Our lawn, in Westerville, Ohio, is the only one in our neighborhood that is not "Chem-lawned". We get some odd looks from passing neighbors but mostly positive remarks about our terraced garden front yard of Ohio native plants and the Glade which is our wooded backyard.
Your posting of the speedwell, the Bees, the soil,the rain, and the human crouching down made me want to sing the chorus..." and the green grass grew all around, all around. The green grass grew all around".
Susan, the Glade. That's a yard with a name, which means it's a yard with an identity, and I love that for you and for every creature that has found its way there! The odd looks from neighbors are just people who haven't crouched down yet. Here's hoping they figure it out and come in as your backup singers.
This felt like listening to a sermon in church. Only maybe better than listening to a sermon in church. Nearly 15 years ago, I found a book in the library about replacing front lawns with more diverse gardens. It wasn't such a common idea then. I brought it home with me and shared it enthusiastically with my husband. We'd just bought a house in a suburban town, and to him the idea was preposterous. Now, we live in a city neighborhood. That house, too, had a front lawn when I bought it, but it doesn't now. It's a mix of natives and other kinds of plants that I probably wouldn't choose now. My knowledge and understanding is evolving; it's nice that the garden can evolve with it. I so appreciate writing like this, that helps me with that growing I need to do.
Rita, a sermon you can opt out of any time and no collection plate at the end? I'll take that as the highest possible praise. (I'll also admit that at first I was afraid I had come off as preachy!) What I love most here is that you're taking the opportunity to learn and...grow! A garden is a good teacher, I'm sure you'd agree. Fifteen years of evolving, and a lawnless yard to prove it. Well done! So grateful for your presence here.
Naughty rabbit!! But this plant obviously served ‘him’ well too, so we can’t really complain. ‘Weeds’ are such a funny thing. Things that grow where we don’t want them to grow. We have glorious vivid yellow-flowering wattles here in Australia that are deemed weeds in some areas and are just a total joy in others. And then there’s serrated tussock which takes over paddocks and leaves animals starving as there’s absolutely no nutritional value in its foliage. Nature’s a funny thing. We just need to understand how to work best with it because it will always win out in the end. Another lovely read. Thanks so much.
Beth, you wrapped up the whole essay with the wattles and the tussock (they sound like children's book characters!) Context is everything, isn't it? And yes, the rabbit was only doing what the system designed him to do. I can't really argue with that, even if my hyssop can.
Two summers ago, hubby and I decided to remove the grass from our front yard because it just didn't do well....and who likes just plain grass anyway!? So now we have a lovely spring garden, (if the rabbits and squirrels don't eat them all!), and a summer and fall garden filled with echinacea, hosta, and other plants and shrubs that the pollinators love to visit!
My sister told me that years ago, when she and her husband had moved to a new house, she had to figure out what to do in the garden. Since she knew very little about gardening at that time, she told her hubby that she didn't know what was a weed and knew not which plants to pull up. He told her to keep the plants that she liked and to 'weed' the ones she didn't like! LOL!
I leave dandelions in the back yard for the pollinators just until they start to seed, (and I use some leaves in my salads before they bloom!).
Milkweed and mullien used to be one of those native plants that people would always pull up as weeds! I love them! And I let them grow wherever they come up in my garden! Looking forward to seeing them again this year!
So many 'weeds' and native plants are not only beautiful, they are also medicinal. Their medecine has been used for centuries...but unfortunately many have forgotten the properties which these plants hold (and some have deliberately pushed them aside...but that is for another essay!)
Jeannine, your brother-in-law's advice to keep what you like and weed what you don't is more sophisticated than it sounds. That's a relationship with a garden rather than a project to be managed, and look where it led your sister.
Your salads with young dandelion leaves are like the knowledge that got packed into someone's pocket four centuries ago and carried across an ocean. You're living the essay. I love that for you, for the pollinators, for the planet. Thank you!
