wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (07/10/85)
As I walked down the street from the bus stop yesterday, looking at all the front lawns on the block, this thought occurred to me: Grass is *terrible* stuff, unless you can eat it. It needs mowing, watering, de-weeding, etc., or it turns into a real mess. So why on earth does every house have a front lawn and a back yard that are full of *grass*? Why haven't we long ago realized that grass is the wrong stuff to put around our houses, and chosen instead some nice low-growing, no-maintenance ground cover that will force out weeds on its own and let people enjoy their little plots of land instead of having to slave over them to keep them looking "nice", by an arbitrary social standard? [Note: "every house" in the above is poetic license; I know it really means 99.9999% of suburban and midwest urban houses, plus some large percentage of others, considering rowhouses and townhouses with no yards in various urban areas, OK? (This is known as "CYA" in the trade...)] Possible reasons: 1) There is a vast conspiracy by the grass trust to force all homeowners into being servants of the entrenched interests. 2) There really is *no* other plant variety/species/type other than grass that will fit the characteristics needed. 3) We have been brainwashed by the golf and croquet cartels to believe that "lawn" = "grass-covered" instead of just "plant-covered" patch of earth, and this has been going on for centuries (reference the stately homes of England, set admidst rolling grassy stretches). [Hmmm... what were these golf and croquet people into before there were golf & croquet?...] 4) Grass is a holdover, like windows that need washing, from the days when people had servants to do the work for them. We lost the servants, but retained the stuff that needs servants to keep up... 5) This is all a bad dream. Well, 1 and 3 seem unlikely, because not enough money is made to support the conspiracies. 2 seems unlikely, given the diversity of plant species on this planet -- anyone care to name some contenders for the "grass replacement"? 4 & 5 seem pretty likely... Comments, anyone? Will Martin USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin or ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA
ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (07/11/85)
> Grass is *terrible* stuff, unless you can eat it. It needs mowing, > watering, de-weeding, etc., or it turns into a real mess. So why on > earth does every house have a front lawn and a back yard that are full > of *grass*? Why haven't we long ago realized that grass is the wrong > stuff to put around our houses, and chosen instead some nice > low-growing, no-maintenance ground cover that will force out weeds on > its own and let people enjoy their little plots of land instead of > having to slave over them to keep them looking "nice", by an arbitrary > social standard? Among the possible reasons, I believe this one: > 2) There really is *no* other plant variety/species/type other than > grass that will fit the characteristics needed. I can think of a few types of ground cover that need less maintenance than grass, but none of them are particularly nice to walk on. I'm eager to be proved wrong.
scott@hou2g.UUCP (N. Ersha) (07/11/85)
Yes, I'll venture an opinion or two.
[1] Grass LOOKS nice (of course we could have been
brainwashed to believe this from our parents,
but that could be said of anything). It smells
nice too, especially when fresh-cut.
[2] Haven't you ever walked barefoot thru a lawn
of truly thick, well-kept grass? It feels
WONDERFUL!
[3] My CATS like to eat it! (Even if I don't.)
SJBerrysmuga@mtuxo.UUCP (j.smuga) (07/11/85)
REFERENCES: <11461@brl-tgr.ARPA> A few thoughts come to mind: 1. You can walk on grass. You can sit or lie down on it with reasonable comfort too. Is any other ground cover so accomodating? 2. Grass keeps all the lawn mower manufacturers and repairmen in business, to say nothing of teenage boys who cut grass. 3. A groundcover that is not mowed might have to be weeded, if it is not dense enough to choke out all weeds. 4. There are prettier groundcovers. Myrtle produces small violet flowers, for one. 5. Grass seems to be pretty tolerant of sun and shade - what about other groundcovers? -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Janet Smuga I've had a great many troubles in my time, mtuxo!smuga and most of them never happened. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
westerm@ecn-aa.UUCP (Westerman) (07/12/85)
The reason for grass: It is nice to walk on, play football on, and make
love on. Other plants just don't hack it.
