Spring is coming, and with it the annual itch to start yard projects. But there’s a noticeable shift happening in landscaping—and it’s challenging one of the biggest symbols of suburban life: the perfectly manicured lawn.
Most homeowners are asking a simple question: why are we maintaining so much grass? Lawns are often the largest—and most maintenance-heavy—surface around a home. Between mowing, watering, fertilizing, weed control, and seasonal treatments, the cost and time commitment add up quickly. Many households spend $100-$200 per month just maintaining their lawn, and long-time homeowners can spend more depending yard size and services. For someone thing the mostly sits there!
As a result, a quiet but growing landscaping trend is emerging across: less lawn, more lifestyle.
Designers and landscape professionals are seeing homeowners intentionally reduce the amount of turf around their homes. Instead of large expanses of grass, yards are being redesigned with a mix of hardscape, groundcover plants, and outdoor living spaces. The reasons are practical: lower maintenance, reduced water usage, less chemicals, and more usable outdoor space (you know, that big trend since the pandemic). Traditional lawns also require regular mowing, edging, and watering, which makes them one of the most labor-intensive elements of a property. In other words, homeowners are starting to treat their yard less like a golf course and more like an extension of their living space.
Instead of wall-to-wall turf, yards are increasing being designed with a mix of materials and textures. Some of the most common replacements include:
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Patios and Hardscape: stone patios, paver seating areas, and gravel walkways are replacing large lawn areas. These spaces turn the backyard into an outdoor room rather than a mowing project.
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Mulch or Rock Gardens: low-maintenance beds filled with shrubs, ornamental grasses, and perennials add visual interest without constant upkeep.
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Groundcover plants: alternatives like creeping thyme, clover, and other ground covers create a soft green look while requiring far less maintenance once established.
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Artificial Turf: for homeowners who still want the look of green grass without the maintenance, synthetic turf is becoming increasingly popular. It requires no watering or mowing and can last 15-25 years (I’ve had mine for 10+ years).
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Naturalistic Landscaping: a growing trend called “meadowscaping” replaces manicured lawns with wildflowers and native plants that support pollinators and biodiversity.
For decades, the ideal suburban yard was simple: a house surrounded by a large green lawn. But the modern approach to outdoor design is different. Today’s yards are increasingly built around experiences, not just appearance. Hop on Instagram and be surrounded by yards built around fire pits, gathering spaces, dining patios, garden beds, and layered landscaping with different textures. What I’m seeing is a backyard becoming another room of the house—just outdoors. And for homeowners like myself, that shift means fewer Saturdays behind a lawn mower—and more time actually enjoying my yard.
📸 ABOVE: ten years ago, I removed the sod from my backyard and replaced it with astroturf over a gravel and sand base. Since then, they yard has become a true outdoor living space--used for playing, entertaining, and even pets thanks to its perforated drainage.
📸 ABOVE: I repeated this low-maintenance feature adding a paver patio and astroturf area to my in-laws backyard. I added garden beds to create privacy on either side of the yard.
📸 ABOVE: these homeowners hired a landscape company to transform their sod area into a outdoor living area. A garage door was added to the back of their detached garage and when opened reveals a wet bar and TV!
📸 ABOVE: this Manville heights home traded much of its lawn for a screened porch, paver patio, mulched play area, and lush garden beds linked by winding paver paths--turning what was once a plain grass yard into an outdoor oasis.
