This muddy, brown yard is the ugliest lawn in Sweden
For many homeowners, a beautiful lawn is a source of pride. But for some residents of Sweden’s largest island, lush, green grass can create disappointment – especially if they were competing for the title of Sweden’s ugliest lawn.
In an effort to promote water conservation, the municipality of Gotland recently held a competition to find the ugliest lawn on the island. This was followed by irrigation bans that prevent residents from watering their lawns.
Mimmi Gibson, Acting Marketing and Brand Manager at Region Gotland Municipality, helped to select the winner, which belonged to Marcus Norström.
“It’s really brown, it’s gold, it’s really muddy and earthy, and it doesn’t really have any green grass on it,” she shared As it happens guest host Susan Bonner. “So it’s pretty ugly.”
She added that seeing ways to improve the lawn through more sustainable practices was also a factor in their decision.
The jury described Norström’s lawn as “a really lousy lawn that lives up to all our expectations for Gotland’s ugliest lawn and has good conditions for a more sustainable improvement.” according to The Guardian.
As a reward for his effort – or lack thereof – Norström receives a personal two-hour consultation with gardener and judge Sara Gistedt.
Gibson says they received a variety of grants. Some lawns came from the northern part of the island, where limestone rests under a thin layer of soil and many plants struggle to grow. In the more temperate areas, lawns that are usually lush and green turned gold and brown.
“We have a really sensitive nature, but we are also one of the most [popular] tourist destination in Sweden. People love our island and we love that they come, of course,” she said. “But we had record numbers of visitors and residents last summer after COVID-19 and we realized we had to do something to get both to live on Gotland, visit Gotland, tourism on Gotland more sustainable.”
They found six areas for improvement, with water conservation as the top priority. That’s when the idea for the ugliest lawn competition came in.
“We needed something that could, you know, start a conversation but not be too harsh,” Gibson said. “Maybe you can put a smile on your face but still have a really serious core message.”
Although not everyone reacted positively to the changes, Gibson claims this was an important step. Given the historic drought across Europe this summerwater supply has been a major issue, and Gibson said this is one way to be part of the solution.
“It was just the right timing, I think, this year to do this,” she said. “People were more receptive to the idea because they see all these droughts… [and these] great floods and all throughout Europe. So I guess there was a sense of recognition.”
She hopes the competition will also help start a conversation about breaking away from traditional green lawns to consider other plants that are also beautiful but more resilient to climate change.
Although she used to have her own garden when she lived in the countryside, Gibson now lives in an apartment and has no lawn of her own.
“But I used to have a really ugly lawn, too, so I feel proud of that,” she said.
Written by Aloysius Wong. Interview with Mimmi Gibson produced by Katie Geleff.