Whom: Rick Westerman Phone: +1-317-494-8344
UUCP: {decvax, ihnp4, seismo, ucbvax}!pur-ee!westerm
USPS: Ag Data Network, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN 47907
"Turn right ... no, turn left ... no, turn straight!"nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) (07/12/85)
> Grass is *terrible* stuff, unless you can eat it. I have a friend who used to raise the stuff in flats inside and eat it. I thought he was a bit nutso, but he seemed to like it. > Why haven't we long ago realized that grass is the wrong > stuff to put around our houses, and chosen instead some nice > low-growing, no-maintenance ground cover that will force out weeds on > its own and let people enjoy their little plots of land instead of > having to slave over them to keep them looking "nice", by an arbitrary > social standard? "We" did realize this long ago, but have just forgotten it recently. I think that there is a section on lawns in a book by the name of "Enjoy Your Weeds" (or something like that - it's been a while. And no, they are not talking about the hemp weed). Apparently, chamomile and various other herbs, as well as clover, etc. were commonly used for ground cover in the preceding century. Grass was considered a weed and pulled on sight. > Will Martin As for reasons, maybe the fact that it grows like a weed and is also very tolerant of drought made it a popular choice by those who didn't wish to spend hours picking the grass out of their lawn (if you can't beat 'em, join 'em). I must agree that I consider it extremely stupid that most folks try to maintain a grass lawn in Florida. And the most common alternative I've seen there is a *pebble* "lawn". Yuch! Talk about hot! I personally plan to make jungle.... Nemo -- Internet: nemo@rochester.arpa UUCP: {decvax, allegra, seismo, cmcl2}!rochester!nemo Phone: [USA] (716) 275-5766 work, 232-4690 home USMail: 104 Tremont Circle; Rochester, NY 14608 School: Department of Computer Science; University of Rochester; Rochester, NY 14627
desjardins@h-sc1.UUCP (marie desjardins) (07/12/85)
Grass sure is nice to sit on! marie
andyb@dartvax.UUCP (Andy Behrens) (07/12/85)
> So why on earth does every house have a front lawn and a back yard that > are full of *grass*? Why haven't we ... chosen instead some nice > low-growing, no-maintenance ground cover that will force out weeds on > its own and let people enjoy their little plots of land...? > > Will Martin Do what I do: let it grow until it's two feet high, then have one of my neighbors come over with his haying machine, tie it in bales, and take it away for his cows. :-) Andy Behrens Union Village, Vermont
sophie@mnetor.UUCP (Sophie Quigley) (07/12/85)
> Grass is *terrible* stuff, unless you can eat it. It needs mowing, > watering, de-weeding, etc., or it turns into a real mess. So why on > earth does every house have a front lawn and a back yard that are full > of *grass*? Why haven't we long ago realized that grass is the wrong > stuff to put around our houses, and chosen instead some nice > low-growing, no-maintenance ground cover that will force out weeds on > its own and let people enjoy their little plots of land instead of > having to slave over them to keep them looking "nice", by an arbitrary > social standard? > I think clover looks much nicer than grass myself and it is certainly much easier to maintain. Dandelions look nice when there is a whole bunch of them, and they are edible when they are young. > Possible reasons: > 1) There is a vast conspiracy by the grass trust to force all homeowners > into being servants of the entrenched interests. > I like reason 1. There is quite a bit of money to be made out of this lawn business since grass is such a fragile thing. I think lawns probably developped as a way to flaunt one's fortune (one must have servants to maintain a lawn). Lawns are a bit like white bread, unhealthy status symbols. -- Sophie Quigley {allegra|decvax|ihnp4|linus|watmath}!utzoo!mnetor!sophie
betsy@dartvax.UUCP (Betsy Hanes Perry) (07/12/85)
> > Grass is *terrible* stuff, unless you can eat it. It needs mowing, > watering, de-weeding, etc., or it turns into a real mess. So why on Ayup. I'd rather have a meadow myself (i.e. grass, wildflowers, about one foot high) but suburban neighbors are apt to disapprove. The other night I heard a suburbanite on the nightly news describing how nice her neighborhood used to be. Her example? "Everybody mowed their lawns." Blecch! As alternative groundcovers (low-growing), my choices would be: Corsican mint Creeping thymes Camomile other creeping herbs. The Elizabethans were fond of planting walking gardens, with sweet-smelling herbs as paths. Of course, I doubt the Elizabethans played dodge-ball on these gardens! I don't know of many ground-covers tough enough to withstand gameplaying except perhaps quack grass. -- Elizabeth Hanes Perry UUCP: {decvax |ihnp4 | linus| cornell}!dartvax!betsy CSNET: betsy@dartmouth ARPA: betsy%dartmouth@csnet-relay "Ooh, ick!" -- Penfold
seb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian) (07/13/85)
Grass is also good ecologically. I saw an article in Smithsonian a number of years ago that said that grass lawns were a boon to many common animals. For instance, the robin we all know and love is really a woodland bird, but it flourishes in suburbia because of the grass lawns. The same could probably be said of rabbits(though I bet a lot of people would like to get rid of them). The article said that meter for meter the "suburban grassland" was one of the richest ecosystems in North America. Probably because of all that expensive fertilizer we dump on it! In a similar vein, the deforestation of the Northeast was a boon to whitetail deer. Their population has steadily increased since the pilgrams arrived. Deer obviously benefit from a nice lawn, though they are limited mostly to rural lawns. So next time you talk about replacing your lawn with marble chips think about all the poor robins, bunnies and field mice you'll be upsetting! Sharon Badian ihnp4!mtgzz!seb
seifert@hammer.UUCP (Snoopy) (07/13/85)
I've seen yards covered with ivy. Nice variation. I'm moving into a house next week with a yard covered in bark-chips. (Bark as in tree-bark. Lots of lumber industry around here.) This will allow more time for getting myself in trouble via stupid netnews postings. :-) Snoopy tektronix!hammer!seifert
