GOD'S TAKE ON LAWNS - I think this has been posted in other (gardenweb) forums here. Let me begin by saying "To me Grass is a perennial weed That invades my vegetable garden". :-) This may be a good time of year to re-visit this conversation... ************************************************************** GOD'S TAKE ON LAWNS: Imagine the conversation The Creator might have had with St. Francis on the subject of lawns: God: Hey St. Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there in the Midwest? (or Quebec) What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect "no maintenance" garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles. St. Francis: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass. God: Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there? St. Francis: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn. God: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy. St. Francis: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it... sometimes twice a week. God: They cut it? Do they then bail it like hay? St. Francis: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags. God: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it? St. Francis: No Sir. Just the opposite. They pay to throw it away. God: Now let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away? St. Francis: Yes, Sir. God: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work. St. Francis: You are not going to believe this Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it. God: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life. St. Francis: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away. God: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose? St. Francis: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. The haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves. God: And where do they get this mulch? St. Francis: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch. God: Enough. I don't want to think about this anymore. Sister Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight? Sister Catherine: "Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's a real stupid movie about..... God: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

Realtor told my sister that her rose garden, perennial beds, blueberry patch, vegetable garden - all hindrances to selling because people worried about upkeep. She's 81 and did it all single handed but the purchasers have found they can't keep up with it and it has mostly gone back to weeds or is mowed. When we sold my parents' home, the first thing the buyers did was yank out the double lilac hedge along the road - now they get all the dust and noise from the traffic which, presumably, was what they wanted! They also mowed down all the roses and ditto the perennial beds. Lawn was what they wanted and cropped weeds was what they got. They did leave the Hopa crab in front which still stops traffic every spring but they mowed into oblivion the mat of grape hyacinths under it. Just as my neighbors carefully mowed a big swatch of primroses down by the stream until they had eradicated every one. Those primroses needed no care - just not to be mowed. But they had to go anyway. The same neighbors tried to eradicate the crocus in the front lawn but most of them were too small to hit the mower blades. What's with this obsession with grass?

I have seen monarchs all year around here. Polydamas have returned finally after few months of being gone. I saw one giant swallowtail visting the garden. As well as zebra longwing and gulf fritillary butterflies. I am hoping to see the Queens this year as well as Tiger Swallowtail. I am in Saint Petersburg, FL.

RIGHT????????? At the very least, they should let us regulars load up for free instead of shipping it out! I've got 1 1/4 acre that can be covered in compost! Also, this is a very AG area, and it could be piped to many farms in the area, but not sure if it's mixed in with the dump stuff. I think I'll write a letter to the editor with this suggestion! Nancy