re: Lawns

Date:          Sat, 23 Jan 1999 21:08:11 -0800
To:            medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
From:          Katherine Pyle <kathpyle@ix.netcom.com>
Subject:       re: Lawns
Reply-to:      kathpyle@ix.netcom.com

>
>We complain bitterly when homeowner associations and
>neighborhood yard vigilantes try to stop us from gardening
>with drought-tolerant plants....  
>Then we turn around and try to eliminate their lawns.

I agree wholeheartedly.

>I think we should do this through persuasion and gentle
>education, not regulation. 

I and I think we should admit that there are times when nothing else can
really replace a good lawn. When I was growing up, we children played on
lawns a lot -- and for some activities, neither tarmac nor wood-chips nor a
sand pit nor wood deck nor packed dirt field nor cement sidewalk was nearly
as satisfactory. Especially for young children, a lawn is by far the nicest
surface to play on. 

If a family wants to put in a modest-size lawn for their kids to play on, I
think they ought to be allowed to do it...and not be penalized monitarily
for that action.

Katherine Pyle
Berkeley, California

Dear Katherine,

Lawns are fine if confined to just the space required for children's 
play but I do think they are much over-rated and that we have been 
culturally conditioned to them by history and the agro-chemical 
companies. Surprisingly millions of children right now in Spain, 
Italy, Greece, Portugal, southern France - all Developed Nations, not 
Third World countries are playing on non-grass surfaces and none will 
require years of greensward counselling and lawn therapy to turn them 
out as normal, well adjusted citizens. Heaven knows some might just 
emigrate to the US or Australia! And they will acclimatize perfectly 
well without acres of decorative grass. 

trevor n

-----------------
Trevor Nottle
Garden Writer, Historian,     
Lecturer and Comsultant 
       
    'Walnut Hill'                          
     5 Walker St       
     Crafers SA 5152 
     AUSTRALIA

Phone: +618 83394210
Fax:   +618 83394210
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