What’s the most popular lawn decoration sold in the United States? How many different types of grass are commonly used on US lawns, how many calories are burned mowing the lawn and what’s the average size of backyards in the United States?
If you’re interested in learning the answers to those questions and many more like them, you’re going to love this collection of surprising facts about patios, yards, and outdoor furniture!
We All Love Pink Flamingos
Whether you think pink flamingos are the height of good taste or the tackiest thing you can buy, you can’t argue with their popularity. These plastic lawn ornaments were first introduced in the late 1950s and their popularity exploded in the 1980s. Today, over half a century after they were first developed, pink flamingoes are the most popular lawn ornament in the United States, with a quarter of a million sold every single year.
Pink flamingos are often sold in sets and are available for around $15. They come in many styles, poses, and several shades of pink.
American Households Use 238 Gallons of Water on their Lawns
Hosepipe bans are an important water conservation method in states like California. But as far as the average household is concerned, they are an overreaction—a drop in the ocean. After all, what’s the point of stopping everyday Americans from using a few buckets of water when others are filling swimming pools?
You might be surprised to learn that the average American household uses a massive 238 gallons of water to water their lawns every summer. It’s not quite on par with the average swimming pool, but it’s still an incredible amount of water and if all households refrain from watering their lawns for a single week, it can save millions of gallons.
You Burn Over 300 Calories Mowing the Lawn
Mowing the lawn is much more than a monotonous chore, it’s one that could burn between 300 and 400 calories in just 30 minutes!
After all, you’re constantly moving and pushing, giving both your lower and upper body a workout. Sure, it’s not quite the same as going to the gym and sprinting on the treadmill, but those 300 to 400 calories will leave room in your diet for a glazed donut or a small portion of fries.
There are Over 12,000 Species of Grass
Grass is amazing. It’s more than just a green vegetation that makes your garden look pretty. It’s fast-growing, incredibly useful, and it looks good too. What’s more, there are over 12,000 species, and these range from classic “lawn” grass to species like bamboo, which is the fastest-growing plant on earth.
Of the species that you’ll find on American lawns, the most common include:
- Fescues: Produces dark green blades of grass
- Buffalo: A fluffy and heat-tolerant grass that isn’t very fast growing.
- Zoysia: A light green grass with smooth blades.
- Ryegrass: Produces shiny leaves and a bright color.
- Bluegrass: Available as both Kentucky Bluegrass and Rough Bluegrass, this fast-growing species has V-shaped leaves and can reach 2 feet in height.
- Bermuda: A high-tolerance grass that forms deep roots and needs good drainage and lots of direct sunlight.
Well Worn Furniture
The average sofa will welcome 782 visitors throughout its life and that life will span 2,958 days. Outdoor furniture usually lasts for a few years less and welcomes far fewer visitors, but not if it’s well maintained and you have lots of friends.
A Big Expense
Furniture is one of the most expensive things that a person will buy in their lifetime. A house is at the top of the list followed by a car, but home furniture and garden furniture are a close third. It’s a cumulative effect, as that expense includes dining tables, outdoor furniture, side tables, beds, sofas, coffee tables, and more.
10,871 Square Feet
The average US lawn is 10,871 square feet, which equates to around ¼ of an acre. However, that’s the average across the country and it changes greatly from state to state. In California, for instance, space comes at a premium and the average yard is around half that size.
The highest average can be found in New England, where lawns are over 17,000 square feet on average. To put that into perspective, if you buy a typical home in New England the yard space will be over three times what you would get in California.
Chairs Throughout History
The earliest records we have of chairs being used date back over 5,000 years to ancient Egypt. They were used as ceremonial pieces and may have been commonplace in palaces and the homes of rich citizens.
In modern history, chairs didn’t become popular until the 1500s, prior to which people sat on stone blocks and benches. Creating a chair for a single person was just too much effort, especially when most people couldn’t afford the materials or warrant paying so much for a craftsman.
During this time, most chairs were thrones reserved for kings and queens.
A Valuable Industry
The global outdoor furniture market is worth more than $17 billion and the US market accounts for more than $9 billion of that, with over $1.8 billion spent by residential consumers (most of the outdoor furniture is purchased by businesses, including restaurants and bars).
In 2020 and 2021, as Americans spent more time indoors and less time at pubs, clubs, and restaurants, the demand for outdoor furniture skyrocketed. As demand increased, the supply struggled—not only were we seeing more requests than ever before, but the pandemic also affected the supply chain and made it harder to source raw materials and laborers.
It was a perfect storm that saw the global outdoor furniture market receive a huge boost. Some experts have predicted that this sudden surge in sales will lead to the global outdoor furniture market exceeding $26 billion by 2027.
$30 billion on Lawn Care
Every year, Americans spend more than $30 billion on lawn care. That’s billion, not million. It’s a staggering sum of money and it’s even more astonishing when you consider that it doesn’t include outdoor furniture!
So, where’s all that money going?
Well, a large chunk of it is spent on grass, fertilizer, weed killer, and other lawn essentials. These items are relatively inexpensive, but they are purchased by most homeowners in the United States and all those pennies add up.
Most of the money, however, is spend on lawnmowers and professional landscapers. Lawnmowers cost over $1,000 on average and landscapers can charge anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 for a complete project or around $50 per hour.
4 Hours a Week
Mowing the lawn might be a great way to get some fresh air and exercise, but it also takes much more of your time than you realize.
The average American spends 4 hours a week mowing their lawn, which equates to 208 hours per year or more than 8 days in total. To put that into perspective, you will spend 2,280 hours mowing your lawn over the next decade.
That’s enough time to master a musical instrument, become fluent in Spanish and French, or earn $22,800 at a wage of just $10 an hour. Of course, that doesn’t mean that those hours are completely wasted—the lawn needs to be mowed!
1 in 3 Grow Food
1 in 3 American households grows their own food. Many of these use their gardens to grow a few herb plants or a little veg, but the pandemic saw a massive increase in homegrown vegetables and fruit. Americans were panicked about the pandemic and implications of food shortages, and so they turned to their own vegetable patches.
Growing your own food is a great way to save money and get instant access to fresh and delicious produce. And thanks to the internet and the endless information within, it has never been easier to learn the tricks of the trade and unleash those green fingers.
Pesticide Use
More than 80 million pounds of pesticides are used on US lawns every single year. Those pesticides may help your grass to look green and your flowers to grow, but they can also harm the environment and threaten the local ecosystem.
Fortunately, many Americans are waking up to the potential dangers of pesticide use and organic gardening is on the rise.
Around 70,000 People are Injured by Lawnmowers
We’re ending on a tragic note, but an interesting one, nonetheless: Every year, nearly 70,000 Americans are injured by lawnmowers.
As you would expect, most of these injuries are gruesome and lead to ghoulish and expensive hospital visits. Many of them occur because of improper use, with hands and fingers poking where they don’t belong.
It serves as a warning to all of us: lawnmowers might be commonplace in every US garage, but they’re still incredibly dangerous. We’re talking about rapidly moving sharpened blades, after all. If you want to avoid becoming part of this statistic, pay attention when using and maintaining your lawnmower and always heed the warnings.