The Quest for Gorgeous Green Grass

May 13, 2006 — -- The seeds of America's lawn obsession were first planted in the 1950s.

With a mass exodus from big cities and a new crop of suburban home owners, it quickly became the American dream. Keeping up with the Joneses now means having the most beautiful and impressive yard on the block.

Teddy Pena is a computer analyst by day; lawn fanatic on the weekends. Early Saturday morning, he's already stocking up his lawn care arsenal.

"I think about my lawn all the time," he said. "On any given weekend, I'm out here at 8 a.m. And I go inside at 7 p.m. And the only reason I go back home [is that] my wife gets home from her mother's and she says, 'Come in. It's enough.' "

Having the most impressive home or the nicest car on the block used to be every man's dream. But now, with Americans spending more than $9 billion a year on gardening products, the lawn clearly reigns supreme. It's not just an obsession for many: It's a chance to make their neighbors green with envy.

"I've seen lawns in my own neighborhood that look much better than mine," said Mike Walls of Hilliard, Ohio. "Of course, that creates a little bit of challenging spirit in me. … One of my goals is to eradicate the world of dandelions."

That spirit paid off for Walls and his wife, Jennie, who both won first prize in their garden club competition.

"My husband is more obsessed with the lawn," said Jennie Walls.

A nice lawn gives regular suburbanites a chance to create a little oasis for themselves.

"Instead of having to load up to go to a state park to enjoy nature, you have that in your backyard," said John Marshall of Scott's lawn products. "You create that little oasis."

Tips for a Gorgeous Lawn

ABC News' home improvement contributor Ron Hazelton offered tips for those who want an immaculate lawn. He calls his technique the P.O.W.E.R. system.