Time Well Spent - Reimagining the Garden
Let's talk about time. We all get the same precious 24 hours each day, 52 weekends a year. How many of those hours do we spend fighting nature instead of experiencing it?
Picture this: It's 8 AM on a Saturday morning. The sun is warming the day, and you have two choices. You could drag out the mower, fill it with gas, and spend the next two hours pushing it back and forth across your lawn – a lawn that will need this same attention again next weekend. Or you could be sitting on your patio, coffee in hand, watching hummingbirds dart between penstemons while goldfinches feast on native sunflower seeds.
This isn't about shaming anyone's lawn. It's about questioning why we give so much of our limited time to maintaining artificial landscapes that give so little back.
The Real Cost of Lawns
We're not just spending time on our lawns – we're spending life energy. Hours of mowing, edging, fertilizing, and watering. Money on gas, chemicals, and excessive water bills. All to maintain a monoculture that originated in European estates, where armies of servants maintained grass in a climate with year-round rain.
Here in Colorado? Our lawns are literally fighting against nature. Every square foot of lawn is engaged in a constant battle against our natural climate, requiring artificial life support just to stay green.
A Different Way
What if we worked with nature instead of against it? Native plants evolved here. They know how to handle our clay soil, intense sun, fierce winds, and unpredictable weather. They don't need us to survive – but they give back enormously when we choose to grow them.
Plant native penstemons, and suddenly your garden is feeding native bees and hummingbirds. Add some chokecherries, and birds will nest in your yard. Include native grasses, and you're supporting the insects that baby birds need to survive. Every native plant creates connections, feeding and sheltering the wildlife that makes our region unique.
Time Rich, Nature Connected
Imagine your new weekend routine:
Morning coffee with chickadees at your feeder
Casual walks through your garden, spotting new butterfly visitors
Peaceful moments watching bees pollinate flowers
Photography sessions with beautiful native blooms
Time for actual relaxation in your outdoor space
No more hours spent mowing. No more fighting against nature. Just time to observe, enjoy, and connect.
Making the Change
Start small. Convert one section of lawn to native plants. Watch what happens. Notice who visits. See how much time you get back. Let that area inspire your next change.
Your yard connects to every yard around you. When you plant natives, you're creating food and shelter that supports wildlife throughout your neighborhood. One garden can inspire an entire community to think differently about outdoor spaces.
Last summer, we witnessed something extraordinary: a black swallowtail butterfly chose our garden to lay her eggs – the first time we'd ever seen this species in our yard. What unfolded next was better than any nature documentary.
We watched in wonder as the eggs hatched into tiny caterpillars. Nature played out its raw, real drama right before our eyes – some caterpillars became meals for birds and spiders, while others persevered. To my 5-year-old daughter, watching these survivors grow and transform was nothing short of magic. She experienced a profound science lesson right in our backyard, understanding food webs, life cycles, and survival in a way no textbook could ever teach.
One garden can inspire an entire community to think differently about outdoor spaces, and create moments of wonder that transform how our children see the world.
The Radical Act of Doing Less
In a world obsessed with constant maintenance and control, letting nature take a bigger role in our gardens is quietly radical. It says we trust the systems that sustained life here long before lawns existed. It says we value time differently. It says we're ready to be participants in nature rather than controllers of it.
Every hour we don't spend mowing is an hour we can spend connecting with the natural world. Every native plant we grow is a small act of resistance against the idea that nature needs to be tamed to be beautiful.
Your time is precious. Spend it watching butterflies, not pushing mowers. Let your garden work with nature instead of against it. The birds, bees, and butterflies will thank you – and so will your Saturday mornings.
Let nature guide you toward a garden that gives more than it takes – of both resources and time.
Because in the end, a garden shouldn't be about impressing the neighbors. It should be about connecting with nature, supporting life, and creating space for joy. And none of that requires a perfectly mowed lawn.
