The lawn that has already been prepared is being put in the pasture. In their place, sassy urban forests are growing across the country, brimming with fruit trees, flowering shrubs, water bodies and lush greenery, much to the delight of ecologists and environmentalists.
The colonial heritage of the British, lush green lawns was the hallmark of Raj’s buildings. Irrespective of the geographical conditions, the lawn spread throughout India with the imperialists. Like many British legacies, it remained even after the overthrow of the Raj from India.
However, turf lawns soak up water and are hungry consumers of pesticides and fertilizers to stay shiny. Sheetal Patil, a researcher at Azim Premji University, says: “The chemicals silence crickets, ants, birds, butterflies and bees.”
That’s why architect Vinod Mathew, who trained under renowned Bali-based landscape designer Made Vijaya, used plants endemic to Kerala for the landscape of the upscale Villa Maya restaurant in Thiruvananthapuram.
Expressing dismay at seeing gardens full of hibiscus, jasmine, moonbeam, coral jasmine and other common flowers, which flourished in Kerala households in the seventies and eighties, are being replaced by lawns and imported plants in the last few decades. The focus, he says, has been on eco-friendly landscaping.
He is not alone. Landscape designer Roshni Nair says that homeowners realize the disadvantages of turf lawn when they live with it for some time. “Prohibitively expensive to maintain in a hot, tropical location like Kerala, lawns require gentle loving care to maintain their lush green appearance. Since grass needs sunlight, umbrella trees cannot be grown. The house is exposed to the sun and becomes unbearably hot,” she adds.
That is why Suchitra Radha Vinod in Thiruvananthapuram decided to replace her lawn with a tropical garden and water body. Suchitra found that her house, which faces west, would become unbearably hot with direct sunlight falling on the walls. When he planted trees to protect the house from the sun, his gardener was not happy because the trees were “spoiling” the lawn. In the end, he decided to take out the lawn entirely.
Landscape designer Malavika Mohan declined to create lawns, and instead focused on empowering her clients with options. “It is important to know your garden well so that you know when and where you will get sunlight. So the garden is an evolving one. First, trees are planted along with shrubs. Ferns and plants that need shade come next. Trees grow over a few years, then I add fillers like creepers and leafy plants that can fall under them and so the garden looks lush. Everything depends on the laying of the garden,” she says.
Architect Tony Joseph in Kozhikode had his lawn removed because he wanted his house to be cooler, says landscaper Jacob Klavara. They replaced the lawns of turf grass with pearl grass, vines and leafy plants. Jacob says many residents are removing their carpeted lawns because they become aware of their high environmental costs.
Former UN official Raveendran Daniel asked architect Liza Natarajan to redesign her garden to create a more life-friendly space with endemic flowers. After the redesign, their large garden began to attract many birds and bees.
“In most cases, the architects plan the house and the garden is done at the last minute, usually a lawn surrounded by flowers or palms. I insist on putting the interior and exterior together so that each corner has its own surprise and Be a little green,” says Vinod.
To escape the ‘green desert’
Chennai-based architect Benny Kuriakos says many clients ask for trees, ferns and evergreens. “Unlike a decade ago, most of my clients don’t want lawns, they want green spaces with water bodies and a non-trimmed-and-organised garden.” Beni said that in water-scarce areas like Chennai, having a lawn is harmful to the environment as it absorbs the available water from the water table.
A 2018 study by professors Seema Purushoman and Sheetal at Azim Premji University focused on the impact of lawn grass cultivation on agriculture and livelihoods in peri-urban Bengaluru. Turf lawns in government buildings, hotels and hospitals often come at the expense of fertile topsoil and water in agricultural land. Sheetal explains that these carpets could be lush deserts, which are often overlooked.
The study found that turf grass displaced millets, pulses, paddy and cleared the land from shrubs and trees. Even the common grazing land of the villages was encroached upon to grow lawn grass.
“Many farmers on the outskirts of Bengaluru have leased their land to commercial growers of turf grass. When large amounts of turf are dug up for lawns in cities, it irreversibly damages the top soil,” says Sheetal.
Seema Mundoli, Co-author Cities and Canopies: Trees in Indian Cities, says she and writer Harini Nagendra are coming up with a book on common flowering plants grown in gardens and balconies to attract birds and bees. Many alternatives to turf grass such as buffalo grass and perennial vines are now offered by savvy landscape designers. Another way is to dress up your garden with a variety of leafy plants, flowering shrubs, shrubs and trees.
“The garden has to grow with the gardener,” says Malvika.
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