My friend Susan Tweit, over on her Walking Nature Home blog, has written an eloquent post in her recent LIGHTEN UP series that really resonates with me. I'll admit it---I hate lawns! Not only are they a huge energy suck in so many ways, but they are also a huge waste of our precious water resources and they aren't very friendly to wildlife or beneficial insects.
While you're reading Susan's post, think about ways that you can start to eliminate your own lawn. You don't have to rip the whole thing out overnight...you can start with a little strip removed along the street. Several of my neighbors are taking my example and doing that. Although some of their plant choices aren't great for this searing heat, at least part of the grass is gone and it's a good start. I was lucky in that my lawn was almost non-existent when we moved in, and since then, the drought (and the fact that I refuse to water lawns) has lead to the demise of most of the grass here. Except for the Devil Bermuda Grass, of course, which is a whole different story! LOL.
Happy trails from HOT Texas!
Dig it!
bobbi c.
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5 comments:
How cool that your neighbors are beginning to at least rip out their "hell strips," as xeriscape designer Lauren Springer calls parking strips and experiment with things other than lawns. May the movement you've started grow diverse and interesting lower-water- and energy-use landscapes in your neighborhood!
Thanks, Susan! The lawn thing is a hard sell here because it's a peer-pressure sort of thing, and we have so many HOAs that demand that residents keep their lawns pristine and manicured (and watered!). We purposely looked for a neighborhood that didn't have an active HOA.
bobbi c.
Greetings from Grapevine!! Started out with almost a half acre of lawn, and every year I rip out more lawn and build a bed or a walkway. When my husband sees me standing out in the yard staring at a patch of grass, he says, "Oh, no, here you go again. Now what are you going to do?" Only a couple postage stamps of lawn left, but I do like some lawn to give the eye a rest from the busy-ness of the rest of the garden. I also read an old post of yours about gardening and arthritis and your PT. I am in the middle of OT right now for an arm injury, and not being able to dig in the dirt is a test of patience to say the least!! Blog on!!
Hey Toni! Did you know that I grew up in Grapevine? Graduated from GHS waaay back in '74. Thanks for your comments! I do tend to overdo the gardening, but even though it's hard on the joints, it's still the best exercise I get!
bobbi c.
Yes, loved your blog post, and when I read your bio and realized you were from Grapevine, I just had to send a comment. Patiently awaiting the day I can get back to "exercising" in my garden rather than just exercising restraint!!
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