Rochester man replacing lawn with plants

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — There is a growing movement in home landscaping that is shredding the lawn and replacing it with native plants. A Rochester man is teaching others why it works for the environment and the homeowner.

There are some things that don't belong — and some things that do. Landscape consultant Michael Warren Thomas is figuring that out.

Thomas lives in Rochester's 19th Ward. His yard is a haven for 100 varieties of plants — mostly native.

"When I moved here, There was just a lawn like almost everyone else has," he said.

But there was one problem: "I didn't want to mow," said Thomas.

So with some newspaper and mulch, Thomas got rid of the grass and started planting.

"Once you have some trees like this, it's incredibly low maintenance," he said.

Bigger than that, Thomas is part of a conservation movement.

"It's a slow movement," Thomas said. "We need to speed this up."

It's one which encourages homeowners to reduce or eliminate their lawns and bring nature home.

"We see so many ways in which we're degrading nature and we really can't afford to do that. This is our planet," Thomas said.

Thomas has a landscape consulting business that teaches homeowners the benefits of native plants like milkweed, which is crucial to monarch butterflies.

"I don't rake leaves out of this yard. They fall, they decompose," Thomas said.

Other plants and trees are critical to the balance of nature.

"If we want more birds, we need more caterpillars," he added. "If we want more caterpillars, we need more native plants."

Many of us love our lawns. Either way, it can be a lot of work. Thomas says starting small can make a big difference.

"Invariably you’re going to notice nature when you’re doing that ... spending more time outside," Thomas said. "It's more fun, I think."

Thomas is a former longtime radio host whose Finger Lakes-centered programming focused on food, wine and gardening.

For more information on his current venture Naturally Green, click here.