If caring for your lawn is a burden, maybe Rethinking Lawns, a new approach to lawn care, could be helpful.

Lauren Umek of the Chicago Park District outlined Rethinking Lawns, a collaboration between the park district, the Chicago Botanic Garden and the University of Michigan-Flint, at the April 11 Green Thumb Saturdays program in Homewood.

For Rethinking Lawns, a team of ecologists inspects the ecosystem services of lawns, native lawn alternatives and plants that give off a lawn’s appearance. Ecosystem services is described as the way nature around us is a benefit — from air quality, water, plant pollinators and climate adjustments. 

Umek, senior project manager for the park district, spoke about the concerns with traditional lawns, the team’s findings through their research, possible lawns alternatives, and how to go about transitioning your lawn to the native alternatives. 

For grass options, Umek listed species, including Troublesome Sedge, Common Wood Sedge, and Prairie Dropseed for taller species, and Pennsylvania Sedge, Easter Star Sedge, and Path Rush for smaller grass species. 

Umek gave alternative concepts, such as tapestry lawns, a collection of low growing plants and spring ephemerals that can be incorporated into lawns with flowers, like blue-eyed grass or wild hyacinth. She suggested starting small and being patient with results. 

The Mullet Theory may work better for some. The theory refers to business in the front and party in the back, connecting it to possibly keeping a tidy front lawn and getting more creative in the backyard. 

Umek pointed out that lawns are the most irrigated crop in the U.S. that no one eats. 

“There’s a lot of gas that goes into mowing them, water (and) watering them, and a ton of herbicide going into it,” Umek said. “It’s also a very big industry right now.” 

Many lawns are functional and being used, but some are used as default landscapes in the city, she said. 

“We have a ton of choices when we’re doing landscapes,” Umek said. “So, our hypothesis as a research group is as you go toward native plants, you get more ecosystem services.” 

To compare how certain ecosystem services thrive in different types of lawns, the research looks at things like biodiversity, pollinators support and water infiltration in Chicago parks, including the Museum Campus, Northerly Island and Jackson Park. 

Looking at species diversity, turf lawns average around 25 species, compared to the lawn alternatives and natural lawns seeing an average of 80 to 90 species. 

The Rethinking Lawns team measured water infiltration, or how fast water soaks into the soil. Turf lawns showed 6 millimeters of water per minute, with the lawn alternatives and natural areas absorption more than double, Umek said. 

This was the first program of the season for Green Thumb Saturdays, educational workshops on gardening and environmental topics, hosted by the Homewood Tree Committee and co-sponsored by the Illinois Extension Master Gardeners. The next session will be May 9 at the Homewood Village Hall, 2020 Chestnut Road.

More information about Green Thumb Saturdays and the next meeting can be found on the event’s Facebook page.