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As a kid, I had more fun playing in untamed woods and patches at the edge of the property where plants did their own thing than I ever did on dried out, razor-s

As a kid, I had more fun playing in untamed woods and patches at the edge of the property where plants did their own thing than I ever did on dried out, razor-sharp summer grass. Kids aren’t too picky about what they play in. They’ll make do with anything.

mikkelam 5y ago
Yeah good luck keeping plants with kids running around kicking a soccer ball
- bilbo0s 5y ago
  True. Keeping native plants looking like the ones pictured in the article is nigh impossible with children. Keeping a perfectly manicured lawn is also impossible. Which looks best? I don't know? Neither is great in all honesty. I think at some point if we have lots of kids running around a neighborhood we should be willing to accept the fact that some lawns, whether grass or plants, will just look janky.
  - pvaldes 5y ago
    The picture is not a good example. Those plants are clumps of Hosta and ferns. This is the quintessential dapple shadow and deep shadow stuff. They probably could not grow a good lawn there, even if they tried. This plants would get dormant and dissapear into the ground from October to March so will support children trotting around as good as any law for half of the year at least.
  - jandrese 5y ago
    If your goal is the softest and greenest grass in the neighborhood then yeah, it requires a lot of work and resources. If your goal is just to prevent bare dirt for erosion purposes then grass is pretty easy to maintain, even with moderate traffic like running children. Just cut it back every week or two and the lawn will more or less take care of itself.
- aeharding 5y ago
  If your city properly prioritizes parks and makes them safe and easy for everyone to walk to, they're better for field games than a backyard anyways. Unfortunately children in the US aren't given a lot of freedom to explore and develop independence in public spaces, but that's a whole other issue. [1] And planting native vegetation isn't black and white. You can still have a lawn with plenty of native vegetation. [1] https://youtu.be/ul_xzyCDT98 https://youtu.be/ul_xzyCDT98
  - frumper 5y ago
    Parks in my city are filled with encampments. They don’t even attempt to make them safe anymore.
- lolsal 5y ago
  Instead of trying to do the things they are used to in a new environment, they could try doing new things in their new environment - like gardening, playing with bugs, building playscape for their toys, etc. Lots of things to do besides trying to do the same thing.
- Retric 5y ago
  Clover for example is fine with kids running around on top of it. Even grass gets killed off in high traffic areas, but the random walking around kids do in a back yard has a wide range of viable options.
hughrr 5y ago
Yeah this. We blew stuff up, made shelters, camped out and climbed up trees. The grass, asphalt and concrete was hot and boring.

mikkelam 5y ago

Yeah good luck keeping plants with kids running around kicking a soccer ball

bilbo0s 5y ago
True. Keeping native plants looking like the ones pictured in the article is nigh impossible with children. Keeping a perfectly manicured lawn is also impossible. Which looks best? I don't know? Neither is great in all honesty. I think at some point if we have lots of kids running around a neighborhood we should be willing to accept the fact that some lawns, whether grass or plants, will just look janky.
- pvaldes 5y ago
  The picture is not a good example. Those plants are clumps of Hosta and ferns. This is the quintessential dapple shadow and deep shadow stuff. They probably could not grow a good lawn there, even if they tried. This plants would get dormant and dissapear into the ground from October to March so will support children trotting around as good as any law for half of the year at least.
- jandrese 5y ago
  If your goal is the softest and greenest grass in the neighborhood then yeah, it requires a lot of work and resources. If your goal is just to prevent bare dirt for erosion purposes then grass is pretty easy to maintain, even with moderate traffic like running children. Just cut it back every week or two and the lawn will more or less take care of itself.
aeharding 5y ago
If your city properly prioritizes parks and makes them safe and easy for everyone to walk to, they're better for field games than a backyard anyways. Unfortunately children in the US aren't given a lot of freedom to explore and develop independence in public spaces, but that's a whole other issue. [1] And planting native vegetation isn't black and white. You can still have a lawn with plenty of native vegetation. [1] https://youtu.be/ul_xzyCDT98 https://youtu.be/ul_xzyCDT98
- frumper 5y ago
  Parks in my city are filled with encampments. They don’t even attempt to make them safe anymore.
lolsal 5y ago
Instead of trying to do the things they are used to in a new environment, they could try doing new things in their new environment - like gardening, playing with bugs, building playscape for their toys, etc. Lots of things to do besides trying to do the same thing.
Retric 5y ago
Clover for example is fine with kids running around on top of it. Even grass gets killed off in high traffic areas, but the random walking around kids do in a back yard has a wide range of viable options.

hughrr 5y ago

Yeah this. We blew stuff up, made shelters, camped out and climbed up trees. The grass, asphalt and concrete was hot and boring.