"Every problem was once a solution to a previous problem." -- Bob Mandel
Two weeks ago I used a wonderfully effective herbicide to kill the "unsightly" (per my spouse) crabgrass in my lawn. And discovered that when crabgrass is dead, my formerly green lawn is filled with large brown patches -- of dead crabgrass, go figure. I am now spending my evenings digging up dead crabgrass and planting grass seed. Thus the quote, listed above. And a backache.
And now, only after I am half-way through tearing up the lawn (and my back), do I read what Margie Grace did which inspired a neighborhood. Margie lives in Santa Barbara, CA, and as she reports in Zester Daily, ten years ago she turned her front lawn into an ornamental garden with flowers and veggies. Now, rather than turn a blind eye to what might be crabgrass or brown patches, Ms. Grace says she will come home from work and (in her words), "park my car and decompress, wandering along the edge of the driveway futzing with flowers, popping a few snap peas and tomatoes into my mouth, watering my corn-in-a-planter, returning to sanity before I go inside."
What's beautiful about this solution (in addition to the flowers) is that her entire neighborhood now has an optional "no lawns" policy, and as she tells it, "Everybody does it their own way, and everyone wins. George is all about the roses and tomatoes, and couldn’t care less about peas. Adelaide is over 80. Her thing is cut flowers—she likes trading for kitchen produce. Bob, a single father, spends each Saturday morning with his two daughters, tending the garden. It’s their special daddy-daughter time. And Walter? He loves that lawn, but even he might attempt a hanging herb basket next spring."
What a great solution that inspired others to take similar action!
I love this approach to breaking the assumption that my home should have a front lawn (although for the record, my spouse has repeatedly rebuffed my suggestions to pave our front lawn, even when I suggested painting it green). What's even better about Margie's solution is that it means that I wouldn't have to have a lawn AND a garden. Which means potentially more tomatoes and one less pain-in-the-backside.
You can read the full story at: http://www.zesterdaily.com/zester-soapbox-articles/117-waking-from-our-lawn-coma
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