystems instead of waste of space lawns.
Brainwashed is right. Let’s make lawns a thing of the past!
finally someone addressed this , lawns are so lifeless are compared to even a single plant
in india we have a very small region in around the house where we plant trees usually tall ones so as to maximise greenery
As someone who lives in place where ticks and other deadly bugs are in every green place, making a lawn in a garden is absouletely the best option out there. Also you can do more activities with extra space.
You're so beautiful I like that you're not thin
I cant put my finger on her accent, i guess German?
The thing is ppl in the US used to have trees and plants in their garden, everything changed when complex suburban housing, where everybody basically have the same style houses, become the norm, PLUS the existence of HoA that singlehandedly killed all personalisation of decorative lawn 🙄😂
The suburban American lawn is so depressingly boring
Love your hair here, please share your curl type and haircut technique! 🥹
to be fair i only picked it out of what i've seen in movies, of course i like the top one better
I actually prefer the above pic. That's a real garden.
"Swipe" the dew? In some culture, walking barefooted in the morning where the grass is wet from the dew is considered natural remedy. A form of theraphy.
When I get a house I’m turning it into prairie land, complete with native pollinating plants. I want to have a bat box, a carpenter bee hotel, I want to give back to nature not have a ‘perfect’ green lawn that costs thousands to cut, water and maintain it.
Idk I’m not from a country that has much land to waste so for us lawns are not considered desirable so for the question I picked the lush bushes because it means you put effort into it and you have to water it and in general looks high effort compared to just some grass which doesn’t mean much to me
The reason why its biased why one of them is a luxury item is not argumented within the video so a complete missing the point ;-(
I do see your point. but all your alternatives do not serve as a playground for your kids.
Short grass was also a way to keep animals away from the house since it had no shelters from birds and other predators. This kept snakes, rabbits, rats and other animals away from the house
But remember there's HOA that will feel insulted by the height of "bushes" and how wide the plants are.
O.o i actually picked the one with flowers all over…. if it was me id have water scenes and flowers with trees all over with nice places to sit in shade.
In Slovakia, it's usually stones and small (bonsai-like) evergreens. It's easy to maintain and it fits great into the environment.
(It used to be very common to have vegetables in your front garden)