I hate to be a Karen, but why is there that one house on your block that never cuts their grass?

To be fair, lawns are an ecological disaster. They’re also terrible for mental health, child development, and overall well-being due to the noise generated by the machines that maintain them.

When I see front yards like this, I am grateful.

Unless you know the story, “just shut up and never mind”. (Your own words). It’s probably not hurting anyone. If they have a history of having their property be pristine, it might be a kindness to knock on their door and see if everything is OK.

@hat I never knew they were bad for mental health and child development? Oh no gosh now what do I do?
@canidmajor I really did think of that but then I thought that might offend them. I don’t want to do that :(

Could be multiple reasons, one it might e a rental property and the renters could care less,2 it could be health reasons maybe the person had a heart attack or something,3 could be money issues maybe the lawnmower broke down and can’t afford to replace it. Just some reasons there could be many more.

I absolutey love natural meadows, and I absolutely hate it when they cut the grass almost down to the soil.
Especially during summer, when the cut lawns promptly turn into a flat, brown, and dead wasteland.

@ragingloli I lived in the city all my life and don’t even know what it would be like to live in the out-lands. Where the farms and stuff is.

@RayaHope: “Oh no gosh now what do I do?”

In the US? Nothing you can do. Lawns are a large part of US culture and identity. Like most things we do, we are dedicated to expediting environmental destruction and perpetuating human misery.

However, it might help you view your scruffy neighbors in a better light, which seems better for you and them.

@hat You are sounding so smart and thoughtful. I’m gonna follow your lead and leave well enough alone. I don’t want to start anything bad.

Think about how insects, birds, reptiles, amphibians and small mammals can thrive in those weeds. They need protection from predators and safe places to nest. This helps the ecosystem and directly improves your life – for example, if you like songbirds, these enjoy a rich insect life.

@longgone WOW I never even thought of that. I’m telling my mom to stop cutting the grass. I love birds and butterflies. When I see a cardinal I was told that means a relative that has passed away is checking up on me! I like that :)

Probably me; my riding lawn mower has been in and out of repair shop, not always running when it got back to me, since JULY TWENTIETH 2022 ! !

Oh it threw a drive belt for mower deck yesterday in backyard.

^^ If I knew it was your yard I’d come down with my push mower and cut it for you:) But I do like the wildlife that may use your yard so maybe leaving it to grow is the best thing to do.

I live in a place with rules so it can only get so out of control. We do have neighbors around with weeds out of control, but rarely is a lawn very tall.

@JLeslie Some of the weeds crawl over the sidewalk when I walk by but I just jump over them.

Wildlife include mommy deer and fawns, King snake, three different kinds of skink lizards, Mississippi Kite, bluebirds, wrens, three kinds of woodpecker, humming birds, bunnies and gray squirrels with a bright red tails !

^^Oh that reminds me, I was walking down the road and saw three baby deer and the mom right on the other side of the road. Just standing there eating grass. A car even passed and they stayed right where they were.

I grant @hat 1 billion GAs, and have nothing more to add.

@RayaHope My neighbor behind me infected my lawn with onion grass. I have not successfully gotten rid of it all in my lawn. It’s annoying.

@JLeslie I don’t know what onion grass is but if I knew how to get rid of it I’d let you know. We have a lot of Oak trees in my area and I found out that I’m allergic to them and some kind of grass called Blue grass.

@RayaHope Wild garlic my neighbor has a yard full, every Spring I go out and dig up any areas with and throw them on the driveway. He has hundreds and every Spring I dig a dozen at most !

^^ Oh, maybe that is the kinda strong smell I smell sometimes cutting the grass. I guess it does smell like onions a little. Maybe we have that too. I’m not sure?

Onion and garlic are similar. You have to put pre-emergent down just at the right time, and I haven’t figured it out. The weather is changing now, probably now is the time, I should look into it again. It seems like spring would be more important.

Not on my block. I hear about it though. The closest I came was when a neighbor decided to have a vegetable garden in the front yard. It didn’t happen.

I’m sorry but there is nothing wrong with keeping a lawn.

“terrible for mental health, child development, and overall well-being due to the noise generated by the machines that maintain them” What a crock, I don’t recall any childhood trauma from hearing a lawn mower. Give me a f’ing break. I’ll go a step further. Not having a yard space where kids can run and play is detrimental to their overall well-being. They way they build houses and multi-family dwellings now leaves little consideration to this space and kids just end up inside in front of a screen. I have seen first hand what happens when you finally introduce kids to a green space outside…they go play in it.

Also, you can keep an ecologically healthy lawn. I don’t use grass seed of any kind. My lawn is all natural plants with some grasses from adjacent lawns. It attracts bees like crazy because of all the small wildflowers and it looks fine.

@RayaHope Circumstances sometimes keep people from getting to such things. While it may be laziness, it could be other serious things. Regardless, unkempt lawn usually is a symptom of something else.

See the part in this link title The NO – MOW MOVEMENT
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/more-sustainable-and-beautiful-alternatives-grass-lawn

I asked my mom about this and she told me that where we live they have a law or ordinance? that states that a lawn can’t be more than 6 inches tall I think. I never though they made such laws?

