Green, manicured front lawns are so ubiquitous in our suburbs that it's easy not to see them, or to assume that's just the way we've always done things.

However, it's only been since the 1900s that the green, manicured monoculture as we know it today has been a mainstay of the middle and working-class homeowner.

But as Earth's resources become more strained, is it time to ditch the lawn in favour of a more energy-efficient

alternative?