U of G Master of Landscape Architecture student wondered why the monoculture turfgrass lawn is still so entrenched in the Canadian landscape aesthetic. Laura decided to go for some hard data on attitudes towards turf-free “flower lawns”. As well as testing the performance and viability of lawn alternatives, Laura surveyed visitors at Canada Blooms 2016 to determine their plant preferences. The survey data formed part of her MLA thesis and it’s a fascinating read.
Her findings were much more positive than expected. A large number of people ARE interested in planting floral lawns and many more would welcome their neighbours doing the same thing.
Laura’s research is available here (scroll down for the pdf of the entire paper):
abstract and research paper