Eco-gardening is at its best in The Monday Garden
May 18, 2003, issue 60
Remember when a prefect tan and a prefect lawn were good things? A self -seeded Johnny jump-up in my mother's yard is the reward for banning the weed killers.
After DDT was banned, the butterflies came back. So did ticks. Likewise, skip the broad-leaf plant killer, and the good, the bad, and the ugly all show up: clover, buttercups, daisies, veronica, violets, oxalis, dandelions, ground ivy, plantain, nettles, knotweed, spurge, roundleaf mallow, purslane, nutsedge, fleabane, chicory, chickweed, and crab grass. Frequent weeding, over a year or two, will minimize the bad and the ugly.
We, the suburban landscapers and gardeners, have a terrifyingly huge impact on the environment.
Too much pavement, and not enough trees, and the temperature goes up along with power usage and related pollution. If too much fertilizer ends up in the lakes, the fish die. When there's too little water, people get laid off. Who can say what trace chemicals do to kids and animals?
Lawn's a big item. Low greenery that stands up to foot traffic is far better than an equal expanse of pavement. However, "lawn" doesn't have to mean "over-sized sweep of velvet that requires water, fertilizers, soil amenders, weed killers, and insect killer".
Can we gardeners be so vain and shortsighted as to insist on a prefect lawn despite the evils? No; most of us are pretty nice. Unfortunately, some don't realize the impact of our collective behavior. Others are nervous about "ruining" the lawn -- very expensive. And "nice guys" are considerate of the neighbors' view.
We need to build new community standards. It needs to become the sign of a good neighbor that your grass has some weeds and turns brown in a drought; that your flowers aren't real big but are neatly mulched; and there's a compost bin in the back. Dream on but it could happen that a never-water, feed-with-compost, mow-once-a-month lawn of violets and clover, dotted with dandelions, plantain, and buttercups becomes the envy of the neighborhood?
There are many things we can do. Here's some:
Lawn:
• Skipping chemicals every other year cuts the environmental burden in half!
• Replace 1/4 of the lawn with garden.
• Set the mower to leave the cuttings on the lawn.
• Compost fall leaves.
• Relax about moss and weeds.
• Add a birdbath and shrubs for birds that eat weed seed and insects.
• Spread 1/4" of topsoil instead of fertilizer.
• Choose tough lawn plants (e.g. buffalo grass).
• Don't set the sprinkler on automatic - water only when necessary.
garden:
• Plant drought-hardy natives, with flowers for the butterfly and seeds for the birds.
• Choose insect- and fungus-resistant plants; accept some damage as natural.
• Use mulch instead of weed killer.
• Don't let the weeds go to seed - the more you weed, the less weeds you'll have.
• Use compost instead of fertilizer.
• Use non-poisonous insect controls such as ladybugs, garlic and marigolds for aphids.
commercial:
• Limit the expanse of heat-enhancing, water-shedding pavement.
• Plant lots of native shade trees.
• Plants native shrubs and plants that provide habitat and food for wildlife.
Don't be lulled by "organic" or "natural". If it kills bugs, it's not good for kids. If it's a high concentrate of nutrients on your lawn, think about tons of the stuff running off into the lake and, ultimately, the ocean.
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What the readers said about last week’s Oceans of Lawn or the Ocean: Choose and other things:
beautiful Sue, zennish serenity and contrast, flower/grass/rock . Bruce (CT)
Just want you to know that your Newsletter has gotten better and better over time. Always enjoy the beautiful photos and good gardening information. Mary Ann (CT)
I'm going back to reread this week's edition...just trying to get some ideas for lawn care, for when I actually have a lawn. Mike Burger (IND)
This was very informative stuff, considering we just filled in the pool in our backyard and planted grass. I'll keep this in mind for when I'm choosing plants and when I have to pull weed. Jennifer (NJ)
[And] how about all of the oil, fertilizers, gasoline, etc. that leaches into the Conn. River from Canada and down into the Sound. Another thought: each of us ingests pesticides when we eat just about anything. George (CT)
All good advice. Told my lawn care man (in addition to long standing ban on noisy leaf blowers) to forget about putting any "chemicals" on my property and mow the lawn less frequently (with the cutting blade set higher). I like the pretty yellow dandelion and tiny violet look! Barbara (NY)
I had no idea that just having a lawn had so many consequences. At some point there just must have been meadows and wild grasses and trees; who started the whole lawn craze? Kal (NY)
Photo credits: Sue Sweeney
© Sue Sweeney 2003