11 ms·

People started to have short-grass lawns because they were pretending they were an estate house with livestock. That's a much worse waste of resources in my opi

by galago 5y ago

People started to have short-grass lawns because they were pretending they were an estate house with livestock. That's a much worse waste of resources in my opinion, because most Americans have forgotten why they were doing it. It a zombie affectation.

katzgrau 5y ago
I get a certain (artistic?) satisfaction in bringing order out of natural disorder. Trimmed bushes, groomed/edged lawn, mulched beds - can't all be a throwback to a bygone era, can it?
- zdragnar 5y ago
  Keeping short grass helps keep vermin away from the house. It is pleasing to walk on, shoes or barefoot. It has an orderly aesthetic. HOAs and city ordinances that measure the height of your grass to within a quarter of an inch are absurd, but letting your entire yard go wild isn't great either. My house is surrounded by forest and wild grassy areas, but we still keep a buffer of short grass at least 25' on all sides (with some ornamental bushes and a few select trees) and I wouldn't give it up for anything.
snth 5y ago
I don't believe this one. I guess it's possible it was originally true, but I don't think it's relevant now. I've lived in a house where we let the lawn go. It got very brushy and wasn't usable by us anymore. It was difficult to even walk though. AND, by that point it was too high to cut back into shape with a regular lawnmower. So I keep my lawn trimmed for the practical reason of wanting to use it.
- gbrown 5y ago
  Well, sure, if you have a lawn and stop maintaining it, the result will suck. That’s not the alternative though, which is environment appropriate landscaping. Out west that’s often succulents and hardscape. Where I live in the Midwest, that’s perennial flowers and prairie.
  - throwaway9870 5y ago
    You don't want that near your house unless you like pests and rodents.
    - gbrown 5y ago
      That’s overhyped. Keep your foundation clear and dry, and the wildlife will stay in the habitat you create. I live by a forest, and when we moved in the place was surrounded by sterile lawn. We had all sorts of german cockroaches crawling in, mouse damage in the garage, mice hiding in all the outdoor equipment, etc. Since then, I’ve been waging war on the lawn, and despite obvious vole activity in the various mulched areas, the pest situation in the home is better, if anything.
      - throwaway9870 5y ago
        I have a pasture 20ft from my barn and no way would I want that as close to my house as my turf is. Mice, ground hogs, ticks, a gazillion insects, ground hornets, all sorts of weeds including poison ivy, wild animal poop you can't see because the vegetation hides it, so you step in it. You can't walk through it in summer in shorts unless it is mowed like grass. Forget walking barefoot. What you describe is not replacing turf grass with pasture, which is what the parent described that I responded to.
throwaway9870 5y ago
Turf lawns started out being grazed, but very quickly transitioned into being maintained manually by humans. It took a while before became common because care was so time consuming and obviously expensive. A turf grass lawn is incredibly practical. It aids with the control of bugs and rodents, it is easy to walk and run in without twisting an ankle because of a hidden hole, it great for sports like soccer, bad mitten, corn hole etc. You don't lose everything you drop, you can walk through it without getting ticks on yourself (try walking through a pasture in the NE during the summer). You can throw a towel down and sunbath. Infants can learn how to walk on one and play with minimal risks. They are great for water fights with your kids in the heat of the summer. Turf lawns are incredibly useful. Back to the original point - the problem with shutters today on most houses is not they exist, but they are such a low-quality effort. Superfluous items can have a place in design, but at least make an effort and show an ounce of care. Here is a video showing a minor detail that can make a big difference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI3bC0mRp2o&t=301s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI3bC0mRp2o&t=301s
- joshspankit 5y ago
  “such a low-quality effort.” Exactly. To use the turf example: what if people started installing turf lawns that were lumpy, blotchy, brown, and uncomfortable to walk on just because the factory could pump that kind out faster? Based on the comment threads here, guaranteed some percentage of people would argue that those lawns have benefits and should continue to be produced.

by galago 5y ago

katzgrau 5y ago

I get a certain (artistic?) satisfaction in bringing order out of natural disorder. Trimmed bushes, groomed/edged lawn, mulched beds - can't all be a throwback to a bygone era, can it?

zdragnar 5y ago
Keeping short grass helps keep vermin away from the house. It is pleasing to walk on, shoes or barefoot. It has an orderly aesthetic. HOAs and city ordinances that measure the height of your grass to within a quarter of an inch are absurd, but letting your entire yard go wild isn't great either. My house is surrounded by forest and wild grassy areas, but we still keep a buffer of short grass at least 25' on all sides (with some ornamental bushes and a few select trees) and I wouldn't give it up for anything.

snth 5y ago

I don't believe this one. I guess it's possible it was originally true, but I don't think it's relevant now. I've lived in a house where we let the lawn go. It got very brushy and wasn't usable by us anymore. It was difficult to even walk though. AND, by that point it was too high to cut back into shape with a regular lawnmower. So I keep my lawn trimmed for the practical reason of wanting to use it.

gbrown 5y ago
Well, sure, if you have a lawn and stop maintaining it, the result will suck. That’s not the alternative though, which is environment appropriate landscaping. Out west that’s often succulents and hardscape. Where I live in the Midwest, that’s perennial flowers and prairie.
- throwaway9870 5y ago
  You don't want that near your house unless you like pests and rodents.
  - gbrown 5y ago
    That’s overhyped. Keep your foundation clear and dry, and the wildlife will stay in the habitat you create. I live by a forest, and when we moved in the place was surrounded by sterile lawn. We had all sorts of german cockroaches crawling in, mouse damage in the garage, mice hiding in all the outdoor equipment, etc. Since then, I’ve been waging war on the lawn, and despite obvious vole activity in the various mulched areas, the pest situation in the home is better, if anything.
    - throwaway9870 5y ago
      I have a pasture 20ft from my barn and no way would I want that as close to my house as my turf is. Mice, ground hogs, ticks, a gazillion insects, ground hornets, all sorts of weeds including poison ivy, wild animal poop you can't see because the vegetation hides it, so you step in it. You can't walk through it in summer in shorts unless it is mowed like grass. Forget walking barefoot. What you describe is not replacing turf grass with pasture, which is what the parent described that I responded to.

throwaway9870 5y ago

Turf lawns started out being grazed, but very quickly transitioned into being maintained manually by humans. It took a while before became common because care was so time consuming and obviously expensive. A turf grass lawn is incredibly practical. It aids with the control of bugs and rodents, it is easy to walk and run in without twisting an ankle because of a hidden hole, it great for sports like soccer, bad mitten, corn hole etc. You don't lose everything you drop, you can walk through it without getting ticks on yourself (try walking through a pasture in the NE during the summer). You can throw a towel down and sunbath. Infants can learn how to walk on one and play with minimal risks. They are great for water fights with your kids in the heat of the summer. Turf lawns are incredibly useful. Back to the original point - the problem with shutters today on most houses is not they exist, but they are such a low-quality effort. Superfluous items can have a place in design, but at least make an effort and show an ounce of care. Here is a video showing a minor detail that can make a big difference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI3bC0mRp2o&t=301s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI3bC0mRp2o&t=301s

joshspankit 5y ago
“such a low-quality effort.” Exactly. To use the turf example: what if people started installing turf lawns that were lumpy, blotchy, brown, and uncomfortable to walk on just because the factory could pump that kind out faster? Based on the comment threads here, guaranteed some percentage of people would argue that those lawns have benefits and should continue to be produced.