Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia

By Wendy Mills, Extension Master Gardener
Photos by Wendy Mills

For 28 years I’ve lived in Arlington in a one-story, red-brick rambler on a quarter acre of land. Over the years, the house has changed and so, too, has the yard. Perhaps no change is more pronounced than this one: the amount of turfgrass in my garden has shrunk to a fraction of what it originally was. No longer the focal point of the front and back yards, turfgrass now is balanced by a much greater plant palate of perennials, small trees, vegetables, and summer annuals.

Original front yard in 1992.

The author’s garden today

My decision to remove most of the turfgrass from my yard germinated over many years and after learning about the state of the nation’s lands and waters. What’s the connection? Our love affair with our lawns—with a thick green carpet of grass, free of weeds—comes at a steep cost to the environment. .
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