If trees are the roofs of the garden, shrubbery is the furniture, and color is the decor, lawns are most certainly the carpet.  And all of us want a lush, healthy, verdant spread of it greeting us and our neighborhood.  Americans pour millions of dollars and thousands of hours into their lawns. 

Lawns certainly deserve their place.  They provide spaces for children and pets to play.  They offer a cooling appearance during our brutal Gulf Coast summers.  They serve as a frame to show off the rest of our landscaping and give us a pleasant place to walk from garden to garden.