First, we eliminate all of the diverse, natural, healthy plants that attract butterflies, bees, and other bugs that are important to nature, branding them as “weeds”. We replace them with a monotonous, single species of grass that doesn’t do anything but serve as a hiding place for bugs that we think of as “pests”. We then pay money to buy harmful chemicals to keep out these “pest” bugs. Even more irrationally, we also pay to cut the grass on a routine basis, have the clippings removed, and even water this grass when mother nature won’t maintain it herself. We do all of this for a plain, green lawn that doesn’t provide us any real benefit for all of our time and money. It isn’t even particularly beautiful, especially when we take into account every house down the street has the same lawn. So, why do we do it?
1. The arguments about children playing on lawns is somewhat irrelevant, since there are plenty of people who think so highly of their lawn that they don’t want anyone to walk on it.
2. The alternative to a lawn is not just “dirt”, unless you live in a place inhospitable to most plants, in which case you’re wasting a hell of a lot of water.
Lawns are for losers!
ME
Report Spam/Abuse
Chemicals are much more abysmal than they are harmful, imho
ME
Report Spam/Abuse
Lawns are great for playing backyard cricket. Having barbeques. Playing with very young children. Easy to maintain, so very good for lazy gardeners like myself. But different types of gardens/yards suit different people with different needs and tastes.
ME
Report Spam/Abuse
I hate it, it is completely pointless. I don’t even have time to stop and ‘enjoy’ the lawn, but what is there to enjoy anyways? OOH AH, a flat and green carpet like plain on my lawn.
A lawn is useless…
ME
Report Spam/Abuse
I agree. Someone has a program where you can have your yard desiginated a wild life habitat if you plant it to attract wildlife.
ME
Report Spam/Abuse
I totally agree that lawns are silly and wasteful, except as a place to play. I read that they came to be as a result of wealthy landowners having vast expanses of trimmed grass to show off the fact that they had so much land and money that they could afford to use it so frivolously. It was considered part of the garden.
ME
Report Spam/Abuse
i guess some people got bored back in the day when their wasnt television and decided to weed the yard.another reason for weeding the yard was probably because of pests,rodents and rats and snakes.
i agree to a point it seems pointl;ess to cut the grass but if you dont someone will make you do it anyways,pay for it or cut it yourself
ME
Report Spam/Abuse
As a child (back in the early 50′s), I can remember when we first moved into our brand new house. After my parents and all of our neighbors parents put in lawns, we used play out in the back yard. This was a brand new tract and all the families moving in were brand new families. All with children! Every ones back yards were connected without any fences. All us neighbor kids used to play for hours on the lawn. We would play “Mother May I”, “Badminton”, “Crack-The-Whip”, “Croquette”, and many other games. When the yards were all dirt, no one wanted to play out there, but after we had the lawn, we all had fun together.
Later, as I grew up, I used to lie out in the front lawn in the summertime under the shade of our big Ash tree and ponder many things. Lawns are many things to different people. As an adult, I’m not so sure I ever have the time to enjoy the lawn much. I’m so busy taking care of it. But as a child, it was a marvelous outdoor magic carpet to be used for many things.
Why do we do it? The lawn helps keep the soil together. The evaporating moisture from the lawn helps to humidify the climate and keep it cool. Look see the lessons learned back in the twenties in the Oklahoma Territory. It also helps beautify the property around our homes. Raw land is actually harder to maintain than a plush green magic carpet filled with endless possibilities limited only by ones imagination!
ME
Report Spam/Abuse
I nice lawn makes a nice place to walk, picnic, sit around on and etc.. There are plenty of uses for a soft carpet-like lawn around ones home. i don’t see the argument about children playing on lawns to be irrelevent at all, just because some people get so obsessed with their lawn that they don’t get any of the benefit from it. That can be said about just about anything.
For me, I have a nice acre and a half of lawn around my house with the rest being ‘wild’ or crop land. I enjoy having a nice level lawn, it makes it a convenient place to work, lounge, BBQ, play with the dogs and etc.
The alternative would be tall ‘razor grass’ that is crawling with ticks, thorns, snakes and etc..
ME
Report Spam/Abuse
I agree with you completely. There are so many other low maintenance ways to decorate an outdoor space that are quite beautiful but the lawn seems to be the weed of choice. I don’t particularly like it as I find it a waste. The noise of the lawnmowers directly contradicts a residential area full of greenery: there is no peace and quiet, the machines to upkeep the lawn are on almost every day so apart from the chemical pollution, you have the added noise pollution. Dirt from the lawn gets taken indoors. I much rather have a concrete pavement with a few plants around.
Why a green lawn golf course in the desert?
http://www.cnsm.csulb.edu/departments/geology/people/bperry//GrantPhotos/InlandFlightOct05/243DesertDunesGolfCourseDesertHotSpringsOct05L.jpg
Report Spam/Abuse
The lawn recreates the ecosystem of the savannah, where we evolved. It makes many people feel good and safe.
But you’re right, in most cases it’s a total waste of effort, money, and water. (Which is why my front yard is a jungle right now, and my “lawn” is comprised of anything green which can be mowed to a reasonable level – and it survives bad weather and droughts better than anyone else’s. My neighbors may not be too happy with me, but it’s my yard, not theirs.)
Why a green lawn golf course in the desert?
http://www.cnsm.csulb.edu/departments/geology/people/bperry//GrantPhotos/InlandFlightOct05/243DesertDunesGolfCourseDesertHotSpringsOct05L.jpg
Report Spam/Abuse
NOTHING. ITS JUST GRASS.
>:(
Why a green lawn golf course in the desert?
http://www.cnsm.csulb.edu/departments/geology/people/bperry//GrantPhotos/InlandFlightOct05/243DesertDunesGolfCourseDesertHotSpringsOct05L.jpg
Report Spam/Abuse
The lawn or garden is very important place and it can also be regarded as one of the most essential part of our home. It is very important to devote some quality time in it. You can even go for buying some good quality garden furniture, to further enhance the beauty of your house. A well maintained lawn provides huge visual delight. Therefore in this regards, introducing some garden furniture will be the good idea to opt for. For more information you can visit the following website.
http://www.garden-furniture-outlet.co.uk/
Why a green lawn golf course in the desert?
http://www.cnsm.csulb.edu/departments/geology/people/bperry//GrantPhotos/InlandFlightOct05/243DesertDunesGolfCourseDesertHotSpringsOct05L.jpg
Report Spam/Abuse