Green Yards

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The last few years, I have gone green with my yard, not green like a golf course, green like "environmental green".

Advantages of going green.....
The time I used to spend doing yard work, I now spend doing things I really enjoy.
I use no water, herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers so no pollution and soil contamination.
I use no fossil fuel outdoor power equipment, so no air and noise pollution.
(I use a electric weed whacker to hit the high spots)
More wildlife than ever before around my house, but I have seen no snakes or mice.
(the raccoons, feral dogs, fox, coyotes, and chupacabras keep those in check)
Each spring my yard is full of wildflowers, and that helps the honey bees.
My yard is like a state or national park, as nature intended.
My yard really aggravates the neighbors.

Disadvantages of going green......
Neighbors think I have moved and abandoned my house.
Hate mail from the city about not meeting "community standards".
(if I met "community standards", my yard would be full of old rusty cars, boats, trailers)
Yard equipment manufacturers wanting to use my yard as a "before-after" photo op.
Google maps identifying my yard as a mulch business.
Strangers wanting to camp out in my yard.

So, what say you, is it time we all go green with our yards?
 
I would like to see pictures if you could. I’m doing this to the backyard and would love to do it in the front also.

Thanks
 
You could at least do Xeriscape which has a lot of the same benefits without being an eyesore if your neighbors are trying to sell their home.

yard-xeriscape-2.jpg
 
That’s what I have now - zero scape yard. No mowers or weedwhackers, just the blower is left. Little water used, I spend 1/10th of the time I used spend on my yard in Houston.


And I love it.
 
Originally Posted By: BalticBob
The time I used to spend doing yard work, I now spend doing things I really enjoy.

I understand how good a lawn can look. I certainly see the value in some flowers and so forth, for people who are into that. I've never seen the wisdom of spending a bunch of money and time laying down fertilizer with the sole purpose of making you have to cut the grass more frequently, spending more money and time.
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True for so many …
But my brother from another climate zone (I’ve seen them all) … I have a choice of feed and water within moderation/studying our scholars … or “plant rocks” that radiate heat and still support growth of weeds … (chemicals B us)
 
The lawn grass in the front yard of the new place, I poked some sweet corn, okrah, cucumber, green bean and pea seeds in a while ago, just for S and G.

Hoping to get something, using the Aztec farming method...will weedwhack it if it doesn't work.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
Quite true. Actually, last year was dry enough that I was beginning to consider doing something about it.
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Funny a guy covered our septic tank with a small square of genuine Astroturf at the camp about 15 years ago —- still looks pristine in the hard coastal environment … but what (sports?) have kept the price elevated? Amazing space-age stuff !
 
Yeah, but....

35 years of fertilizing my lawn 3x/yr has resulted in mutant 100’ trees which shade my house and reduce my a/c load. And I especially love mowing all that lush, green grass with my 1976 2-stroke Lawn Boy thereby saving all the energy and materials it would take to build me a new mower.
 
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Originally Posted By: Indydriver
Yeah, but....

35 years of fertilizing my lawn 3x/yr has resulted in mutant 100’ trees which shade my house and reduce my a/c load. And I especially love mowing all that lush, green grass with my 1976 2-stroke Lawn Boy thereby saving all the energy and materials it would take to build me a new mower.


I too love getting out and maintaining my yard. I've always enjoyed doing yard work.
 
I moved into my 2 acre, semi-rural home three years ago. It has an expanse of lawn that is less than manicured. When moving in, I delayed contracting a mower service until July. By then I saw many beautiful wildflowers growing on my lawn. It pained me to have it mowed, but I didn't want to stick out from my immediate neighbors, so I keep it mowed. Nobody says I have to keep it mowed, but common sense tells me to do it.

I'll be getting a riding mower this spring. Instead of having it mowed every week, I'll be mowing it maybe once a month.

There are no chemicals involved. In fact it is discouraged because of the lakefront.
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas
I moved into my 2 acre, semi-rural home three years ago. It has an expanse of lawn that is less than manicured. When moving in, I delayed contracting a mower service until July. By then I saw many beautiful wildflowers growing on my lawn. It pained me to have it mowed, but I didn't want to stick out from my immediate neighbors, so I keep it mowed. Nobody says I have to keep it mowed, but common sense tells me to do it.