John, "it's habitat." Those two words say what your neighbor's putting green doesn't. I'd love to know which speedwell you're seeing over there; the European origins of this one mean it may well have made the same crossing your ancestors did, just considerably earlier. And purple dead nettle in spring is an underappreciated gift—that color against all the green is glorious. Let me know if you want my chickweed pesto recipe sometime (but you have to be unafraid of garlic). Thanks for the comment.
I love garlic in moderation! Purple dead nettle and miner's lettuce (you might not have that one) are edible too, the latter being a source of vitamin C for Native Americans and later, miners.
I'm a first generation immigrant, and as far as I know I didn't bring it!
That first paragraph? The description of the speedwell? Poetry. I am not a gardener and I have long been confused by what is categorized as a weed. It seems to include beautiful plants. And hardy ones. Like dandelions, which I find lovely and delightful. No chemicals in our yard, which is more an untamed wild area than a yard. The deer like it, and so do we.
Gosh, Wendy -- I'd say an untamed wild area where the deer feel welcome is exactly the right kind of yard *if* I didn't struggle so with the voracious and indiscriminate appetites of our local deer. 😅
"Weeds" have always been more judgment than anything else, best I can tell. Something growing where someone else decided it didn't belong. I understand that some are invasive, and I curse those when they're running rampant. But many come with their own kinds of pedigree and beauty.
Your dandelions clearly found the right address. Thank you so much for being there, and here.
I can see where gardening on purpose and voracious deer could be a contentious pairing. 😊 I'm glad I'm not invested and can view them as welcome visitors. The native plants seem to make them happy. And I am very, very glad you're here, too. ❤️
Sounds like you are equally Bay Wise, my friend Elizabeth. A weed is only a weed to some, not all, right? I wholly agree and think little Speed Well is adorable, useful and could/should probably perhaps be put to use instead of the chemical concoctions we are turning to? Is it utilized anywhere, did you research that? Rumor has it that the native Americans used willow to cure headaches, now imagine that on the label of your aspirin bottle...
Always creative. The only thing I miss about living on a boat is a garden. Thrilling things, they are. ~J
Yes, Janice! Willow on an aspirin bottle would raise some eyebrows. The truth is we've been borrowing from the natural pharmacy for generations, but there's not enough money or control in that for those who want to profit of the health industry.
Speedwell does have a history of medicinal uses -- to treat coughs and other respiratory ailments, as a diuretic and to promote wound healing. I'm sure that's why it ended up here. As for whether it's being put to use now, that's a rabbit hole I haven't gone down yet, but my guess is that for the herbalists among us, it is indispensable.
My first garden (if you could call it that) was aboard -- lots of herbs in pots. It was a bear when we were underway. 😬
Thank you, Miss Janice. Hope you're even closer to your end goal this week!!
What an unexpected surprise to read this essay - and I’m thrilled to play a bit part in it!!
Your bunnies must be way more voracious than the ones in my yard ! Mine wait to eat every tender vegetable seedling that emerges , but leave the other plants alone ( for the most part)
Like you , I share a fascination and admiration for those plants that most people try to eliminate from their yards : anything that survives my pogrom against the turf grass is okay with me !
Melody, a bit part? You sent me home with so many plants, and the spine of an essay. I'd call that a leading role. The rabbit in my yard appears to have calmed down since noshing on those first few leaves. Maybe it just needed to sample the newcomer.
I got most everything else in the ground before this soaking rain moved in. Feeling hopeful! Thank you for everything and for all you do!
I used to follow my neighbors’ example of picking up sticks and taking them to the landfill. Then I applied for the Bay Wise certification, part of which is to maintain a woodpile. After convincing myself that it wouldn’t be an eyesore, and then convincing my wife, we now have a beautiful woodpile…and the Bay Wise sign.
I like seeing the rabbits, and leave them to their own devices, but they cease to be cute when I go out of a morning and see an entire row of blossomless stems on which there had been beautiful blossoms the evening before.
