Us Kiwis are all about the quarter-acre dream. Of course, our housing market is making it less and less of a reality for many, but there’s no denying that the Kiwi dream is still alive and kicking outside of Auckland, at least.

And we’re none the wiser to how folks across the ditch and around the world have it. We mow our generous-sized sections, hire the experts for gardening, lawn mowing, hedge trimming, and section tidy-ups, and live a life that has always been the way it is. You could almost say we take it for granted.

Did you know that lawn care around the world looks vastly different? Read on to learn what the lawn care industry looks like outside of our slice of paradise.

Russia

Believe it or not, having a lawn in Russia means you may be wealthier than someone without a lawn. Nearly everyone in a suburban area in New Zealand has at least a small patch of grass. In Russia, the area surrounding your property that could be lawn is typically taken up with gardens.

Russians quite often grow their own fruit and vegetables to feed their families. Some studies show that as much as half of Russia’s agricultural output is from backyard gardens. If you’re from wealthy stock, you’re more likely to have space for both lawns and gardens.

The United Kingdom

Just like us, the UK has a love affair with their lawns. So much so, that there is even a museum in Southport, Lancashire, dedicated to the lawnmower.

The island nation of nearly 67 million people has about 15 million lawns between them. They tend to them with over £50-million worth of fertilisers, and close to £130 million of lawnmowers annually. The landscaping market is also worth a whopping £5 billion, with over 19,500 landscaping services across the UK.

Here in New Zealand, we’re pretty proud of our lawns. If we can’t give them the attention they deserve, we hire someone who can. But in the UK, they take that care to a new level. There is even an essay on gardens to describe just how perfect the average British lawn should and could be.

According to Francis Bacon, a British garden should be square with an arched hedge and thickets of honeysuckle and sweet briar. The foreground should be a ‘finely shorn’ lawn. He’s not wrong, for it just takes a quick look at the Kensington Gardens to see that the British truly do take pride in their grounds. 

The Middle East

It might not be surprising to learn that the lawn care industry, at least not involving actual lawns, is not thriving in the Middle East. Back in 2009, it was even reported that businesses selling and growing artificial grass were in trouble.

It’s not that people don’t want grass in the Middle East. It’s that water restrictions stop lawn care companies and property owners from giving it the care it needs.

Lawns are fashionable throughout the world, and the Middle East is no different. However, water is often in short supply. Over there, gardens are watered with desalinated water that has undergone quite a polluting and energy-hungry process.

During times of drought, though, the Water Authority makes it illegal to water public and private grass. Therefore, anyone buying lawns to improve their home’s landscaping will most likely watch as they wither up and die. Fortunately, there are other options for ground cover to ensure no one has to miss out on a beautifully landscaped yard.

Malaysia

We may not have the lifestyle we always dreamed of. We may have even given up on the quarter-acre dream and opted for a smaller postage stamp lawn instead. However, if you compare our lawn care practices and section sizes to those in Malaysia, we’ll realise how lucky we really are.

Malaysia is one of the most populated cities in the world. Given the rising population, sprawling lawns are not something of which many households there get to enjoy. Busy city dwellers live in apartments with not a lot of spare space, and most people are too busy working to worry about lawn mowing and gardens.  

The United States

The US lawn care industry is big business, with a market size of $98 billion. There are over half a million lawn care services in the United States, and over one million industry employees.

If we thought we were a nation of lawn lovers, figures from the US are putting us to shame. In 2015, they spent nearly $16 billion on lawn care and gardening services. In 2014, their retail sales of garden and lawn supplies nearly totalled $6 billion.

And while many Americans take care of their own lawns, equally as many rely on lawn care experts. According to an online survey with the National Association of Landscape Professionals Industry Growth, 40 per cent of Americans have used a lawn care professional in the last year.

Over half also needed help with tree care, and over 40 per cent hired someone for weed prevention and lawn pest control.

Australia

Australia isn’t far behind the United States regarding passion for lawn care. Their lawn care industry is worth at least $3 billion, and the average Australian homeowner takes pride in a well-maintained lawn. Some are a bit more meticulous than others.

Lawns you can be proud of

We are blessed here in New Zealand to have plenty of wide-open spaces and expansive lawns and gardens. Knowing that not every country can enjoy what we have, doesn’t it make sense to appreciate it a little more? If it has been some time since you gave your yard the TLC it deserves, consider calling in lawn care experts near you to take care of business.