If you’ve spent any time in the suburbs of North America you’ve probably marveled at some immaculate and lush green lawns at some point. But between individu...
Can someone (1) tldw and also (2) tell me what I should do with my big field of gravel in front of what is about to be my new home? I was thinking clover lawn…
Depends what you’re going for, but the most environmentally beneficial would be a mix of native wildflowers, shrubs, and trees. A pure clover lawn is still a monoculture like a grass lawn so it’s not as good for pollinators.
I don’t weed or fertilize, and basically let whatever can grow there grow. It’s a lot of mixed grass species and a ton of clover, dandelions, and some kind of small blue flower that hugs the ground.
People compliment me on it because it looks nice and healthy all year.
Tldr: 16th & 17th century royalty had gardens. America wealthy, especially those with slaves copied. Suburban sprawl and the invention of the lawn mower and sprinklers solidified it because suburbia wants to look the same. The lawn care industry wants it to continue.
A rain garden is cool too, it fills in beautifully.
They also put in laws that houses have to be set back so many feet from the street. Before that, people were building up to and sometimes over the street. You have to do something with that space and lawns seemed to be an answer.
Now, the question of whether the streets should have been there in the first place… That’s another conversation.
I moved into a house with a poorly maintained yard that was mostly dead 5 years ago. Threw some clover, grass and thyme seeds all over the lawn and started watering it. Some natural stuff will just pop up if there’s water and mix in. I planted some pollinator gardens and some fig trees in several spots in the yard and mostly just try to water enough for them and the mix of stuff growing as my “grass” looks decent year round. Although since it’s not uniform it grows at different rates and looks a bit rufffer if I haven’t mowed in too long.
If you have a HOA or city that’s quick to give you warnings/fines you have to mow more often than regular grass. After a couple weeks I’ve got part of my yard that are 6+ inches tall and parts that don’t even look like they need to be mowed. Tall grass doesn’t get as much attention as that from the Karen’s that will report you to the city in my neighborhood.
Can someone (1) tldw and also (2) tell me what I should do with my big field of gravel in front of what is about to be my new home? I was thinking clover lawn…
Depends what you’re going for, but the most environmentally beneficial would be a mix of native wildflowers, shrubs, and trees. A pure clover lawn is still a monoculture like a grass lawn so it’s not as good for pollinators.
I don’t weed or fertilize, and basically let whatever can grow there grow. It’s a lot of mixed grass species and a ton of clover, dandelions, and some kind of small blue flower that hugs the ground.
People compliment me on it because it looks nice and healthy all year.
Yep I have the same belief - if it wants to grow I’ll let it grow, I do not use any “weed-n-feed” products. I only do two main things:
Lime in the fall to sweeten up the soil
Organic fertilizer in the early spring.
I let anything grow that wants to grow in the fields, and let bigger stuff grow at the edges of the property.
Same!
Tldr: 16th & 17th century royalty had gardens. America wealthy, especially those with slaves copied. Suburban sprawl and the invention of the lawn mower and sprinklers solidified it because suburbia wants to look the same. The lawn care industry wants it to continue.
A rain garden is cool too, it fills in beautifully.
They also put in laws that houses have to be set back so many feet from the street. Before that, people were building up to and sometimes over the street. You have to do something with that space and lawns seemed to be an answer.
Now, the question of whether the streets should have been there in the first place… That’s another conversation.
I moved into a house with a poorly maintained yard that was mostly dead 5 years ago. Threw some clover, grass and thyme seeds all over the lawn and started watering it. Some natural stuff will just pop up if there’s water and mix in. I planted some pollinator gardens and some fig trees in several spots in the yard and mostly just try to water enough for them and the mix of stuff growing as my “grass” looks decent year round. Although since it’s not uniform it grows at different rates and looks a bit rufffer if I haven’t mowed in too long.
If you have a HOA or city that’s quick to give you warnings/fines you have to mow more often than regular grass. After a couple weeks I’ve got part of my yard that are 6+ inches tall and parts that don’t even look like they need to be mowed. Tall grass doesn’t get as much attention as that from the Karen’s that will report you to the city in my neighborhood.