My next-door neighbor has an unconventional approach to gardening: it’s a weird juxtaposition of complete neglect* and *meticulous “landscaping” (sorry it’s a little blurry, I had to lean out of a second-floor window and zoom to get the pic). The formation of stones you see is toward the rear of here property, and the land between PebbleHenge and her house, that used to be a lawn, is completely overgrown and looks more like a meadow or a new hay field than a suburban back yard. No rats or other vermin so far (at least I haven’t seen any, or signs thereof.) I’m vacillating between annoyance and amusement.
She hasn’t mowed even once, and a couple weeks ago she was out there with a Rototiller, so I figured she was going to re-plant the lawn. Why not, right? Seems normal enough. Except she didn’t till the whole yard - just a rectangular patch. OK, maybe she’s going to plant a vegatable garden. Seems a bit shady, and it will attract pests, but normal enough again. But she doesn’t plant. Then she’s out there making her Quad larger. Now she’s arranged PebbleHenge. I hope she does something about the rest of her yard.
I’m thinking about sneaking over there under cover of darkness one night and re-arranging here stones in a pentagram.
I’ve never quite worked out why people get annoyed like this at what others do with their own property, especially when, by their own admission, they have to “lean out of a second-floor window” to even get a view of the dastardly scene.
I would bet it’s a dowsing labyrinth (randomly Googled link that seems related to what I’m talking about).
Don’t ask me how I know this, but the idea is that you dowse for water, place the crossed center of the labyrinth at the dowsed point, and create the labyrinth around it. Then, when you walk the labyrinth from outer rim to the center as a meditative exercise, it’s supposed to make you at peace with the universe and shit…
Firstly, please don’t take my comments out of context and then try to use them to somehow implicate me. It’s very trite, and rather boorish.
Secondly, I’ll tell you why Iget annoyed, though I can’t speak for anyone else. Like a lot of other people, I didn’t have shit growing up. I lived in 2nd and 3rd floor apartments and never had a yard. So, to me, having a nice house with a nice yard is a precious accomplishment, and when I see people that have it but don’t appreciate it, that offends my sensibilities. Not so much that I’d charge over there with a godamned lawnmower under cover of darkness, but enough so that I’d post a slightly tongue-in-cheek thread about it on my favorite message board. Plus, a meadow will harbor all kinds of pests, including rats, which have been a problem in the neighborhood in the past (granted it’s been a couple of years, and there was construction nearby which cased the problem, but still). And I don’t like having rats about.
So, mhendo, I would respectfully ask that you take your incredulousness elsewhere.
It also affects the appearance of the neighborhood and can affect property values. I know that when I was looking for a house, I decided against several on the basis of what the neighbors’ yards looked like. The house I ended up buying was one of the nicer ones I looked at, but in addition, it is a well maintained neighborhood. The occassional yard will get a bit overgrown, but usually it’s taken care of in a couple of weeks when that happens. But for the most part you can tell people care about the appearance of their homes, and that makes a big difference when you try to sell your house.
I understand the - uh - frustration that one experiences when their neighbor’s ideas of landscaping differ vastly from one’s own. But I wanted to suggest the possibility that she may well be “appreciating” her yard every bit as much as you, tho in a different manner. Tho they are not my cup of tea, many people sing the praises of labyrinths for meditation and the like. And a wildflower garden can be as attractive in its own way as an English cottage garden. To my eyes, wildflowers/prairie plants are generally more attractive - and definitely healthier for the environment - than a sterile manicured lawn. But I can definitely appreciate a nice patch of grass for tossing the baseball or spreading the picnic blanket.
Of course, a natural/native landscape is vastly different - and requires considerably more investment - than simply throwing away your lawnmower…
Are you sure of this? I agree that a meadow will likely support more wildlife than a lawn. And I’m sure some rodents will live there in addition to the birds and bugs. But do you have a basis for believing that natural landscaping increases the rat population? (I’m not saying that I know it will not, because I don’t know.)
Hey, don’t get me wrong - I’m digging the labarinth. To each his own and all that, but I do think there’s a distinction between “cultivating a natural landscape” and “neglecting your lawn”. This is a suburban back yard, and no amount of hippy-talk is going to convince me that not mowing the lawn is somehow good for Gaia. And this ain’t no English Country Cottage. Like you said, Dins, there’s more to cultivating a “natural environment” than not mowing.
Also, it bears mention that I am on friendly, neighborly terms with this woman, and always greet her with a friendly “Hi, neighbor!” or “Hi, Ellen!”. We’ve talked over the fence many times, I’ve invited her to our Forth of July Party in a couple weeks, she gave my daughter a strawberry plant for us to plant, etc. It’s all very congenial.
For the record, the local Board of Health in your city or town should be able to confirm that an unkept pasture may invite rats.
