CRAZY lazy lawn

[Susie]

I love the weeds in my lawn. In summer it is so hot and dry all the grass dies but the weeds keep it green and the flowers bring in the insects.

[theresa dockery]

Sometimes I think it would be nice to be able to hear birdsong over the orchestral wail of lawn-mowers. Maybe there's a plus-side to astrograss?

Originally Posted by Hedgehoggy

Agreed our lawns would no longer need mowing, but ergo an electric garden vac would then be used far more frequently than a lawn mower would

True - people would just find some other way to generate mildly annoying humming sounds all summer long.

(I just got the giggles imagining someone trying to hoover their lawn!)

Or we could just agree on a 'mowing the lawn day' (weather permitting) and then all the daft droning could be limited to one day only.

Sorry, I'm not a big fan of lawns!

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by Hedgehoggy

Watching the large flocks (c.50+) of starlings successfully probing my 100% organic lawn for leather jackets every spring is a sight to behold (not to mention the money I save as they’re not interested in my feeders during this glut!), and not forgetting the bumblebees feeding on the clover flowers, as well as the goldfinches feeding on the dandelion seeds -- none of this would be possible on a synthetic lawn. Nah, I’d rather tolerate the seas-of-mud for a few months of the year than have live in such a sterile environment.

Just to clarify, I wasn't arguing in favour of plastic rather than a living lawn, just pointing out that in purely ecological terms, historically lawns have been managed with significant ecological cost. Grassed areas are undoubtedly very important for UK wildlife and ideally a small area of mixed specied 'lawn' -(plenty of clover included), would be part of most gardens.

CM

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by Susie

I love the weeds in my lawn. In summer it is so hot and dry all the grass dies but the weeds keep it green and the flowers bring in the insects.

Couldn't agree more, my parents lawn is chock full and goes purple with selfheal then white and lacy with daisys and ribwort plantain and then yellow with hawkweeds, its utterly beautiful and my parents are under strict instructions not to fertilize (as a consequence the species within the lawn goes up all the time, things like rough hawkbit, ladies bedstaw and burnet saxifrage are appearing). I just hope its in the family for much longer then maybe it will revert to the calcaerous grassland it would originally have been. (which to my mind is the most beautiful grassland of all. and why a person would pick plastic over that I'll never understand!!

[Cowgirl]

Originally Posted by theresa dockery

(I just got the giggles imagining someone trying to hoover their lawn!)

Apparently my hubbies first wife hoovered the lawn after he removed a load of ivy from a wall & left a mess. How sad is that? They were only married about a couple of years, no wonder, she was seriously obsessed about tidyness. Why she married my hubbie (who has to be the world untidiest!) gawd only knows.

[Kayleigh]

My neighbours regularly hoover the garage and outside their back door..
Everything is in its place and a mess is not allowed..

I have a rosette of ragwort growing in my front lawn.
I might dig it up and replant it near my pond as it will get mown before it gets to flower.