cat@tommif.UUCP (Catherine Mikkelsen) (07/15/85)
In article <3341@dartvax.UUCP>, betsy@dartvax.UUCP (Betsy Hanes Perry) writes: > I don't know of many ground-covers tough enough to withstand gameplaying > except perhaps quack grass. Again, I mention the quaint Californian (southern, that is) custom of merely paving one's front yard with, say concrete, and then covering said concrete with -- -- -- ASTROTURF!!!! A few red and blue spray painted rocks and, say, we're having fun now!!! Catherine Mikkelsen decwrl!greipa!tommif!cat "I've always felt really good about my father even though he was a junkie and a slimy person" McKenzie Phillips in PEOPLE Magazine (honest)
gene@batman.UUCP (Gene Mutschler) (07/15/85)
> Grass is *terrible* stuff, unless you can eat it. It needs mowing, > watering, de-weeding, etc., or it turns into a real mess. So why on > earth does every house have a front lawn and a back yard that are full > of *grass*? Why haven't we long ago realized that grass is the wrong > stuff to put around our houses, and chosen instead some nice > low-growing, no-maintenance ground cover that will force out weeds on > its own and let people enjoy their little plots of land instead of > having to slave over them to keep them looking "nice", by an arbitrary > social standard? > > Comments, anyone? > Will Martin > USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin or ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA I agree and am fortunate enough to live in (what has been until recently) a semi-rural area. When my house was built, they just cleared enough land for the house and septic tank; and they didn't set up for a lawn. Having just moved from California, where my water bill was $25 for a tiny lot, to a 3/4 acre lot, I was concerned about the ultimate viability of a large grass lot, with respect to water. Not to mention I don't much like the idea of mowing 3/4 acre lots. So, I left it pretty much the way it was: I did get a Weed Eater(TM) so that I could encourage the plants I liked (the justly famous Texas wildflowers) and cut down the ones I didn't like (the equally (in)famous Johnson grass and wild carrot). My water bill is 6.36 per month, which is the minimum where I live. My neighbor just put in a huge lawn, complete with sprinkler system; not only is the sprinkler system going most of the time, so is the mower. Fortunately for him so far this year we had a lot of rain, unlike last year, when watering restrictions would have prevented him from running his sprinklers 4 days out of 5. Now, they even have a name for this form of dry-land lawn raising: Xeriscape. The Austin Nature Center (or somebody here in town) even teaches courses in it. The folks in California who are about to lose most of the Colorado River water ought to check it out. Gene Mutschler Burroughs Corp, Austin Research Center {ihnp4, etc.}ut-sally!oakhill!cyb-eng!batman!gene
jer@peora.UUCP (J. Eric Roskos) (07/15/85)
> I must agree that I consider it extremely stupid that most folks try to > maintain a grass lawn in Florida. And the most common alternative I've > seen there is a *pebble* "lawn". Yuch! Talk about hot! I personally plan > to make jungle.... Well, you have to consider that the ground here is made entirely of sand, except for some organic matter from dead plants in some places (or a lot of organic matter in the swamps); and that if you don't plant something here, depending on whether your plot of ground is in a swamp or on dry (or dried) land, you will either get a lot of "natural" grass mixed with ordinary weeds, or a mess of palmettos (both of which are very common in currently idle plots of land around where I live). Actually there is a kind of grass, "St Augustine" grass (my house-owning officemate tells me that is its name), which grows VERY well here; while I live in an apartment, I have observed that the groundskeepers of our apartment complex have to do very little work to keep this grass growing well. It is not particularly soft grass, compared to what we used to have in Georgia when I was growing up (although it is much softer than zoysia (or however you spell that)), but it is very thick and durable. If you make a jungle, as you suggested, you will have some amazing forms of wildlife in there... alligators, poisonous snakes, "palmetto bugs" 3 or 4 inches long, spiny caterpillars... and of course, these infernal fire ants (which also appear on lawns, however, and which are the worst insects I have ever encountered anywhere). -- Shyy-Anzr: J. Eric Roskos UUCP: ..!{decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!vax135!petsd!peora!jer US Mail: MS 795; Perkin-Elmer SDC; 2486 Sand Lake Road, Orlando, FL 32809-7642 [But, at the time you are reading this, probably in New Jersey]
tw8023@pyuxii.UUCP (T Wheeler) (07/15/85)
Having been a suburban grass farmer for the past 15 years, I kind of feel like my father now who threatened every year to cover the whole place with cement and paint it green. He even wanted to paint flowers along the borders. Sigh, ever try to get a 14 year old to mow the lawn just once in awhile. After all, what are kids for anyway |-). T. C. Wheeler
jerry@oliveb.UUCP (Jerry Aguirre) (07/16/85)
> As I walked down the street from the bus stop yesterday, looking at all > the front lawns on the block, this thought occurred to me: > > Grass is *terrible* stuff, unless you can eat it. It needs mowing, > watering, de-weeding, etc., or it turns into a real mess. So why on > earth does every house have a front lawn and a back yard that are full > of *grass*? Why haven't we long ago realized that grass is the wrong > stuff to put around our houses, and chosen instead some nice > low-growing, no-maintenance ground cover that will force out weeds on > its own and let people enjoy their little plots of land instead of > having to slave over them to keep them looking "nice", by an arbitrary > social standard? I suspect that one reason is that grass is easy to get started. A great many things are the way they are because they are easily built that way. Maintenance is usually not considered (like cars that have to be jacked up to change the oil filter). Another reason is cultural, like wearing ties and jackets in a hot climate. With the right seed, enough watering, and a couple of mowings, you can get a decent looking lawn is less