The results of the world's first ugliest lawn competition are in. The winner was Kathleen Murray from Sandford, Tasmania. Her lawn surpassed numerous competitors from Germany, France, Canada, Croatia, Sweden, the USA and Great Britain in terms of ugliness. This was reported by “MIR 24” with reference to The Guardian.
The idea for the competition came from the authorities of the island of Gotland, Sweden, two years ago. Due to water shortages in the region, local authorities decided to encourage residents to save water by not wasting it on watering ornamental plants.
“Sometimes there is pressure on people to keep their lawn really green, neat and lush, but now they can say: I'm in a competition, I don't have to water my lawn”, - a local official was quoted as saying.
The competition helped reduce water consumption in Gotland by 5%. Many media outlets wrote about it, and the initiative aroused interest in other countries.
The winning lawn in Sandford is being torn up by bandicoots and there are patches of yellow grass and wilted plants in places. Kathleen Murray lives in an area without central water supply, so she conserves rainwater by collecting it in tanks. If it runs out, Kathleen and her family will have to wait several weeks before a tanker truck arrives with new supplies.
Murray herself believes that her “relaxed” style of gardening helps preserve biodiversity. Her lawn is frequented by lizards, kangaroos, wallabies and philanderers from the nearby nature reserve.
