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Tired of mowing? Maybe no grass is a better option

A summer garden is shown on a misty day, with bee balm and butterfly bush in the foreground.
ErikaMitchell/Getty Images/iStockphoto
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This hour, landscape designers discuss replacing grass lawns with shrubs and other native plants.

Live call-in discussion: Vermonters love their yards and parks, but keeping grass green and mowed comes with a price.

As climate change and drought make water an increasingly valuable resource, many people are rethinking how much grass makes sense. Trends like aim to let lawns grow longer for part of the year, creating friendlier habitats for birds, insects and wildlife. Now, some landscape designers are suggesting decreasing or even eliminating grass altogether.

This hour, we'll explore the process of replacing grass with shrubs and other native plants, as well as other ecological landscaping options. We'll also hear how letting grass grow longer or decreasing lawns affects water quality, specifically in Lake Champlain.

Our guests are:

  • Cheryl Joy Lipton, owner of and president of the
  • Krystyna Oszkinis, owner of in Norwich
  • Lauren Jenness, environmental analyst with , which is a member of the

Broadcast live at noon on Friday, Aug. 19, 2022.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or tweet us .

Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.
Tedra worked on Vermont Edition as a producer and editor from 2022 to 2024.