I have a tip for those of you who move into a new house and wish to win favor with your new neighbors: Don't lay down tarps over big portions of your front yard! If you do, your neighbors will think that you are decidedly weird and that you are trying to push down area property values.
How do I know this? Because, upon moving in to our new home in South Bend in the late summer of 2007, Della and I put down tarps over big portions of our front yard and all of our neighbors think we're weird!
I suppose we are weird. You see, our yard -- like most yards across America -- is comprised of the type of grass native to the east coast. It needs water all summer long to keep it green and healthy. During the summer in southwest Washington, it doesn't rain that much, so if you want your yard to stay green, you have to water it.
Our goal is to get rid of most of our non-native grass and replace it with native plants that are used to our unique weather patterns. We also wanted to accomplish this by non-poisonous methods -- a very weird characteristic for most Americans. Hence, the tarps.
For the first time in three weeks, it looks like we'll enjoy a weekend without rain. So, to the ecstasy of my neighbors, we're going to pull up the tarps. Their excitement will be somewhat tempered when they see two large swaths of barren ground and I'm sure they will gnash their teeth when we move the tarps to the next sections of the yard.
So, what do we plan to do with the barren ground? We hope to plant a lot of kinnikinnick interspersed with sword ferns and lady ferns. We may also add some false lily-of-the-valley and various shrubs like salmonberry. Off to one side, my wife will plant a Pacific Dogwood tree.
In essence, we hope to turn our front yard into a veritable garden. Not only will it be different looking, but it will necessitate the absence of an activity that is horrendous for the environment and something I don't like to do anyway -- mow. (Note: Most mowers spew forth more pollutants than a car!)
How do I know this? Because, upon moving in to our new home in South Bend in the late summer of 2007, Della and I put down tarps over big portions of our front yard and all of our neighbors think we're weird!
I suppose we are weird. You see, our yard -- like most yards across America -- is comprised of the type of grass native to the east coast. It needs water all summer long to keep it green and healthy. During the summer in southwest Washington, it doesn't rain that much, so if you want your yard to stay green, you have to water it.
Our goal is to get rid of most of our non-native grass and replace it with native plants that are used to our unique weather patterns. We also wanted to accomplish this by non-poisonous methods -- a very weird characteristic for most Americans. Hence, the tarps.
For the first time in three weeks, it looks like we'll enjoy a weekend without rain. So, to the ecstasy of my neighbors, we're going to pull up the tarps. Their excitement will be somewhat tempered when they see two large swaths of barren ground and I'm sure they will gnash their teeth when we move the tarps to the next sections of the yard.
So, what do we plan to do with the barren ground? We hope to plant a lot of kinnikinnick interspersed with sword ferns and lady ferns. We may also add some false lily-of-the-valley and various shrubs like salmonberry. Off to one side, my wife will plant a Pacific Dogwood tree.
In essence, we hope to turn our front yard into a veritable garden. Not only will it be different looking, but it will necessitate the absence of an activity that is horrendous for the environment and something I don't like to do anyway -- mow. (Note: Most mowers spew forth more pollutants than a car!)
Yay! Native plants! How wonderful!
ReplyDeleteOne of my landscaping friends spent yesterday helping a homeowner in Carlsbad battle with their HOA after planting a native garden -- it's really stupid down here since we're going to be having water restrictions and rationing.
ReplyDeleteLAWNS HAVE TO GO. Mine is now minimal in the back for the dogs, and I want to take out what's left of the front, which is mostly beds with natives and low water use plants.
Enough of our wasteful stupid lifestyles. Grow natives or productive plants, and let's quit wasting water, which is becoming a more precious resource everywhere.