"Why Mow" and "Turf War"

Hi everyone,

We enjoyed a nice summertime discussion this week on two articles about the Great American Lawn--“Turf War” by Elizabeth Kolbert and “Why Mow?” by Michael Pollan. We found the cultural history of the lawn very interesting…how lawns originally only belonged to the gentry in Europe (mostly England), but in the U.S., with improvements in irrigation and the invention of the lawn mower, lawns became an essential part of a uniquely American approach to landscape gardening. Pollan and Kolbert make much of the symbolism of the lawn—the democratizing influence of a carpet of green that connects neighborhoods, the monoculture that reflects the conformity of suburban life, the tightly controlled landscape that perhaps reflects our relationship to nature. They also discussed the environmental impacts of fertilizers, pesticides, and water use.

We all had plenty of our own lawn experiences to share, from childhood recollections of flower-filled lawns and lying on soft grass, to adult debates on how to break free of the dominance of the lawn. We all acknowledged a lawn’s usefulness as a playing space, and generally agreed that there was no need to apply all kinds of fertilizer, pesticides and water. Many people described slowly converting lawn space over the years to borders, flower beds, trees, wild meadows and vegetable gardens. The word “reclaiming” was used for this process more than once, perhaps reflecting the idea that a lawn often doesn’t feel like it’s ours. Usually it was the developer who decided to put down turf because it was the easiest, cheapest, quickest thing to do. Planting a garden can feel like reclaiming something that was supposed to be yours in the first place, and making your own choices about beauty and usefulness in your own home.

Have something to say about lawns? Click where it says the number of comments at the bottom of this post, below the signature.

Next reading is also about something you can find in your backyard—bees! Check out the schedule in the sidebar.

Happy Reading!

July Lewis