I had no idea about the woodpile, Darrell - how interesting! I might need to look into the certification myself. Looking over the requirements, it looks like we can check most boxes. The rabbits, and the squirrels, and the deer need a return of natural predators. But foxes and coyotes are unlikely to gain a foothold here in the booming metropolis of St. Michaels. 😅
I need a Melody and an Elizabeth and someone to stand on the sidewalk while I pull the weeds - which otherwise... aren't going to be pulled. The "Insurance Hypothesis" is very interesting. I hadn't heard that phrase before, so thank you for the introduction. It leads me to awkward but logical conclusions when we think about it at larger scale. But at the level of the ecosystem or local biodiversity... this redundancy is pretty amazing to contemplate. (I do love Wilson's writing.)
A beautiful piece, Elizabeth, one that is full of quiet and calm... and takes the art of "seeing" to a new level. Great final lines: "When conditions grow too harsh, I offer a hand, just as I’d want someone to do for me. We are travelers among travelers, threading our way across disturbed ground, the visible edge of a vast and breathtaking network."
Thanks, Amy. I hear you on the value of a "body doubling" concept to help make the work less daunting. Maybe keep your ears and eyes open for someone in your area who wants to do this: https://archive.ph/oZnF6
I'm wondering about your mention of "awkward but logical conclusions" from the Insurance Hypothesis. Super curious what directions your mind was going in there, if you want to elaborate sometime.
I needed quiet calm last week. I'm not sure it's still with me at the same level. I tend to ebb and flow. Thank you for seeing the beauty of it.
Our lawn, in Westerville, Ohio, is the only one in our neighborhood that is not "Chem-lawned". We get some odd looks from passing neighbors but mostly positive remarks about our terraced garden front yard of Ohio native plants and the Glade which is our wooded backyard.
Your posting of the speedwell, the Bees, the soil,the rain, and the human crouching down made me want to sing the chorus..." and the green grass grew all around, all around. The green grass grew all around".
We truly are all connected!
Susan, the Glade. That's a yard with a name, which means it's a yard with an identity, and I love that for you and for every creature that has found its way there! The odd looks from neighbors are just people who haven't crouched down yet. Here's hoping they figure it out and come in as your backup singers.
Thank you so much for this delightful comment.
This felt like listening to a sermon in church. Only maybe better than listening to a sermon in church. Nearly 15 years ago, I found a book in the library about replacing front lawns with more diverse gardens. It wasn't such a common idea then. I brought it home with me and shared it enthusiastically with my husband. We'd just bought a house in a suburban town, and to him the idea was preposterous. Now, we live in a city neighborhood. That house, too, had a front lawn when I bought it, but it doesn't now. It's a mix of natives and other kinds of plants that I probably wouldn't choose now. My knowledge and understanding is evolving; it's nice that the garden can evolve with it. I so appreciate writing like this, that helps me with that growing I need to do.
Rita, a sermon you can opt out of any time and no collection plate at the end? I'll take that as the highest possible praise. (I'll also admit that at first I was afraid I had come off as preachy!) What I love most here is that you're taking the opportunity to learn and...grow! A garden is a good teacher, I'm sure you'd agree. Fifteen years of evolving, and a lawnless yard to prove it. Well done! So grateful for your presence here.
Not preachy at all! But holy, yes. Gardens are great teachers. And therapists, too. 🙂
Naughty rabbit!! But this plant obviously served ‘him’ well too, so we can’t really complain. ‘Weeds’ are such a funny thing. Things that grow where we don’t want them to grow. We have glorious vivid yellow-flowering wattles here in Australia that are deemed weeds in some areas and are just a total joy in others. And then there’s serrated tussock which takes over paddocks and leaves animals starving as there’s absolutely no nutritional value in its foliage. Nature’s a funny thing. We just need to understand how to work best with it because it will always win out in the end. Another lovely read. Thanks so much.
Beth, you wrapped up the whole essay with the wattles and the tussock (they sound like children's book characters!) Context is everything, isn't it? And yes, the rabbit was only doing what the system designed him to do. I can't really argue with that, even if my hyssop can.
