Two photos at the top of this graphic. The one on the upper left is of a yard filled with trees & flowers with a stone walkway to a brick house. Its text says, "This creates life" The photo on the right is of a green lawn and a brick house with one tree. Its text says, "This kills it" The text under the 2 photos says, "Real gardens have native biodiversity with different types of bees" The drawing shows 6 species of bees on a variety of different plants. Bumblebees, Carpenter bees, Leaf cutter bees, Mason bees, blackberry bees, & squash bees.

#RethinktheLawn The "perfect lawn" maintenance includes landscape-wide applications of poisons & synthetic fertilizers. You will save pollinators, birds, & $$ by stopping this practice & planting natives. Read about "Freedom Lawns" here: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2021/05/our-...

Before & After photos of a small but steeply sloped front yard. the Before photo shows a small white house with a green lawn on the slope. There is a sidewalk and stairs with a black metal railing from the house down to the street-level sidewalk. The After photo shows the same house, but the lawn has been replaced by a gardened filled with a variety of plants-many are in bloom. There are rocks and rock walls holding back the soil. Text says "Native garden design can help save pollinators"

#Rethinkthelawn to save money, to support pollinators, to make your yard healthier for your children & your pets, and to improve the water quality in nearby waterways.
Let's work to unpoison our lawns & to make them much smaller in 2026!

Photo of a lawn where most of the plants are fogfruit with their little white match-stick shaped flowers. there also a few blade of grass. Text says, "Fogfruit (Phyla nodiflora)"

#RethinktheLawn! Fogfruit (Phyla nodiflora), an easy-to-grow, durable ground cover that's native to all southern US. It’s the larval host for 3 butterflies. It tolerates mowing & moderate foot traffic. It's good for meadows in sun or partial shade.
FNPS plant profile: www.fnps.org/plant/phyla-...

3 photos: first one is of a 2-story brick house with a dried out front lawn. the second and third photos show the same house surounded by native trees and shrubs. Text: Before & After in Jacksonville After = native habitat & 2 degrees cooler.

#Rethinkthelawn This Florida homeowner cooled his property when trees & shrubs replaced the lawn. Read my article "The Value of Trees" for the science behind this: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-...

A photo of a front yard planted with a pink-flowered ground cover. In the background and across a street are other front yards with turf grass lawns.

#RethinktheLawn #PlantMoreNatives
Powderpuff (Mimosa strigillosa) is a great turfgrass substitute. It's a legume so it doesn't need fertilizer, it can withstand some foot traffic, and occasional mowing, plus it's so darn cute! How could you say no? Native to SE states.
www.fnps.org/plant/mimosa...

A drawing of an overhead view of a magnolia tree with trees, shrubs, bunching grasses, & ground cover planted around it, Also shown is a house with a curved walkway from a small front porch.

#RethinktheLawn A good place to start removing your lawn is around lone trees. Create a grove of compatible native trees, shrubs, bunching grasses, wildflowers, and ground covers around the tree in an area that is at least as large as the normal leaf-drop area. It's better for the tree & birds. 1/2

#ThereisNoPlanetB! #SpeakUpforNature. #PlantMoreTrees. #RethinktheLawn. Support environmental organizations with time & $$. Support politicians that believe the scientists. Read "It's Time to Think Globally, but Act Locally" greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2024/12/its-...

#ANewDay While skies are stormy, every day is an opportunity to do something positive. #PlantMoreTrees. #JoinaNativePlantGroup. #InviteBirdstoYourYard. #RethinktheLawn, which is the easiest, most significant action to help our only planet. Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2021/05/our-...

A trugreen sign in a lawn saying,"Your child may be an honor student, but my grass is greener."

#RethinktheLawn #StopAllPoisons are resolutions for 2025 that are easy to do; will improve the health of your family & pets; will improve the water quality; & will save you money. Read my #FreedomLawn article here: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2021/05/our-...

#Rethinkthelawn! Here's the detailed story of my North Florida yard transformation. "From lawn to woods: a retrospective: beautifulnativeplants.blogspot.com/2016/07/from...