Some consider it a modern and clean option, others appreciate the ease of maintenance. But environmental organisations deplore the recent trend as a catastrophe.
"This is a loss of habitat for creatures in the soil, for plants and insects. It is an absurd situation if you consider that we are in a biodiversity crisis and every square meter of natural habitat counts," says Michelle Schaltz, responsible for biodiversity at the Mouvement écologique.
Many municipalities have banned the grey gardens, requiring that an area is reserved for greenery with any new construction, renovation or new authorisation to build in the garden. In Bettembourg, this has been the case since 2019.
"33% of the area must be green. This means an area that has vegetation and allows the passage of water. For houses wider than 7 meters, half of the land must have vegetation," says Josée Lorsché, alderwoman in Bettembourg.
In most cases, there are no problems explaining the rules to residents, says Lorsché. One resident who wishes to remain anonymous, however, bemoaned a lack of communication from the council. He had obtained authorisation for his project in advance, but once the works were complete, he suddenly received a written warning, photos included. The redevelopment cost him 8,000 euros.
Bettembourg is currently discussing what Bertrange implemented a while ago: subsidies for the renaturation of such land.
They want to avoid bans, says Patrick Michels from the Bertrange Council. "Everyone can choose whether they want to install a gravel garden or not. But we want to encourage people to leave as much green as possible, and also reduce existing sealed up areas."
There are three different subsidies, from 100 to 300 euros. This can be doubled if more than 50% of the area is given to vegetation.
There are many alternatives to gravel - especially those supporting animal life.
"If you absolutely must have mineral subtrates like gravel in your front yard, you can sow a special flower mix underneath, which gives you a sort of "dry lawn" that is very easy to maintain. The plants are very diverse and you only need to mow it once a year, max," says Michelle Schaltz from the Mouvement Ecologique.
It remains to be seen whether these initiatives can help reverse the trend.
