The Modern Lawn

The other day I was visiting a friend of mine who runs a garden center near here. He is 80 years old and a joy to be with. We were talking about he “Olden Days”. Something I do more than I used to.

With the severe drought and hot weather we have had in Northern Illinois we are seeing long established trees dying and shrubs drying up. There will be a huge replanting boom for those of us in the business.

I hate to see a tree die. None in my yard are (except one).

One offshoot of the drought is the grass. The city of Chicago has given up trying to keep the grass green. Keep the trees and shrubs alive and let the grass go brown. Good policy.

The only thing in our lawn that’s still green is the clover. You know, that low growing stuff, little white pom poms for flowers.

In the late 40’s and 50’s people planted clover for their lawns. You never have to mow it. It stays green all summer. It kills out any other plants (weeds). It’s pretty if you like that kind of thing. And if you look hard enough you just might find a 4 leafer and your luck will change.

In Ellendale where I grew up there were several lawns that were pure clover. My friend at the garden center still sells a fair amount of clover seed to people who have begun putting in clover lawns again.

So, lets see, a weed free lawn, never turns brown, never needs mowing and is all green all year long. Why don’t we all have clover lawns? I’ll tell you why.

2-4D. I remember when it was introduced in the 50s. It was a miracle. Spray it on your crops and all the mustard goes away.

This article helps understand why The Modern Lawn. you see in commercials isn’t such a good thing. Those boys in shorts bragging about their perfect lawns in the Scott’s commercials aren’t doing themselves or anyone else any good. It always irritates me.

I love diversity in my lawn. My wife Peggy loves it less than I do. Give me 40 or 50 various things growing in among the grass and I’m happy. She likes grass.

Well, it’s not normal. I’m not some organic nut. I spray roundup and I kill dandelions with 2-4D in a spot application. But the years we had Chem-Lawn come around and make our lawn a uniculture I think were bad years.

Grass wasn’t meant to be green all year long. Dormancy is a good thing. Grass shouldn’t be just one kind.

The chemicals we treat out lawns with are not harmless.

Oh by the way, we no longer have clover lawns because 2-4D came in and it killed the clover when you sprayed for weeds in your grass.

So, now we have GRASS as far as the eye can see except at the Redlins. I keep reclaiming the sod for perennial beds a little at a time. Eventually we won’t have to mow at all.

I’m looking over, a 4-leaf clover that I’d overlooked before………….