I have a garden with vegetables, one with flowers, a few fruit trees and a maple, some elderberry trees. And a mowed space in front and in back. I guess technically it’s a lawn but we don’t water it or put any fertilizer or chemicals, just keep it mowed. We throw clover seeds out on bare patches but weeds mostly take over. It grows, we mow.

The better option is a mix of denser housing with fewer mandatory setbacks, mixed with commercial space and public parks.

For my property, the best stuff is wooded land. Cedar, pine, fruit, cottonwood, dogwood, birch, walnut. Cedar being my favorite due to the smell. The tree canopy keeps the ground mostly clear. Lots of birds, raccoon, squirrel, possum, deer, mice, etc. Ample shade. Natural sound deadening. Never have to water it. And a wall of green around my home for most of the year.

Honestly, local plants* is the best way to go

Edit: Got a B- in English, how could you tell?

Xeriscape with native plants and drip irrigation

There’s a type of clover, I think. I saw it on Reddit a few years ago. I only remember it’s green and short and sort of looks like grass, but is better for some reason, I don’t remember its advantages over grass.

Here in NM, we mostly use rocks. This is common in front yards:

For backyards with kids, it’s real grass if you can afford the water, or fake grass and gravel. Without kids, it’s pavers, a pergola with furniture, and native plants along the walls/fence.

I think something like this provides a good aesthetics/effort ratio:

And you could always move to a desert. Then it’s really easy and looks amazing.

Less grass.

I have kids and dogs. Native plants don’t work - they can’t handle the traffic, the poop, and they don’t cover the mud.

But I don’t need to fertilize it. I certainly don’t spray. I don’t need to water. I mow it, but it’s mechanical. And I plant native perennials around it.

Vegetable gardens seem like they would be more useful

Natural local plants gardens. They take little maintenance or water.

Vegetable gardens. Cost of groceries would be a motivator.

You can also not rake or otherwise dispose of leaves and other forms of yard waste. A lot of invertebrates depend on fallen leaves to lay their eggs or need them for insulation over the winter. Other animals also use leaves for things too.

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Heard something like a moss patch is much better.

In terms of benefit to the environment:

• Wildflowers, because it attracks so many bugs, which feed birds.

In terms of benefit to you:

• vegetable garden or herb garden

In terms of benefit to you and the environment:

• wildflowers, because they look pretty :)

The options are limitless. Basically just don’t do a lawn in your front garden and try to have a few other plants on your back lawn if you need to keep it as a children’s play area or similar.

Where i live in the UK, victorian homes are like 55% of housing stock and that means most people have front gardens designed for an enclosed space lined by hedge. This allows you to have a completely hidden spot to sit and get fresh air while you drink coffee. Similar to a porch.

At risk of sounding like a salesman, why not search some landscaping or garden companies to see nice examples? Here’s a really modern one I found when trying to get examples of a hedgey garden: https://www.philhirstgardens.co.uk/our-work/contemporary-front-garden