Lawns

This passage details the history of growing grass lawns.

Lexile Level: 830L

Categories: History Animals & Nature

We see grass lawns all over America today. However, in many respects grass lawns are an odd phenomenon. Grass lawns became popular in Europe hundreds of years ago. Then, they were often pasture fields of tall grass. Grass naturally grows tall and long. Later these fields were mowed by hand with a scythe. The lawns we see today are even harder to maintain. Keeping the grass plants healthy is difficult since we mow them down every couple of weeks. This means the top part of the grass is kept very small and short, and the grass has a hard time getting sun. In order to maintain a green, healthy lawn, people are forced to resort to all sorts of methods. Most people water their grass, giving it extra water. People also give the grass fertilizer throughout the year. Keeping the grass healthy in such an unnatural state takes a lot of time and energy.