12/17/2025
As ornamental flower gardeners, how can we grow and cultivate community health?
1) Diversified landscapes provide superior ecosystem services compared to simplified landscapes (like lawn or foundation beds with just a few plants and lots of wood mulch). Some of those ecosystem services include:
-- cleaner and cooler air
-- reduction in energy costs (trees / shrubs cool structures)
-- less urban flooding in extreme storm events (even in winter)
-- increased pollinators which support local food systems
-- increased beneficial predators (wasps, bugs) of "pests"
2) There are a plethora of studies that show physical and visual exposure to more diversified landscapes increases work and school performance, reduces stress levels, increases health outcomes (especially inflammatory diseases and recovery from illness), and exposes kids to beneficial organisms that reduce the chances of developing allergies. How do you feel when you see a butterfly? How do you feel when you hear birds?
3) More diverse landscapes that replace lawn will often mean a reduction in power tools that pollute the air and support a fossil fuel industry that's, well, not good for the overall planet. Such landscapes often require less watering -- if plants are matched to site conditions -- and almost no if any fertilizer applications (which also have a large environmental footprint from mining to transport to off-gassing to groundwater pollution).
What corporations might benefit from a fear mongering that says lawns are essential to healthy kids, wasps are pests, bees are pests and are dangerous, tall plants are a nuisance, or nature generally is something to fear? In generating that fear, where is the wealth (and power) transfer going?
Gardens take back power and take back health. They support the community of people and wildlife while mending bonds broken by interests outside of the local community. Prairie up!