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A homeowner’s deliberately unkempt front yard has been crowned the World’s ugliest lawn 2025, beating out rivals from Tasmania and New Zealand. The winning lawn, a tangle of native grasses and weeds, is so overgrown that neighbors have expressed concern about potential snakes.
Letting Nature Take the Reins: One Man’s Wild Lawn Wins Global Prize
The unconventional approach to lawn care highlights a growing movement toward water conservation and embracing natural landscapes.
- Jarno Coone of Kyneton, Victoria, Australia, won the World’s Ugliest Lawn competition for his naturally overgrown yard.
- Judges described the lawn as resembling “kids’ hair after a lice treatment gone horribly wrong.”
- The competition, originating in Sweden, promotes water conservation and a more natural approach to landscaping.
- Coone, a professional groundskeeper, believes letting nature thrive is more beneficial than traditional lawn maintenance.
What’s the secret to cultivating a truly terrible lawn? According to Jarno Coone, it’s remarkably simple: do absolutely nothing. “I leave it to nature. I’ve never watered it,” he explained.
A: As water scarcity becomes a growing concern, and awareness of the ecological benefits of native plants increases, more homeowners are opting for low-maintenance, natural landscapes that require less water and provide habitat for wildlife.
Judges in the international competition described Coone’s lawn as “like kids’ hair after a lice treatment gone horribly wrong.” The yard is a mix of dry patches and vibrant green, appearing, as one judge noted, as if “they’ve obviously not spent any money on it.”
The World’s Ugliest Lawn competition began three years ago on the Swedish island of Gotland as a campaign to raise awareness about water conservation. Previous winners include a garden in sandford, Tasmania, and a property in Birdlings Flat, New Zealand.
Ironically, Coone is a professional groundskeeper, responsible for maintaining 1,100 acres of bushland surrounding the Candlebark and Alice Miller school.He anticipates his students will find the irony amusing,but he’s quietly pleased with the recognition.
“It’s a great idea,not only for water conservation,but conservation of resources in general and living with nature,” Coone said.
coone plans to wear his prize – a secondhand com