than two weeks. The builder sells it to you any you get to worry about the weeds that come later. Sod doesn't change this as they still have to grow the grass somewhere, and the quicker it grows, the better. I would bet that all the alternatives take longer and more labor to get started. On the cultural side many of our customs are based on a colder climate (ties and jackets, wool clothing, etc.). In these areas grass IS better than all the alternatives. Six feet of snow for 5 months will kill any type of ground cover. After it all melts you can get grass started cheaply and quickly. Northern people don't have to mow their lawns twice a week. In southern areas I have seen many kinds of alternate "lawns". Several had the entire lawn covered in Boston fern. In Florida I lived in a house where part of the lawn NEVER needed mowing. It always stayed putting green height, never had weeds and was nice to walk on. Needless to say I would have loved to spread this out to the rest of the lawn. The problem was it didn't spread, never went to seed. I suspect that varity of grass is just to difficult to get established. The ideal lawn cover grows fast but grows very slowly. Jerry Aguirre @ Olivetti ATC {hplabs|fortune|idi|ihnp4|tolerant|allegra|tymix}!oliveb!jerry
gadfly@ihu1m.UUCP (Gadfly) (07/16/85)
-- > Grass sure is nice to sit on! > > marie Yes, a wonderful plant it is. Just think, when you mow your lawn, you're not mowing new leaves every time. Most plants simply grow new leaves to replace damaged ones. But cut grass leaves grow right back. Such a marvelously passive defense it has evolved against being eaten. -- *** *** JE MAINTIENDRAI ***** ***** ****** ****** 15 Jul 85 [27 Messidor An CXCIII] ken perlow ***** ***** (312)979-7753 ** ** ** ** ..ihnp4!iwsl8!ken *** ***
reid@Glacier.ARPA (Brian Reid) (07/16/85)
In article <3341@dartvax.UUCP> betsy@dartvax.UUCP (Betsy Hanes Perry) writes: >As alternative groundcovers (low-growing), my choices would be: > ... As I mentioned in a previous article, I have done some experimenting with alternative groundcovers here in Northern California. I got out my notes to make sure I didn't forget anything, and as a result I can include the Latin names for these plants. This is less of a conceit than you might think; for example, the plant called "Creeping Thyme" in some parts of the country is called "Wooly Thyme" in others. Anyhow, here are my comments. Your results will certainly be different in different climates. >Corsican mint We found that Corsican mint (Mentha requienii) is just too sensitive to overheating and drying out. I absolutely love the appearance and smell of Corsican mint, and every year I try planting some more, but it always dies quickly unless we water it every day, and even twice a day in the heat of summer. Since one of the reasons we wanted to plant alternative ground cover was to save water, this seemed like a loss. According to the garden books, if you can get a bed of Corsican mint established it will be drought-resistant (this is why I keep planting it even though it keeps dying), but I have not yet succeeded in getting it to last through a summer. Now that I have my ultra-high-tech 8088-based automatic doo-wah-diddy sprinkler/mister/drip-irrigation system in place, I am hoping for better results with this Fall's annual ritual Corsican mint planting. The plants are going to look like an accident victim in an ICU, with tubes running everywhere bringing life-support fluids. >Creeping thymes Creeping thyme (Thymus lanuginosus; known some places as wooly thyme) is quite nice. We had about 200 square feet of it for several years. I finally dug it up and replaced it with Chamomile this past autumn because it is is ecologically unequipped to compete with weeds. Creeping thyme is too much of a nice-guy plant, and various unseemly things like oxalis and bermudagrass were taking over completely. >Camomile This one is the winner (Chamaemelum nobile). See my earlier posting on the subject. >other creeping herbs. We've tried Silver thyme (Thymus serpyllum; known some places as creeping thyme). We still have about 100 square feet of it. It's nice, except that as the plants get older, they develop woody stems that are no fun to walk on. We have a ring of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) around the outside of our yard. Rosemary is a very aggressive plant, and I fear that we might have to call the National Guard to beat it back into submission and prevent it from taking over the whole yard. It is not suitable for walking on (it has a texture reminiscent of the Juniper bushes that I grew up with, but it's about 6 inches high). Those are all of the creeping herbs that I have been able to find. If anybody knows about any more I would be delighted to try them out in our Ground Cover Agriculture Experiment Station, i.e. our back yard. -- Brian Reid decwrl!glacier!reid Stanford reid@SU-Glacier.ARPA
hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath) (07/16/85)
In article <114@tommif.UUCP> cat@tommif.UUCP (Catherine Mikkelsen) writes: >Again, I mention the quaint Californian (southern, that is) custom of >merely paving one's front yard with, say concrete, and then covering said >concrete with -- -- -- ASTROTURF!!!! A few red and blue spray painted >rocks and, say, we're having fun now!!! Not in _my_ end of Southern California you don't. The road maintenanace department once tried to put astroturf and plastic bushes on the median strips here. The locals protested loudly and finally resorted to vandalism (gasoline is just as hard on astroturf as it is on real grass). They wouldn't let up even when the city pointed out that there wasn't sufficient depth of soil on the strip for grass or the pipes to water it. Score one for Southern California esthetics. --- -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe) Citicorp TTI Common Sense is what tells you that a ten 3100 Ocean Park Blvd. pound weight falls ten times as fast as a Santa Monica, CA 90405 one pound weight. (213) 450-9111, ext. 2483 {philabs,randvax,trwrb,vortex}!ttidca!ttidcc!hollombe
levy@ttrdc.UUCP (Daniel R. Levy) (07/17/85)
jerry@oliveb.UUCP (Jerry Aguirre) <504@oliveb.UUCP>: >The ideal lawn cover grows fast but grows very slowly. > > Jerry Aguirre @ Olivetti ATC >{hplabs|fortune|idi|ihnp4|tolerant|allegra|tymix}!oliveb!jerry ??????????????
