When and why did home-owning Americans start to care about green, weed-free, well-watered, frequently-mowed lawns? What forces contributed to this?

by Tularemia

Lawn care is often a hot topic of discussion, given the environmental impact of pesticides and fertilizers, and given looming water shortages. I am curious how the image of the ideal American lawn came to exist in the first place.

Also, what did lawns look like before this ideal image become the standard?

Georgy_K_Zhukov

More can always be said on this, but this older thread with a response from /u/shayeraaa might be of interest to you.