I'm honored to have you as a faithful reader.
So happy to read this today, Elizabeth!
Two summers ago, hubby and I decided to remove the grass from our front yard because it just didn't do well....and who likes just plain grass anyway!? So now we have a lovely spring garden, (if the rabbits and squirrels don't eat them all!), and a summer and fall garden filled with echinacea, hosta, and other plants and shrubs that the pollinators love to visit!
My sister told me that years ago, when she and her husband had moved to a new house, she had to figure out what to do in the garden. Since she knew very little about gardening at that time, she told her hubby that she didn't know what was a weed and knew not which plants to pull up. He told her to keep the plants that she liked and to 'weed' the ones she didn't like! LOL!
I leave dandelions in the back yard for the pollinators just until they start to seed, (and I use some leaves in my salads before they bloom!).
Milkweed and mullien used to be one of those native plants that people would always pull up as weeds! I love them! And I let them grow wherever they come up in my garden! Looking forward to seeing them again this year!
So many 'weeds' and native plants are not only beautiful, they are also medicinal. Their medecine has been used for centuries...but unfortunately many have forgotten the properties which these plants hold (and some have deliberately pushed them aside...but that is for another essay!)
Jeannine, your brother-in-law's advice to keep what you like and weed what you don't is more sophisticated than it sounds. That's a relationship with a garden rather than a project to be managed, and look where it led your sister.
Your salads with young dandelion leaves are like the knowledge that got packed into someone's pocket four centuries ago and carried across an ocean. You're living the essay. I love that for you, for the pollinators, for the planet. Thank you!
Sweet Elizabeth! And yes, my brother-in-law was a very amazing guy! He is greatly missed!
Thank you Elizabeth!
"My yard is less of a lawn than it is an experiment." Yes! Mine too! It's habitat.
Meanwhile, my neighbor is out every day putting chemicals on his trying to make it look like a putting green.
That plant looks familiar. Apparently it's common in these parts.
I love our spring "weeds" - purple dead nettle, miner's lettuce, chickweed. I put off pulling them until the pollinators are done with them.
Thank you for this!
John, "it's habitat." Those two words say what your neighbor's putting green doesn't. I'd love to know which speedwell you're seeing over there; the European origins of this one mean it may well have made the same crossing your ancestors did, just considerably earlier. And purple dead nettle in spring is an underappreciated gift—that color against all the green is glorious. Let me know if you want my chickweed pesto recipe sometime (but you have to be unafraid of garlic). Thanks for the comment.
I love garlic in moderation! Purple dead nettle and miner's lettuce (you might not have that one) are edible too, the latter being a source of vitamin C for Native Americans and later, miners.
I'm a first generation immigrant, and as far as I know I didn't bring it!
That first paragraph? The description of the speedwell? Poetry. I am not a gardener and I have long been confused by what is categorized as a weed. It seems to include beautiful plants. And hardy ones. Like dandelions, which I find lovely and delightful. No chemicals in our yard, which is more an untamed wild area than a yard. The deer like it, and so do we.
Gosh, Wendy -- I'd say an untamed wild area where the deer feel welcome is exactly the right kind of yard *if* I didn't struggle so with the voracious and indiscriminate appetites of our local deer. 😅
"Weeds" have always been more judgment than anything else, best I can tell. Something growing where someone else decided it didn't belong. I understand that some are invasive, and I curse those when they're running rampant. But many come with their own kinds of pedigree and beauty.
Your dandelions clearly found the right address. Thank you so much for being there, and here.
I can see where gardening on purpose and voracious deer could be a contentious pairing. 😊 I'm glad I'm not invested and can view them as welcome visitors. The native plants seem to make them happy. And I am very, very glad you're here, too. ❤️
Sounds like you are equally Bay Wise, my friend Elizabeth. A weed is only a weed to some, not all, right? I wholly agree and think little Speed Well is adorable, useful and could/should probably perhaps be put to use instead of the chemical concoctions we are turning to? Is it utilized anywhere, did you research that? Rumor has it that the native Americans used willow to cure headaches, now imagine that on the label of your aspirin bottle...