eric@rtech.UUCP (Eric Lundblad) (07/17/85)
> As I walked down the street from the bus stop yesterday, looking at all > the front lawns on the block, this thought occurred to me: > > Grass is *terrible* stuff, unless you can eat it. It needs mowing, > watering, de-weeding, etc., or it turns into a real mess. So why on > earth does every house have a front lawn and a back yard that are full > of *grass*? Why haven't we long ago realized that grass is the wrong > stuff to put around our houses, and chosen instead some nice > low-growing, no-maintenance ground cover that will force out weeds on > its own and let people enjoy their little plots of land instead of > having to slave over them to keep them looking "nice", by an arbitrary > social standard? > I always figured that it provided visable proof that the person that lives at such and such a house works hard and is successful. I mean, if s/he has a hard to grow plant that still looks good in front of his house then he must be doing something right, right? -- Eric Lundblad ucbvax!mtxinu!rtech!eric
nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) (07/17/85)
>> I must agree that I consider it extremely stupid that most folks try to >> maintain a grass lawn in Florida. And the most common alternative I've >> seen there is a *pebble* "lawn". Yuch! Talk about hot! I personally plan >> to make jungle.... > > Well, you have to consider that the ground here is made entirely of sand, > except for some organic matter from dead plants in some places (or a lot of > organic matter in the swamps); and that if you don't plant something here, > depending on whether your plot of ground is in a swamp or on dry (or dried) > land, you will either get a lot of "natural" grass mixed with ordinary > weeds, or a mess of palmettos (both of which are very common in currently > idle plots of land around where I live). > > Actually there is a kind of grass, "St Augustine" grass (my house-owning > officemate tells me that is its name), which grows VERY well here; while I > live in an apartment, I have observed that the groundskeepers of our > apartment complex have to do very little work to keep this grass growing > well. It is not particularly soft grass, compared to what we used to have > in Georgia when I was growing up (although it is much softer than zoysia > (or however you spell that)), but it is very thick and durable. Yeah. The stuff is considered a weed elsewhere, but it is perfect for Fl. Still, you have to water it if you want it to be green all year. Considering the fact that the phosphate industry is sucking water out of the aquifer so fast that in some places the aquifer water level was 100 feet *below* sea level (as of 5 years ago, maybe worse now. BTW, the phosphate is being mined for agricultural use - see the second digit on the chemical fertilizer bag if you wander where it all goes), and the increasing pressure of the exploding population for water has placed on the ecology there, why is it necessary for everyone to have grass lawns? > If you make a jungle, as you suggested, you will have some amazing forms > of wildlife in there... alligators, poisonous snakes, "palmetto bugs" 3 or > 4 inches long, spiny caterpillars... and of course, these infernal fire > ants (which also appear on lawns, however, and which are the worst insects > I have ever encountered anywhere). When I was growing up (in Fl) we had a jungle in the back yard. Not too many poisonous snakes, no alligators, megaroaches, many birds (including a pileated woodpecker), racoons, 'possums. We had short, spiny caterpillars that had a sting that not only hurt like fire (I mean drop everything and sprint to the nearest medicine chest yelling like you wanted a third encore by the Grateful Dead) but also made body parts distant from the sting crawl like your skin might when fingernails are scraped on a blackboard, only it doesn't stop. These were confined to the more conventional front yard. Fire ants seem to actually *prefer* grasslands. My point is that in Florida (and most places, in fact) the ground water is becoming a scarce resource (wanna see a sinkhole? just suck the water out of the limestone caves under your house). The main problems for maintaining comfortable human life there are providing relief from sun and heat. There is ample rainwater over the course of a year, but the sandy soil drains quickly and the intense sunlight evaporates surface water rapidly as well. The solution is to have many shade trees and some of the wide variety of bushes and other undergrowth that thrives in the partial shade (shade in Florida is more intense than unobscured light most days around here) It does not have to look ugly, it does not have to totally exclude grass, it does not have to be impenitrable, and while it will be host to a variety of insect life, that's just a fact of life in Fl. Besides, it will attract other interesting forms of life (see birds above). The advantages are that it stays cooler (visit Jungle Gardens or Sunken Gardens on a really hot day for an education in the airconditioning value of a few trees); the ground does not dry out nearly as fast; it can be much more private (I don't generally make love on the grass in the yard, but with a reasonable growth of trees, vines, bushes, etc. with a few small, open places ....); it reduces noise from roads and neighbors; it looks great without having to suck on the aquifer every day (once a week usually did it, if there was no rain); it is less work to maintain than a lawn (hack it back a little once or twice a year); it can smell much nicer than most lawns I've ever met; ..... The only problem is it takes years to get the growth to a good state if you have to start from scratch (like where the #&*$%@!! buldozers have leveled everything and developers put up crackerbox houses). Nemo PS: How about that other famous Fl. grass, the sandspur? -- Internet: nemo@rochester.arpa UUCP: {decvax, allegra, seismo, cmcl2}!rochester!nemo Phone: [USA] (716) 275-5766 work, 232-4690 home USMail: 104 Tremont Circle; Rochester, NY 14608 School: Department of Computer Science; University of Rochester; Rochester, NY 14627
dnc@bonnie.UUCP (Don Corey) (07/17/85)
> Again, I mention the quaint Californian (southern, that is) custom of > merely paving one's front yard with, say concrete, and then covering said > concrete with -- -- -- ASTROTURF!!!! A few red and blue spray painted > rocks and, say, we're having fun now!!! Here in New Jersey were it is pretty damp, mold would grow on the atroturf and it would start to smell bad.
