Lawn Craze

[ysabetwordsmith]

Here's a comic about the lawn craze.  Some further thoughts ...

It goes a lot farther back than postwar suburbs.  Lawns started as a status symbol among European aristocracy.

Advice to stop watering, fertilizing, mowing, etc. or to replace lawns with something else is great -- if it's legal.  In many areas it is not, and people are fined or even evicted for being unwilling or unable to keep their lawn in a manner pleasing to others. Such laws are bad for disability and bad for the environment, but those are things fewer people care about than power. Check the local level of tyranny before trying to solve lawn-related problems.

Comments

[zesty_pinto]

Thanks for sharing that bit of history on the lawns in Europe, didn't think about it a lot and it makes sense.

When I lived in Boston, I had to send my landlord a notice we received for not maintaining the lawn even though it was a strip of land that was unfenced and only used by dog walkers that seemed to enjoy leaving their dog's turds. It was pretty worthless for the most part, though I guess it's also because everyone there was obsessed with keeping their real estate values up since it's Boston.

[silver_chipmunk]

That was pretty interesting, thanks for posting it.

[siliconshaman]

The more I hear about housing associations, the less I am surprised by the rise of fascism in America.

[fred_mouse]

One of the first things we did in the garden when we moved into this house was pull up the reticulation in the front garden, and mulch the lawn (mostly on the verge). I have never regretted this. I also underloved the back lawn, and when partner complained that it was dying, I was a bit pointed that if they wanted lawn, they were going to have to do the work. It was fairly promptly mulched.

These days, we are seeing a slow trend of artificial lawns around our suburb. Sadly, these aren't usually as 'set and forget' as people would like, and most of the early ones have weeds around the edges and seams, so any kindly thoughts I might have had are evaporating.

[havocthecat]

If only my city didn't fine us when the weeds hit 8" or higher! Though I have gotten the front yard to be mostly clover. I love clover and it feeds the bees, plus when we hit the dry spell in late summer, it stays pretty green and the bees still have food. I don't want to kill our dandelions because it would kill all our clover too.

[viciousladybug]

Wow, I never thought about the history of lawns. They def seem decadent. Our lawn is rapidly turning into violets and moss. We live in a rural area with a lot of trees, so we are letting nature take over although we still have some grass yet. We never water or fertilize though...we have too many frogs, snakes, and other wonders who like it au natural!

[paynesgrey]

Interesting history on lawns in Europe! I know here, in our suburb, we have ordinances for a lawn to be cut after a certain length. I think you can't grow it past six inches here, and everyone in the neighborhood is super anal about their lawns. We don't usually care. I like the dandelions growing to attract the honey bees, and we do the bare minimum of everything else, lol. I do have a spice garden that I keep relatively cleaned up but that's about it.

Ideas for lawns:

[rhodielady-47.livejournal.com]

There are lots of neat little low-growing plants that make good substitutes for lawn grass.
Here are a few:
White/Dutch clover
wild violets (certain species of butterflies use these as a host plant)
Spring beauties
Blue-eyed grass (kin to iris, they have blue blooms)
dwarf chamomile
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/lawn-care/lawn-substitutes/chamomile-lawn/growing-chamomile-lawns.htm
creeping thyme
https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/2016/01/21/lawn-alternatives-creeping-thyme/
moss (for use in wet, rainy climates or in deep shade in moist areas)

Also, those people who insist on growing a GRASS lawn should put some time and effort into finding a grass variety that is adapted to their area. They're out there but you have to do the research to find them.
High Country Gardens used to carry grass meant for use in dry areas.
Creeping Charlie is another good idea for a lawn. It's extremely hardy, low-growing, and extremely determined to out-grow any other weed. Plus, it's gorgeous when it's in bloom.
:^)