@RayaHope Yeah, local towns or HOAs (Home Owner Associations) often have rules and regs like that. An alternative to grass lawns these days, that I feel is a wonderful idea is a clover lawn. https://cloverlawn.org/
I am starting to seed my front yard with this is in mind, and a few friends have already done it. It stays pretty short, is drought resistant, requires no mowing, is low maintenance, and is a haven for the critters and beasties we want to protect, while still being acceptable to most groups.

I have a small front lawn that I never water, and only mow with a reel (pushy-spinny, no power) mower, and I still want to switch. Do some serious research on this and maybe your mom could be convinced to try it.

What looks shabby to some may look lovely and natural to others.

@canidmajor That is a lovely idea, I will have my mom look into this. maybe I won’t have to mow anymore :)

We gave up on our lawn awhile ago. It’s not a foot high. But it’s pretty crunchy.

We live in California.
Droughts are a thing.

@raum Oh, I’ve heard you guys are living in a desert. Seems like that part of the country is always burning somewhere :(

We don’t have an HOA, but what we have is basically the same. What I don’t understand is why my 55 and up community doesn’t have lawn care included in the monthly fee. Some people here actually say they want to take care of their lawn, which makes no sense to me. They could still garden and do their landscaping.

When lawn care is included the lawn gets cut for the entire block all on the same day. Just one day of lawn noise a week in the summer, not 3 or 5, because everyone uses a different service. Theoretically it should be cheaper for everyone if there is a big contract. No worries about weeds in your neighbors lawn getting into yours. The lawn care company doesn’t have to worry about property lines. Not as much anyway.

@JLeslie That would make a lot of sense, noisy mowers on only one day a week.

We don’t have a lawn. When we bought the house, the lot was unfinished. Mrs Squeeky said she didn’t want grass, so she designed a xeriscape yard. It took four years to complete and has been fantastic, lots of shrubs, bushes, cement patios, white lime stone covering, and requires very little maintenance. We have timed trickle water timers on the shrubs and bushes. We could leave for a month and it would be fine.

@JLeslie I have known people that are “yard fanatics “. They must have all the stripes going the same way, create checker board appearances, etc. A friend of mine’s husband mowed every other day to keep the stripes noticeable. It boggles the mind.

@hat Lawns are especially bad here in drought-stricken California. For many suburban homes, lawn-watering can constitute as much as 80% of a water bill. Some places, like San Diego, have been paying people to remove their lawns. A common practice where I live is to simply let the lawn die in the summer, as grass naturally does here. It will be green again in the winter. I don’t know anyone who complains about that, though I’m sure some find it unsightly.

Unfortunately, what I am seeing more here is people removing their lawns and replacing them with plastic turf lawns. I don’t see how it could be “green” to put in a lawn that will end up in a landfill some day. Just plant some drought tolerant plants. Plastic lawns are something I admittedly can get a little judgy and “Karen-y” about. Lol. In places like Las Vegas and Phoenix, people often have rocks in their front yard because a lawn can simply be unworkable in a hot, desert climate like that. It would be nice if we adapted more to the climate we live in instead of trying to make disparate climates all the same. What works in Ohio doesn’t necessarily work in Nevada, etc.

@Demosthenes: “Unfortunately, what I am seeing more here is people removing their lawns and replacing them with plastic turf lawns.”

When I lived in CA in 96/97, I recall seeing a handful of front “yards” that were just paved but painted green.

Where I live lawns are mostly natural. Like clover lawns. Mine is clover, wildflowers, moss and other plants including some grass. If you leave a lot alone, there will be grass and wildflowers followed by small trees. In certain parts of the country a lawn is just a kept up meadow. You don’t need to water it or do anything other than cut it back. It’s a practical thing to do. Not so much in the desert where it’s an artificial feature propped up by irrigation.

Yeah, I don’t have any issue with lawns in general, or lawns in parts of the country where the climate is appropriate for them. My problem is really just about water usage. I think lawns look nice. I just don’t think they’re right for the dry climate I live in. I like the idea of a “natural” lawn that doesn’t require as much maintenance, chemicals, and noise, though.

I am not sure what it’s like in Tennessee, but here in New England suburbs, we are looking at prolonged exposure to very loud noise pollution many months of the year. You can’t be outside at your house many days of the week, and have to close all of the windows – even during hot summer days – just to minimize the sound. It’s constant. I envy those of you that don’t experience this.

But yes, the research is quite extensive on the effects of noise pollution on childhood development (and adult well being). You’re pushing back on this because you feel defensive. I promise you, you’ll feel less defensive if you were to spend a few minutes doing a little research. This is new to you.

@chyna Ok, so that OCD man wouldn’t like a community that includes lawn care. Worth noting that in Florida most grasses you can’t see the mow lines like you can up north. Maybe Mr. OCD will relax a bit when he’s older and it’s more difficult to care for his lawn. Especially, when you have to mow 10 months a year (here where I live) or 12 months a year (South Florida).

I actually identify a little, because I like vacuuming and seeing the lines, but I don’t make any sort of specific pattern. Maybe if I wasn’t a magnet for biting and stinging insects I would enjoy the lawn more.

I do my own lawn treatment for pests, fertilizer, and weeds, just not the cutting.