Why are traditional grasslands increasingly struggling? What is climate change teaching us

In recent years, it has become a familiar sight: lawns turning yellow as early as June, dry patches struggling to green up again, and increasingly frequent watering to maintain a uniform carpet of grass. For a long time, we considered these problems to be the result of a particularly hot summer. Today, however, scientific research tells a different story: they are no longer exceptional events, but a new climatic reality.

Average temperatures continue to rise, heatwaves are becoming more frequent, and rainfall is increasingly irregular, alternating long periods of drought with very intense rain concentrated in just a few hours. In this new scenario, even the way we design gardens is changing.

• A lawn born for a climate that no longer exists
• Alternative lawns: a different way of imagining greenery

A lawn born for a climate that no longer exists

The classic English lawn was developed in areas characterized by cool summers, rainfall distributed throughout the year, and high humidity levels. These conditions are very different from those that characterize much of Italy today, especially in the Mediterranean regions.

When heat lasts for weeks and rain becomes increasingly rare, maintaining a traditional lawn inevitably requires more resources: more watering, more maintenance, and often continuous intervention to repair damaged areas. This does not mean that a traditional lawn can no longer exist, but that changing climatic conditions are making it increasingly difficult to manage.

People often think that a yellowing lawn is a sign of poor maintenance. In fact, in most cases, it is simply the plants' natural physiological response to stress: when temperatures rise and water becomes scarce, many species naturally reduce their growth activity to limit energy and water consumption. It is a survival mechanism. The real change, therefore, lies in the climatic context: we are asking species selected for cool environments to live in increasingly hot and arid conditions.

Furthermore, the performance of a lawn does not depend solely on the species that make it up. Soil that is poor in organic matter, compacted, or poorly draining retains available water less effectively and results in shallower roots, increasing sensitivity to drought. In contrast, healthy, well-structured soil acts as a natural water reservoir, promotes root development, and makes the lawn more resilient during periods of stress. This is why we now increasingly talk about designing the soil before the lawn itself.

Alternative lawns: a different way of imagining greenery

For decades, we have associated the concept of a lawn with a single image: a perfectly uniform surface, always green and identical in every season. Today, nature is showing us that resilience comes from diversity. Alternating different species, making room for flowers, using Mediterranean plants, and nurturing healthy soil makes it possible to create gardens that are more resilient, richer in biodiversity, and less dependent on watering and continuous intervention.

In this context, alternative lawns fit perfectly: a solution that has been gaining increasing popularity in Mediterranean gardens in recent years. This is a different design approach, based on observing the climate and the characteristics of the area. The goal is not to achieve a lawn that requires continuous intervention to maintain an artificial appearance, but to create a vegetation cover capable of evolving naturally through the seasons and better coping with environmental stress.

The species used in alternative lawns develop deep root systems, are better able to make use of the moisture present in the soil, and, once well established, require much less watering than a traditional lawn. Some also provide prolonged flowering that attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects, transforming the lawn into an active part of the ecosystem and helping to increase the garden's biodiversity.

Naturally, there is no single solution that works for every situation: every garden has different characteristics and requires specific design. Some alternative lawns are better suited to foot traffic, others are designed to showcase flowering, and others again are ideal for particularly dry or difficult soils. Expanding the possibilities means being able to choose the solution best suited to your climate, your soil, and the way you live in your garden, rather than looking for a single answer that works for everyone.

It is a change in perspective that does not only concern gardening, but also the way we inhabit green spaces: stop asking plants to adapt to an ideal model, and instead design gardens that are in balance with the environment in which they grow.

Climate change does not force us to give up greenery. Rather, it invites us to rethink it. Designing a garden today means observing the area, understanding how plants behave, and choosing solutions that can last over time without requiring an ever-increasing consumption of water and resources. In this sense, the lawn is no longer just an aesthetic element: it becomes the result of a balance between nature, climate, and design.