WEBlue

Back in Blighty my lawn just grew. We lived in a somewhat drier part of the country too. Yet it grew so fast & so well that the husband was sometimes hard-pressed to keep it mowed & trimmed. We never watered it, never fed it fertilizer, never ever re-seeded, re-sodded, aeriated, whatever.

Fast forward to a drought-stricken coastal strip of northeastern USA, and many of my neighbours are now outside busily re-seeding/re-sodding their bare dying lawns, amending the soil, spreading lime (?), other natural or unnatural substances, murdering crab-grass, de-thatching, de-grubbing, and of course one must water all this stuff in every day....

Our grass is not the absolute worst, about half brown/yellow, but sections are starting to resemble a desert with some very odd weeds taking over. Previous years I didn't worry much because we are NOT part of a HOA with lawn rules, and the lawn seemed to be holding its own. But this summer it looks very poorly... and we have our first grand-child on the way, so I'm wanting a nice green strip for him to toddle across.

Do you do a lot of work on your lawn? (Either because you're required to or because you want to?) Or do you let it go its own merry way?

Jerseygirl

I don't understand the American obsession with green lawns...other than they are nice to look at. We never, ever watered our lawn in NJ. Yes it turned brown in mid summer with the heat and lack of rain...it also turned brown in mid winter due to the bitter cold weather. It always sprung back into life. Admittedly hubby threw a few bags of seed/fertilizer on it every now and again.

robin1234

I don't particularly like the climate where we live, far north in New York State, but one of the good things is lawn creation and care. Want a lawn? Simply brush hog then mow any area of land that is not underwater. Within a couple of months, you have a beautiful emerald green lawn. Dominated by various native grasses, it'll have all kinds of pretty flowering wild flowers in it. It never goes brown. Even in the dead of winter, if you shift the snow off it, it's bright green and healthy looking. (Sometimes I do that to help out the rabbits and other creatures..)

And yet, Walmart, garden centers etc. still sell all kinds of totally unnecessary chemicals, products, exotic grass seeds etc. What on earth for? A mower and a rake is all I've ever used to maintain a lawn.

Nutmegger

While we are surrounded by ghastly browned-out, over-mowed lawns (why do people continue to mow like fiends in the middle of a drought????), our patch of weeds continues to look green and lush. When it has been mowed, it looks lovely -- from a distance!

username.exe

Considering we're in the middle of an enormous drought, and most of Southern California is naturally desert, it can be frustrating seeing a huge lush green lawn around town.

Some of the synthetic lawns look really good nowadays; when we buy I'll certainly be installing one myself.

Bob

I don't do anything. Our neighbours do cut it weekly and at the beginning of summer he chucks some seed down on the bare spots...lot of brown spots where their dogs pee but he also gets the seed from work.

Only waters it for a couple weeks when he seeds.

Grass still looks like shit after a month because of the dogs and kids

Pulaski

I watered the new sod I put down at the back, but generally I mow my grass, blow the leaves off it, and rake the needles off it. That's all. I have been known to spread a little lime on it, which is cheap and easy, and does make a difference. It has been several years since I put any fertilizer on any of it. This year wasn't especially dry, nor exceptionally hot, but several bald areas have developed, so I am thinking about sowing some seed, but "thinking about it" is probably as far as it will get!

markonline1

I'm lazy. I pay people to cut my lawn LOL

ChocolateBabz

Our HOA likes it green and weed free so we spend a small bloody fortune to keep it that way. Next house will have no HOA or teeny tiny lawn.

Giantaxe

I haven't lived at a place with a lawn for over 20 years. But then I live in an area where lawns are crazy and drought-resistant plants make far more sense.

Rickyk

I own a water right of 5 acre feet so my lawn looks great. Teenagers to mow it, fertilizer spring and fall and a dose of 2,4D to deal with the weeds. Covered with snow for 4 months of the year.

lansbury

Our front yard faces south. The lawn was a mess when we got this house so we replaced it with raised beds and grow vegetables in the best Tom and Barbara style. Mrs L has been busy for days making and canning chutney and spaghetti sauce with the surplus tomatoes.

petitefrancaise

ours gets watered once a week and mown once every 2 weeks - looks ok. We have some guys that come and mow it which is probably a bit of overkill since I have a teenage son and an OH in the house but once those bloody leaves start falling, those guys will be earning their money......

scrubbedexpat091

Everyone around here has brown lawns for the most part. A few people in the fancy houses have a green lawn, but if you go down any average street, more dead brown lawns then green.

Water restrictions in summer, make keeping a green lawn a pain, and most people just don't care, it dies in summer, comes back to life in fall, goes dormant but stays green through winter, needs mowing in spring, and dies again in summer, and repeats...lol


My dad in California ripped all his lawn out and replaced it with cactus, and native So. California desert plants, with rocks. Looks quite nice, far nicer then grass does.

Not HOA though to deal with.

Beaverstate

Excellent summer for tomatoes. I recall from time to time, years where summer wasn't up to ripening them, somewhat sad seeing all those mostly green tomatoes at the end of September. I believe 2010 was such.