A "New" Yard?

I want to start by saying that I have given into the peer pressure of my neighbors and this year my yard boasts the greenest most weed free grass since we moved into this house 7 years ago. Sadly, this is a result of the chemicals I put on my lawn in the spring. Unfortunately, until I find another way that is cost effective I will probably continue to try to catch up to the Joneses (their name really is Jones and their yard is beautiful always) in my attempt to keep a green yard in the same chemical way. Like nature, relationships with neighbors can be a delicate balance. Don't get me wrong, I have really nice neighbors all around but I feel this pressure not to be the only eyesore on the block. So I find myself using insane amounts of water and minimal amounts of herbicides/fertilizers on my lawn to try to keep a somewhat acceptable looking yard.


Having said all that I must say that my truest desire is to have a "green," green yard- and life for that matter.

A few days ago my mom was telling me of the monstrous slugs that she was finding in her yard. The most obvious thing for her to do was to head over to the home and garden store and get some slug killer and administer it in her yard as directed. It worked like a charm. Huge dead slugs found instead of huge live slugs. Mission accomplished. That is until her neighbor told her that she had found a frog in her own yard and knowing that her dogs would kill it if they found it she put it into my mom's yard. Mom speculated that it is possible that the slug killer might not be good for the frog and that a garden frog is more desirable that getting rid of slugs so out with the slug killer and in with Mr. Frog. I don't think she ever saw the frog so we are not sure if it made a run for the river or what but mom's yard dilemmas don't end there. A couple days after the slug/frog discussion we were in her back yard together and I started noticing dead beetles all over her yard. The good kind that eat decomposing this and that. She pointed out that they were all over her yard. All dead. This brought my mind back to the slug killer. Could it have been what killed all these beetles? It certainly gave us something to think about regarding our yard keeping practices.

Next topic up for discussion was her lawn problems. For years she has been trying to get her lawn to grow. But the yarrow just keeps taking over and she can't justify all the water that it takes to fight the losing battle. As we walked over the yarrow with our bare feet I told her I liked it. "ARE YOU KIDDING??? I HATE it! I can't get rid of it." was her response. I told her it was nice to walk on and smells good. Keeping it mowed low seemed to keep it feathery soft and walking on it released the pleasing aroma. I have heard snippets of people allowing whatever is indigenous to their area grow in as a ground cover to replace water guzzling lawns as a practice of green living. The light bulb just came on and we both just realized at the same time that instead of fighting to keep the lawn green maybe she should surrender to nature and LET her lawn go "green."

Sooo, anyway, I guess that though I don't have the whole "green- living" thing down yet, I am very encouraged to see it start happening around me. I know that as our culture becomes more green minded it will be easier to integrate it into my lifestyle and for that I am thankful!