bill@persci.UUCP (07/17/85)
>Again, I mention the quaint Californian (southern, that is) custom of >merely paving one's front yard with, say concrete, and then covering said >concrete with -- -- -- ASTROTURF!!!! A few red and blue spray painted >rocks and, say, we're having fun now!!! >Catherine Mikkelsen >decwrl!greipa!tommif!cat There is a house on a boulevard (a *real* boulevard, one of those streets with the islands down the middle, not a California boulevard, which is just another name for street) in Santa Cruz, CA (North) where the owners have filled in the entire yard with colored gravel and built a mound of rock in the middle with a PINK push-mower on top, with a sign "R.I.P." on the mound. Right in the front yard! Tacky, but funny. -- Bill Swan {ihnp4,decvax,allegra,...}!uw-beaver!tikal!persci!bill
setha@teklds.UUCP (Seth D. Alford) (07/18/85)
I visited Tucson, Arizona, once. I saw pebble and rock "lawns". I also saw a lot of dried brown grass lawns. And I even saw a dried brown grass lawn that had been painted green. You could tell it had been painted because part of the sidewalk was green too. -- --Seth Alford Tektronix Walker Road PO Box 4600 MS 92-823 Beaverton OR 97075 tektronix!teklds!setha (503)-629-1145
westerm@ecn-aa.UUCP (Westerman) (07/18/85)
In article <504@oliveb.UUCP> jerry@oliveb.UUCP (Jerry Aguirre) writes: > >On the cultural side many of our customs are based on a colder climate >(ties and jackets, wool clothing, etc.). In these areas grass IS better >than all the alternatives. Six feet of snow for 5 months will kill any >type of ground cover. After it all melts you can get grass started >cheaply and quickly. Northern people don't have to mow their lawns >twice a week. > Yep, I live in Indiana and mow my grass once every two or three weeks. That's not much of a hassle at all. >In Florida I lived in a house where part of the lawn NEVER needed >mowing. It always stayed putting green height, never had weeds and was >nice to walk on. Needless to say I would have loved to spread this out >to the rest of the lawn. The problem was it didn't spread, never went >to seed. I suspect that varity of grass is just to difficult to get >established. > >The ideal lawn cover grows fast but grows very slowly. > Want to make a fortune? Develop grass that grows to 2-3" on any type of soil and will survive winter. Of course all the lawn mower salespeople & repairpeople will be rather upset with you ... Whom: Rick Westerman Phone: +1-317-494-8344 UUCP: {decvax, ihnp4, seismo, ucbvax}!pur-ee!westerm USPS: Ag Data Network, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN 47907 "Turn right ... no, turn left ... no, turn straight!"
fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann) (07/21/85)
Why do we have grass lawns? My guess is that this tradition began in England, where grass is easily grown due to the damp, rainy climate. The New Englanders copied the tradition, which was OK, since it's damp and rainy there, as well. In the United States, the old Anglo-Saxon families have the highest social status. These families, concentrated in New England, trace their ancestry to England proper. In an effort appear "high class", people in other areas of the country attempt to copy this old, established aristocracy. One such means is the attempt to cultivate thick, grassy lawns, even in climates where this is not appropriate. Frank Silbermann
slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) (07/21/85)
>Again, I mention the quaint Californian (southern, that is) custom of >merely paving one's front yard with, say concrete, and then covering said >concrete with -- -- -- ASTROTURF!!!! A few red and blue spray painted >rocks and, say, we're having fun now!!! >>I visited Tucson, Arizona, once. I saw pebble and rock "lawns". I also >>saw a lot of dried brown grass lawns. And I even saw a dried brown grass >>lawn that had been painted green. You could tell it had been painted >>because part of the sidewalk was green too. >>>where the owners have filled in the >>>entire yard with colored gravel and built a mound of rock in the middle with >>>a PINK push-mower on top, with a sign "R.I.P." on the mound. Right in the >>>front yard! Tacky, but funny. I agree that astroturf and painted dead grass are tacky. But don't knock pebble lawns without knowing the situation in the area. Many people in wet areas of the country are unaware of the social and economic aspects of a lack of water. Here in Colorado, the aquifers are rapidly becoming depleted. We are lucky to get 15 or so inches of rain a year. The mountains sit up there so green and lovely that people forget that the Front Range is a DESERT. In some parts of the Metropolitan Denver area it costs $3000 for a tap permit to hook your new house up to the water system. IT SHOULD. More and more people are moving here (because of the obvious wonderful things about the area, I might add--I am one of those people, and I love it here), and the water is not increasing with the population. I would think that the problem is even more acute in Tucson. There was water rationing in Denver until last year. It is now voluntary. My own view is that it should be enforced--if for no other reason than to make people think about the situation. We are probably sitting on a time bomb here. So those people with rock lawns (yes, and even astroturf--gack) are really socially responsible folks. There is also the cost. I live in a very expensive water area, because of a new treatment plant that experienced cost overruns. But my experience is not too out of line to serve as an example. It can cost $200 or more to water our lawn each month in the summer. Yes, we have a grass lawn. It was here when we arrived and we both love grass so much we can't bear to do away with it. Many ground covers will not live here, or take as much watering as grass. (Of course some are ok--we are looking into that. We would be interested in any information on low water-using ground covers. Ones that will survive a hard winter, also, of course.) I have seen some quite attractive rock/sand/cactus lawns. I have also seen some eyesores. It is like anything else--it takes good taste to arrange properly. Red and blue rocks don't quite cut it in the taste department. The worst thing about rock and sand are that they are hot in the summer. How about a Zen raked-sand/rock garden? -- Sue Brezden Real World: Room 1B17 Net World: ihnp4!drutx!slb AT&T Information Systems 11900 North Pecos Westminster, Co. 80234 (303)538-3829 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Your god may be dead, but mine aren't. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
mark@cbosgd.UUCP (Mark Horton) (07/24/85)
In article <559@ttidcc.UUCP> hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath) writes: >Not in _my_ end of Southern California you don't. The road maintenanace >department once tried to put astroturf and plastic bushes on the median >strips here. The locals protested loudly and finally resorted to vandalism. In North San Diego county, where I went to high school, they one-upped even astroturf. The road medians are first covered with a thin coat of gravel, and then PAINTED GREEN. If you don't look close at it, it looks nice. No maintenence (perhaps they repaint it every few years) and I'll bet even gasoline doesn't bother it. I wouldn't want to walk on it, though.
