Re: The lawn.....grass patch.......meadow

It's time to get the lawn mower out but it's all still too wet to cut. We have had the season of  Celandines for this year and that was what started me off in the first place with selective cutting.....when in an earlier year  directed the mower around the Celandine patches and left them to grow  until their season was over. Have done the same with Cuckoo flower which is now blossoming again and will be left to grow to seedtime, and various other meadow flowers...when I can spot them in time.....have not  yet brought myself to the point of leaving one area totally uncut but the experiment could be made.....

Hi John

I left the bottom bit of one lawn last year due to it being covered in dandelions and in the rest of the lawn i mowed around patches of clover..i've never seen so many bees.

On the subject of grass,  Does any one else believe as i do, that grass on road verges if left to go to seed

would benefit our wild birds as well as look beautiful.

I think its Leeds where they are experimenting with meadow flowers on the verges.

I saw this on the telly and it seemed a success for bees etc. they also did this with some lawned areas

Ray

I think this is the programme , Ray.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00p28yk Sarah Raven did well in getting some councils to experiment with wild flowers on verges.

One thing I noticed on my recent trip to Spain was how much more wild flowers they have there. Here it's 90% grass and little else.

Even when you do see grass it's mixed and provides plenty of seed for wildlife

Thats the one Cheers

 Ray

Hi John I saw this post and it reminded me of one a year or so back and I entered this to the thread .  It's still the same HEE!HEE! 

GOD:
Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, milkweeds 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 colours 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 sensitive to 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 bale 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 it will grow. And, 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 aren't 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. It's a natural cycle 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 to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS:
After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They 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. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?

ST. CATHERINE:
'Dumb and Dumber', Lord. It's a story about....

GOD:
Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

I'm sorry but I could not resist posting this again on here, it made me laugh and made me think!!!

Regards Mick

LOL that is brilliant Mick..and so true.

Very thought provoking, all so very true.

Mick, this just proves how daft us humans are. Thanks for posting this, makes you think eh.

here's my lawn lol