The Grass Is Always Greener. . .

The multi talented and lovely Becca of Brighthaven Times is our guest writer today. She shares how two of her passions, gardening and sustainability are coming together in her yard. See how it is all coming together in the photos she posted at her blog this week.

If you live anywhere in the vicinity of BrightHaven, you don’t have any trouble making sure your grass isn’t the brownest in the neighborhood. In fact, we bring new meaning to the old adage: “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence…” Our neighbors’ lawns are oases of manicured and landscaped plants while our yard looks like someone spilled a truck of brown paint on it! If you are familiar with my blog at all, you know I’m an avid gardener, so why the ill-looking lawn? Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret. My husband and I are on a mission to eradicate ALL the grass from our suburban plot. It’s grand.

Why on God’s green Earth would we do such a thing?? The answer is quite simple. Grass doesn’t make pretty flowers. Grass takes a stinkin’ lot of water. And, unless you’re old Nebuchadnezzar, you can’t really eat all that grass, now can you? So, James and I are systematically removing all the low-lying greenery and replacing it with strawberries, pumpkins, thyme, apple trees, roses, lilies, rhubarb and a host of other plants: beauty and bounty!

If you, gentle reader, are interested in trying something like this, I do have a few pointers to share, mostly garnered from the mistakes we have made:

1. Have a good idea of what you want to do with the area to be grass-stripped. Moving plants around on a semi-constant basis leaves much of the yard looking bare for a large part of the year.

2. Know which plants are likely to thrive in your area. Don’t go planting sweet peas in July on the Gulf Coast and be assured that some plants really are thugs. Choose your garden inhabitants wisely.

3. Mulch, MULCH, mulch. Don’t be embarrassed. If you really want the grass to go away, it must be covered…for a good long while. All your neighbors who tend their green grass so very meticulously will thank you for taking all their unwanted leaves.

Friends, this about sums up our experience with “lawn maintenance.” James and I both are very concerned with living sustainable lives and feel like these small steps we are taking are leading us inch by inch closer to being self-sufficient. Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Let us know your experience in this area. We’re looking forward to hearing from you…brown yards and all.