dsn@tove.UUCP (Dana S. Nau) (07/24/85)
In article <3308@drutx.UUCP> slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) writes: > ... Many ground covers will not live here, or take as much >watering as grass. (Of course some are ok--we are looking into that. We >would be interested in any information on low water-using ground covers. >Ones that will survive a hard winter, also, of course.) > >I have seen some quite attractive rock/sand/cactus lawns. I have also seen >some eyesores. It is like anything else--it takes good taste to arrange >properly. Red and blue rocks don't quite cut it in the taste department. >The worst thing about rock and sand are that they are hot in the summer. > >How about a Zen raked-sand/rock garden? How about kudzu? I'm sure a lot of people in the Southeast would be glad to send you some free! :-) -- Dana S. Nau, Computer Science Dept., U. of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 ARPA: dsn@maryland CSNet: dsn@umcp-cs UUCP: {seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!dsn Phone: (301) 454-7932
fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann) (07/24/85)
In article <drutx.3308> slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) writes: >I have seen some quite attractive rock/sand/cactus lawns. I have also seen >some eyesores. It is like anything else--it takes good taste to arrange >properly. Rocks, sand and cactus? That's one way to keep kids from playing in your yard. Frank Silbermann
davidson@sdcsvax.UUCP (Greg Davidson) (07/24/85)
Our back lawn used to be dichondra, and it was lovely stuff; much more pleasant than grass to walk or lay on. It is more delicate than grass, but not so much as commonly believed; it can take a fair amount of foot traffic. It needs far less weeding (since you can use chemicals that suppress all monocots, incl. grasses) and needs mowing only once a month. However, you have to keep up with it, treating it for fungus, flea beatles, etc., without fail. We got busy and neglected it for a month and it died over the next three, despite heavy care. Dichondra does require much more water than grass. Because we anticipate future water shortages in San Diego, we decided to switch to grass. I now regret this decision and may switch back anyway. _Greg Davidson Virtual Infinity Systems, San Diego
peter@baylor.UUCP (Peter da Silva) (07/25/85)
> > Why do we have grass lawns? My guess is that this tradition began in England, > where grass is easily grown due to the damp, rainy climate. ... > ... In an effort appear "high class", people in other areas > of the country attempt to copy this old, established aristocracy. One such > means is the attempt to cultivate thick, grassy lawns, even in climates where > this is not appropriate. Sort of like the tendency to wear long trousers in Houston, a climate in which this is definitely not appropriate. -- Peter da Silva (the mad Australian) UUCP: ...!shell!neuro1!{hyd-ptd,baylor,datafac}!peter MCI: PDASILVA; CIS: 70216,1076
nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) (07/25/85)
> Why do we have grass lawns?
For an even more speculative answer, I recall a study in which people from
all over the world in all kinds of habitats were shown slides of various
ecosystems (mountains, forests, beaches, plains, etc) and asked which one
was the most relaxing. The *majority* (not just more than chose any of the
others) chose *grasslands* with the occaisional tree (like the seringetti
(sp) of Africa). The study went on to conclude that this indicated that
this was man's original home (hence, Dr. Leaky is right about Africa being
the cradle of mankind) and that the modern preoccupation with lawns is an
attempt to bring a piece of that 'home' to the place we live now. Pretty
big leaps, eh?
Nemo
--
Internet: nemo@rochester.arpa
UUCP: {decvax, allegra, seismo, cmcl2}!rochester!nemo
Phone: [USA] (716) 275-5766 work, 232-4690 home
USMail: 104 Tremont Circle; Rochester, NY 14608
School: Department of Computer Science; University of Rochester;
Rochester, NY 14627nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) (07/26/85)
< follow that tangent! > > ... The road medians are first covered with a thin coat of gravel, > and then PAINTED GREEN. If you don't look close at it, it looks nice. What about drainage (or is this not a problem?) In the opposite direction, I have seen some signs of intelligence in the park engineers in Pinellas County, Florida. There, 70 - 80 inches of rain annually are not uncommon, and simply flushing rainwater into the sewage system is not desirable (it is needed for the aquifer and the sewage systems are already overloaded). So they paved the parking lot with cinder blocks layed on their sides so the holes were vertical. These were then filled to within an inch or two from the top, and grass, etc. allowed to grow in them. They are lots cooler than asphalt and don't look to bad (especially from underneath). I expect that they were also much cheaper than the usual paving technique. Nemo -- Internet: nemo@rochester.arpa UUCP: {decvax, allegra, seismo, cmcl2}!rochester!nemo Phone: [USA] (716) 275-5766 work, 232-4690 home USMail: 104 Tremont Circle; Rochester, NY 14608 School: Department of Computer Science; University of Rochester; Rochester, NY 14627
levy@ttrdc.UUCP (Daniel R. Levy) (07/28/85)
> >Our back lawn used to be dichondra, and it was lovely stuff; much >more pleasant than grass to walk or lay on. It is more delicate than >... >of foot traffic. It needs far less weeding (since you can use chemicals >... >month. However, you have to keep up with it, treating it for fungus, >... > >_Greg Davidson Virtual Infinity Systems, San Diego > > You LAY on that stuff with all that chemical treatment? Myself, I'd prefer a chemical-free grass/weed lawn for that purpose. -- ------------------------------- Disclaimer: The views contained herein are | dan levy | yvel nad | my own and are not at all those of my em- | an engihacker @ | ployer, my pets, my plants, my boss, or the | at&t computer systems division | s.a. of any computer upon which I may hack. | skokie, illinois | | "go for it" | Path: ..!ihnp4!ttrdc!levy -------------------------------- or: ..!ihnp4!iheds!ttbcad!levy
bill@persci.UUCP (07/28/85)
In article <10723@rochester.UUCP> nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) writes: >< follow that tangent! > >[...] >So they paved the parking lot with cinder blocks layed on their sides so >the holes were vertical. These were then filled to within an inch or two >from the top, and grass, etc. allowed to grow in them. They are lots >cooler than asphalt and don't look to bad (especially from underneath). >[...] >Nemo Huh? From underneath?? Twenty thousand leagues underneath, perhaps, Cap'n? -- William Swan {ihnp4,decvax,allegra,...}!uw-beaver!tikal!persci!bill
bob@nbires.UUCP (Bob Bruck) (08/01/85)
In article <10695@rochester.UUCP> nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) writes: > Why do we have grass lawns? It seems obvious to me. We Americans have an abundance of land and free time to work the land for show. If I'm not mistaken, the word lawn came from launder - through which it means "to clean up the land". Just like gardens elsewhere, lawns are a way for us to show our wealth and grandeur. Bob Bruck NBI Inc. Boulder, Co. (hao | allegra | ...)!nbires!bob
dyer@vaxuum.DEC (This did not happen to/Pablo Picasso) (08/05/85)
Re: Grass_______________________________________________________________________
I hate power mowers. They're a waste of non-renewable fuel, they pol-
lute, they're dangerous, and they're far too noisy. I hate the whole idea of
"keeping up with the Joneses," especially since America uses more fertilizer for
its lawns than India does for food! Finally, I find antiseptic rolling fields
of untouchable green grass aesthetically revolting.
