Killing the lawn

I confess I am not being very ecosensitive in my lawn eradication. Those who are disgusted by ruthlessness should stop reading now. I am using roundup to kill off large areas of my lawn with the goal of turning the level property around my house into garden with no lawn. Pathways can be pavers. If I feel the need for a swath of even green, I'll cultivate moss.

I have two objections to lawns. First, they require and hour or two of labor once a week for several months (I'm in the southeast). We've been in a drought so we've had some relief from maintenance this year but the chore does not go away. I can think of far better things to do with two hours of time than going in circles with a loud stinky machine in hot weather in order to keep the face of my property presentable.

My second objection is that lawns are visually sterile and lacking in biodiversity. Unless clover and dandelions crop up, there's nothing for the bee or any other nectar-seeking creature. I have a definite bloom-bias. I love green but I want other colors as well. Why be constrained to flat when you could have growth of different heights that isn't considered  "overgrown" by neighbors?

Although there is probably more labor involved in keeping up a garden, it's of a more pleasant variety in my experience than mowing a lawn.

I have nothing against grasses in a meadow. I know they play a crucial role in preventing erosion and evaporation. If I were living in a cabin as opposed to a city neighborhood, I'd be perfectly happy to have natural grasses growing right up to the foundation. But I hold that urban and suburban lawns are insane. (Perhaps the govt should give homeowners tax breaks for planting their property in native prairie grasses :D ) Lawns encourage empty activity in the service of uniformity, characterlessness. So I've got my roundup and I'm making war upon the grass and am willing to apply my credit card to get what's necessary to recolonize my property in more diverse and colorful flora.