Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Grass Isn't Greener by Danae Wolf on May 13, 2025
Genres: Non Fiction
Pages: 240
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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Rooted in twenty practical steps that anyone can take starting today, Grass Isn’t Greener demonstrates how small changes in your yard or garden can create lasting impact for the from leaving your leaves to selecting eco-friendly holiday decorations; from eliminating light pollution to attracting wildlife; from saving seeds to devoting even a small patch of lawn to native plants. With easy-to-follow advice and real-life examples, conservation educator Danae Wolfe will help you appreciate the new life you’ve attracted to your yard. A companion for new homeowners, renters, and gardeners, Grass Isn't Greener is a resource for anyone looking for little ways to make a big difference—and to have fun doing it.
Early spring gets me excited to read gardening books and I confess I was hooked by the title. The author is new to me, but her writing style, the presentation of the book, the pictures and graphics were all very attractive to me. I was glad to page through and further my amateur gardening education.
Over the years, I made some decisions about my yard and garden by simply following personal inclination. On moving in, we planted some more indigenous trees, bushes, wilder beds, raised beds, compost heap areas, and this resulted in reducing the amount of actual grass in our yard by more than half. We didn’t sweat it when clover and other types of green cover growth pushed out grass. This non-grass was just as green, just as easy on bare feet, and required less water so we went with it.
That brings me to water. I grew up where water was a premium, especially in the warmer months when we always had watering restrictions so I took advantage of this Great Lakes’ regions large amounts of precipitation to hydrate our yard and plants rather than the hose. We have rain barrels to provide what’s needed for garden beds, water-gathering containers open to bug, bird, and animal visitors needing a drink or bath. We’ve used the old leaves, twigs and pine needles and the small amount of grass cuttings we do have to create a mulch rather than buy that dyed stuff to lay over the garden and beds to help hold the moisture in the soil.
I say all that to make a point. What I didn’t realize was all we’d been doing was in line with an actual conservationist movement out there and the point of this book.
Grass Isn’t Greener is an introduction into this conservationist movement. The author explains why this is important for the environment, for ecosystems, for our very sustenance. She explains how to bring it about, and how to make it mutually enjoyed by the wild animals and the family residents alike. She gives advice for those who might have city or home owner association rules about yards. Lots of advice for turning the yard into a place where bugs, birds, and other animals can share the space and why keeping it friendly to them is so important for all of us. There are hints about dealing with pests and yard care without needing to resort to chemicals. Advice about ditching the loud lawn care equipment (leaf blowers are anathema!) and even having a thought for reducing light and sound pollution.
And for those of us who get a heavy annual fall of leaves and start muttering after a few weeks of raking duty each autumn, the author gives us permission to be a little lazy. There is a big plea for folks to let their yards look a little shabby by not raking up every last leaf or stray twig to help the soil and the creatures. Again, I’d already started realizing when I began doing composting that the leaves which provided shade all summer could still do some good by becoming mulch for the soil when they decomposed. And, my husband was particularly taken with the part when she advises that if you really must keep a lawn then reduce the mows each year and let the grass grow a little longer between mows. She mentions the British yard movement spreading to the US called #NoMowMay.
Grass Isn’t Greener is more common sense and simple suggestions- rather more for the beginner and dilletante gardener like myself than someone more advanced or a pro. It’s a call to going back to nature- really getting to know what grows or lives native to the region where one lives, restoring, and maintaining that in one’s small slice of the world.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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This sounds really good! My husband and I have created a bird and squirrel friendly garden, and I love the idea of getting along with nature instead of making it do what you want😁
Yes! The ideas in this book really fired my imagination for further ways I can make my yard even more nature-friendly. Good way to put it, Tammy about “getting along with nature instead of making it do what you want.”
That sounds very informative.
Yes, it was very practical advice, Mary. 🙂
These are really great suggestions! You’ve done a lot of great things in your yard, Sophia! We also don’t rake up every leaf because I had heard that it helps insulate overwinter and I planted a bunch of clover in our lawn so it would be more water friendly. Plus, the dear love it. I have a composter, but our compost isn’t doing well. I’m not sure what to do about it. Our city has given us a green garbage container for all food waste and yard clippings so if it can’t go in the composter it goes in there.
Yes, it’s been a really good guide to help validate what I’ve been doing, but gave even more suggestions. I’ve been trying my hand at ground moss in the shady areas and its patchy, but coming along.
In truth, I’m not the best with compost. I just do it in piles and flip it with a pitchfork or shovel every few days. I spread it in the garden and bed areas and in parts of the yard where the soil isn’t that great. That is so neat that your city provides a green garbage container. I wonder if that means your city has a compost heap where residents can go and get free broken down composted material to revitalize the soil.
Oh this sounds like a good one. I’ve been meaning to pick up more more books about gardening and this one sounds in line with what I am looking for in a gardening book. And how awesome you already were doing a lot in line with the conservationist movement and the point of this book.
I definitely have to think of installing a rain barrel to gather rain water if we have a garden in our new house as that sounds like such a good way tor educe the amount of water you need for the plants. And that’s awesome you reduced your grass amount already so much, I read a nonfiction book that touched upon that topic recently and really explained the having less grass and mowing less thing. Definitely adding this book to my wishlist!
Yes, I learn so much from each of the gardening books I’ve been able to pick up. This one, all about conservationism was a big hit with me. Glad to put it on your radar, Lola.
This sounds like a lovely book. I’ve been gardening organically ever since we moved into our house back in 1994 and it’s been interesting to see how many insects we get. And the last two years we’ve also been into #NoMowMay and it makes a huge difference in how many different varieties we get in the lawn:)). We also need to get a rain barrel going! Thank you for sharing.
Yes, this was a good one. I enjoy seeing all the bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other interesting insects including my favorite night-time, lightning bugs. 🙂
I’ve noticed that the grace grows in more lush and thicker when its allowed to grow more between mows. And, the rain barrels really do great for keeping our water usage down.
This sounds good. We mulch our leaves and grass clippings back into the lawn to feed it. We live in the burbs and will get ticketed if our lawn is unkempt. Grr.
I love that we have a mulching lawnmower especially when its leaf season. Yeah, city ordinances about yards can make doing some of her suggestions rather tricky. Funny enough, our city probably has strict rules about yards, but in our old part of town, they don’t enforce much of that.
What an interesting nonfiction!
It definitely gave me some good ideas.
I don’t rake up my leaves at all, lol. I get some clover in the spring, but it seems the grass is back and takes over by mid-summer unfortunately leaving more mowing. I want the easiest yard to take care of. The flowers I have are just ones that came up when I moved in, I haven’t added any.
Easy maintenance yard is the way to go! 🙂