A commenter on a recent post took issue with the concept of a nice yard and landscaping.“Y'all with nothing but green grass are artificial-looking, and worse, destroying our environment with toxic chemicals.”
I’ve heard this type of blather before from self proclaimed “friends of the earth.” I really have no problem with people that want to live in a more, let’s just say natural state. I feel the same way about women who don’t shave their armpits, to each his (or her) own. It comes down to a matter of personal choice.
I do have a problem with the notion that my lawn and landscaping are somehow bad for the environment. When we moved into our new home we got a lot that was scraped of topsoil, a few small bushes, a Bradford pear tree and a red maple tree all on less than a quarter acre of land. In three years since we moved in, Mama Wordbones and I have planted twelve Leland Cypress trees, a Kwanzan Cherry tree, and a wide variety of shrubs and bushes. Birds have now taken up residence in our trees and rabbits have found homes in our bushes. Our green yard has replenished the soil to the point where we can now grow vegetables.
When a person chooses to move into a neighborhood with green lawns, it is reasonable to expect that person to provide at least a minimal level of care to their yard. You don’t need to hire a lawn service to do this. You simply need to cut your grass on a regular basis. When this repeatedly fails to happen, it affects the home values in the entire community.
Of course there are other alternatives for the lawn care deficient. They could always take this approach and simply paint the lawn green.
