Do you dread summer lawncare? Does the thought of spending hours out in the hot sun mowing, weeding, fertilizing and watering leave you less than enthusiastic about your yard? To better appreciate the work your turfgrass is doing for you, consider these facts from the Professional Lawn Care Association of America:

The front lawns of 8 average size houses have the cooking effect as about 70 tons of air conditioning, while the average home-size central air unit has only a 3- to 4-ton capacity.

Turfgrasses trap much of an estimated 12 million tons of dust and dirt released annually into the U.S. atmosphere.

Turfgrasses help purify water entering underground aquifers by its root mass and soil microbes acting as a filter to capture and break down many types of pollutants.

A turf area of just 50 feet square absorbs carbon dioxide, ozone, hydrogen fluoride and perosyacetyle nitrate and will release enough oxygen to meet the needs of a family of four.

So your little patch of paradise is cooling, cleaning and purifying your environment. And really, what beats the smell of a new-mown lawn on a sultry summer day?