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What a sad ending. I used to live in Texas where the houses were all very similar, with mono-culture yards that required constant water, fertilizer, and mowing.
by sxates 9y ago
What a sad ending. I used to live in Texas where the houses were all very similar, with mono-culture yards that required constant water, fertilizer, and mowing.
I now live in the Bay Area, Oakland specifically, and something I've really come to appreciate here is the lack of any sort of ordinances like you've run into. In fact, having a green grass lawn is frowned upon for all the environmental reasons you call attention to. I bought a house in the Oakland Hills last year and we're surrounded by large trees, native grasses, ferns, and dozens of native or drought tolerant flora. Few of the yards are fenced in, which allow wildlife like deer, foxes, turkeys, coyotes to roam freely between the houses. The trees support dozens of different species of birds. And while there are tons of spiders too, very few mosquitoes. And this is still in a city! And do I have to water it? Fertilize it? Mow it? No. I have a crew come through once or twice a year to clear out overgrowth (required for wildfire safety) and that's all the maintenance that's required.
I really wish more places in our country would allow native plant life to thrive around our cities, we'd all be better for it.
- bluedino 9y agoYou should see all the empty lots where the houses burned down long ago in places like Flint. The lawns aren't mowed in the summers so they look like wheat fields and wildflowers grow like crazy. It's a traffic hazard as the intersections have no visibility, nobody will mow because people dump junk in the empty lots and you'll hit bricks or metal and ruin the mower.
- the8472 9y ago> It's a traffic hazard as the intersections have no visibility That does not sound like an argument against overgrown lawns but for speed limits and road designs that discourage fast driving. Here residential areas intentionally curve their roads so people can't drive fast because visibility is not all that great around house corners anyway.
- colinthompson 9y agoWelcome to the east bay hills! May I suggest a fun alternative to a standard gardening crew to clear your extra growth: http://goatsrus.com/contact.htm http://goatsrus.com/contact.htm From the sound of it, your yard/land is a great fit for their services :)
- sxates 9y agoI know some neighbors use them. Trouble with goats is they don't discriminate much about what they eat, and we do have some things in the garden we'd like to keep :)
- EGreg 9y agoI thought Texans love FREEDOM and SF was considered the epitome of environmental regulation -- but it seems in some areas the shoe is on the other foot!
- Houshalter 9y agoFreedom from the big government, tyranny from the small.
- bradknowles 9y agoIn Austin, xeriscaping is usually welcomed. And in our Firewise neighborhood, we give people a list of native plants that are more fire-resistant, in case they want them. We also do Home Ignition Zone inspections on a volunteer basis, to help them identify their biggest risk factors.