I'll be getting a riding mower this spring. Instead of having it mowed every week, I'll be mowing it maybe once a month.

There are no chemicals involved. In fact it is discouraged because of the lakefront.

I suppose you could manage it like a hay field. Cutting it a few times a year will keep it looking even, overseed some clover to get some nitrogen and flowers going.
 
Originally Posted By: BalticBob
The last few years, I have gone green with my yard, not green like a golf course, green like "environmental green".

Advantages of going green.....
The time I used to spend doing yard work, I now spend doing things I really enjoy.
I use no water, herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers so no pollution and soil contamination.
I use no fossil fuel outdoor power equipment, so no air and noise pollution.
(I use a electric weed whacker to hit the high spots)
More wildlife than ever before around my house, but I have seen no snakes or mice.
(the raccoons, feral dogs, fox, coyotes, and chupacabras keep those in check)
Each spring my yard is full of wildflowers, and that helps the honey bees.
My yard is like a state or national park, as nature intended.
My yard really aggravates the neighbors.

Disadvantages of going green......
Neighbors think I have moved and abandoned my house.
Hate mail from the city about not meeting "community standards".
(if I met "community standards", my yard would be full of old rusty cars, boats, trailers)
Yard equipment manufacturers wanting to use my yard as a "before-after" photo op.
Google maps identifying my yard as a mulch business.
Strangers wanting to camp out in my yard.

So, what say you, is it time we all go green with our yards?


Since your neighbors are complaining, I'm sure it's a real eyesore.
Eyesores lowers the value of the homes on our block.
 
The thought has crossed my mind more than once, but the kids like playing sports on grass more than stones or dirt.

I have made some changes. The original owners had little kidney shaped gardenettes everywhere, a decorative fence across the middle of the yard (????) and randomly placed bushes. After the first year of mowing, most of that was gone, gone, gone. Now I can mow in straight lines, mostly anyway.
 
In some parts of the country you can't get away with that. If I didn't mow, my house would be covered up and the bugs would be so bad you wouldn't be able to stand it.
 
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I love the idea of no lawn and doing a zero maintainace yard. But alas the HOAs in our area demand the ever present grass. Stupid really as water can be scarce some years but people still over water the grass to keep up with HOA demands. Time for a mindset change I think.
 
Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted By: BalticBob
The last few years, I have gone green with my yard, not green like a golf course, green like "environmental green".

Advantages of going green.....
The time I used to spend doing yard work, I now spend doing things I really enjoy.
I use no water, herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers so no pollution and soil contamination.
I use no fossil fuel outdoor power equipment, so no air and noise pollution.
(I use a electric weed whacker to hit the high spots)
More wildlife than ever before around my house, but I have seen no snakes or mice.
(the raccoons, feral dogs, fox, coyotes, and chupacabras keep those in check)
Each spring my yard is full of wildflowers, and that helps the honey bees.
My yard is like a state or national park, as nature intended.
My yard really aggravates the neighbors.

Disadvantages of going green......
Neighbors think I have moved and abandoned my house.
Hate mail from the city about not meeting "community standards".
(if I met "community standards", my yard would be full of old rusty cars, boats, trailers)
Yard equipment manufacturers wanting to use my yard as a "before-after" photo op.
Google maps identifying my yard as a mulch business.
Strangers wanting to camp out in my yard.

So, what say you, is it time we all go green with our yards?


Since your neighbors are complaining, I'm sure it's a real eyesore.
Eyesores lowers the value of the homes on our block.


Many of my neighbors like it and compliment me on my style of keeping it natural.
To me it is not a eyesore, and the fact that I paid for the property, I pay the taxes, and I live there, the complaining neighbors can cry all they want.
And their property values are not my concern, no more than how often they do a oil change.
I don't complain about their......
gaudy yard art
loud OPE noise every weekend
poor color choice of house paint
multi vehicles parked all over their yard
business operating in a residential neighborhood
There is not a HOA in my 'hood, so not many restrictions, that is one reason why I bought here.
Neighborhood storm troopers I do not need.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Sounds like love is all around.
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Love thy neighbor!

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