Always creative. The only thing I miss about living on a boat is a garden. Thrilling things, they are. ~J
Yes, Janice! Willow on an aspirin bottle would raise some eyebrows. The truth is we've been borrowing from the natural pharmacy for generations, but there's not enough money or control in that for those who want to profit of the health industry.
Speedwell does have a history of medicinal uses -- to treat coughs and other respiratory ailments, as a diuretic and to promote wound healing. I'm sure that's why it ended up here. As for whether it's being put to use now, that's a rabbit hole I haven't gone down yet, but my guess is that for the herbalists among us, it is indispensable.
My first garden (if you could call it that) was aboard -- lots of herbs in pots. It was a bear when we were underway. 😬
Thank you, Miss Janice. Hope you're even closer to your end goal this week!!
Wow , Elizabeth !
What an unexpected surprise to read this essay - and I’m thrilled to play a bit part in it!!
Your bunnies must be way more voracious than the ones in my yard ! Mine wait to eat every tender vegetable seedling that emerges , but leave the other plants alone ( for the most part)
Like you , I share a fascination and admiration for those plants that most people try to eliminate from their yards : anything that survives my pogrom against the turf grass is okay with me !
And thank you for identifying that speedwell !
Melody, a bit part? You sent me home with so many plants, and the spine of an essay. I'd call that a leading role. The rabbit in my yard appears to have calmed down since noshing on those first few leaves. Maybe it just needed to sample the newcomer.
I got most everything else in the ground before this soaking rain moved in. Feeling hopeful! Thank you for everything and for all you do!
It truly amazes me that you are able to take a plant swap and a wander around my wet gardens and turn it into such a beautiful thing to read !
Thank you for letting me know me witness seeds being planted for one of your essays to grow ! 🩷
I used to follow my neighbors’ example of picking up sticks and taking them to the landfill. Then I applied for the Bay Wise certification, part of which is to maintain a woodpile. After convincing myself that it wouldn’t be an eyesore, and then convincing my wife, we now have a beautiful woodpile…and the Bay Wise sign.
I like seeing the rabbits, and leave them to their own devices, but they cease to be cute when I go out of a morning and see an entire row of blossomless stems on which there had been beautiful blossoms the evening before.
I had no idea about the woodpile, Darrell - how interesting! I might need to look into the certification myself. Looking over the requirements, it looks like we can check most boxes. The rabbits, and the squirrels, and the deer need a return of natural predators. But foxes and coyotes are unlikely to gain a foothold here in the booming metropolis of St. Michaels. 😅
Grateful for the comment.
I need a Melody and an Elizabeth and someone to stand on the sidewalk while I pull the weeds - which otherwise... aren't going to be pulled. The "Insurance Hypothesis" is very interesting. I hadn't heard that phrase before, so thank you for the introduction. It leads me to awkward but logical conclusions when we think about it at larger scale. But at the level of the ecosystem or local biodiversity... this redundancy is pretty amazing to contemplate. (I do love Wilson's writing.)
A beautiful piece, Elizabeth, one that is full of quiet and calm... and takes the art of "seeing" to a new level. Great final lines: "When conditions grow too harsh, I offer a hand, just as I’d want someone to do for me. We are travelers among travelers, threading our way across disturbed ground, the visible edge of a vast and breathtaking network."
Thanks, Amy. I hear you on the value of a "body doubling" concept to help make the work less daunting. Maybe keep your ears and eyes open for someone in your area who wants to do this: https://archive.ph/oZnF6
I'm wondering about your mention of "awkward but logical conclusions" from the Insurance Hypothesis. Super curious what directions your mind was going in there, if you want to elaborate sometime.
I needed quiet calm last week. I'm not sure it's still with me at the same level. I tend to ebb and flow. Thank you for seeing the beauty of it.