But most of all, I hate power mowers.
Perhaps it's my hatred of power mowers that led me to invent Dyer's
Rule of Lawnmowing: You don't need more lawn than that which you will mow with
a manual lawn mower. If you use your lawn for, let's say, volleyball, then
you've got the strength to manually mow the volleyball field.
What about the rest of the property? I guess the first thing to do is
to keep the developers [sic] from knocking down every tree on the lot before
they put up a house (which appears to be standard operating procedure in these
parts). The rest can be planted with vegetables, herbs, and wildflowers in an
organic self-regenerative way. (Has anybody read _The_One_Straw_Revolution_?)
<_Jym_>
:::::::::::::::: Jym Dyer
::::' :: `:::: Dracut, Massachusetts
::' :: `::
:: :: :: DYER%VAXUUM.DEC@DECWRL.ARPA
:: .::::. :: {allegra|decvax|ihnp4|ucbvax}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-vaxuum!dyer
::..:' :: `:..::
::::. :: .:::: Statements made in this article are my own; they might not
:::::::::::::::: reflect the views of |d|i|g|i|t|a|l| Equipment Corporation.galenr@iddic.UUCP (Galen Redfield) (08/15/85)
In article <449@nbires.UUCP> bob@nbires.UUCP (Bob Bruck) writes: >In article <10695@rochester.UUCP> nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) writes: >> Why do we have grass lawns? > >It seems obvious to me. We Americans have an abundance of land and free time >to work the land for show. If I'm not mistaken, the word lawn came from >launder - through which it means "to clean up the land". Just like gardens >elsewhere, lawns are a way for us to show our wealth and grandeur. > > Bob Bruck > NBI Inc. Boulder, Co. > (hao | allegra | ...)!nbires!bob It seemed so obvious to me that I used a dictionary. Either you are wrong, or Webster's made something up to fill the etymology entry for one or both of these words. They think that laundry came from the Latin word for "to wash," whereas lawn came from the Middle French word for heath (heather), dervied from the Old Irish word "land," meaning "open space." Americans are almost as good at making up explanations as they are at showing off their wealth and grandeur (perhaps they are showing off their intellectual wealth and grandeur). We have grass lawns because we planted them. Warm regards, Galen.
bob@nbires.UUCP (Bob Bruck) (08/19/85)
> >>Wolfe: > >> Why do we have grass lawns? > > > >Bob Bruck: > >It seems obvious to me. We Americans have an abundance of land and free time > >to work the land for show. If I'm not mistaken, the word lawn came from > >launder - through which it means "to clean up the land". Just like gardens > >elsewhere, lawns are a way for us to show our wealth and grandeur. > > >Galen: > It seemed so obvious to me that I used a dictionary. Either you > are wrong, or Webster's made something up to fill the etymology > entry for one or both of these words. They think that laundry > came from the Latin word for "to wash," whereas lawn came from > the Middle French word for heath (heather), dervied from the Old > Irish word "land," meaning "open space." > ... > We have grass lawns because we planted them. Do I smell a flame? I was aware of the common belief that the word lawn had French or Celtic origins, but I prefer to think that the word lawn had it's most recent derivation from the (English?) fabric "lawn", which probably had the same Latin derivation as "launder". As to your answer, I think that you completely misunderstood the question. The question "Why do we have lawns?" literally means "Why do we *plant* lawns?" in english. Your answer is circular and meaningless. Bob Bruck (hao | allegra | ...)!nbires!bob
msc@saber.UUCP (Mark Callow) (08/23/85)
>Bob Bruck: > ...but I prefer to think that the word lawn had it's You may prefer to think what you like. I prefer to believe Webster's. > most recent derivation from the (English?) fabric "lawn", which probably had > the same Latin derivation as "launder". A word's derivation can't change. That would be akin to changing your biological parent. You (it) comes from where you come from. -- From the TARDIS of Mark Callow msc@saber.UUCP, sun!saber!msc@decwrl.ARPA ...{decwrl,ucbvax}!sun!saber!msc, ...{amdcad,ihnp4}!saber!msc