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TexasMadness
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Registered: 03-2007
Location: Austin, Texas
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Mowing the lawn…
I had an interesting encounter today. I was putting up fence around my property (only about 50 feet left out of 900!!!), listening to something on my headphones when someone scared the you-know-what out of my be “sneaking up” on me (the were probably talking the whole time they were approaching, but I have those block out headphones where you can’t hear ANYTHING – great for when you are using power tools!). He turned out to be the neighborhood association president.
I live in what was once a “rural” neighborhood. It was established outside the city limits in the 60s and most everyone had some sort of livestock/garden/something. Well, now it’s very much in the city and the attitude has somewhat drifted in that direction too. There are still a couple of goats and chickens and lots of vegetable gardens, but mostly everyone is playing the keepin-up-with-the-joneses game, especially as the older generation moves out and the younger ones move in.
Anyway, he said he stopped by because several people had asked if I need any “help” with my “lawn.” Ok, I don’t have a “lawn”. I have a prairie area to the side of my house that is FULL of wild flowers. At first I didn’t even get what he was saying. I just replied “Oh, no, I don’t think I need any help with it. In fact, I really don’t have to do much to it and it just blooms all the time!” Well, duh, the guy wants me to mow. I had never even considered it to be a lawn! It doesn’t have any typical lawn grasses or anything. I bought the place in the winter and it was mowed then, but I suspected that was because everything had turned brown and it was just to tidy it up. There are tons of flowers and beautiful grasses that blow in the wind. I’ve really enjoyed looking out onto that land. But it’s on the main street in our neighborhood and the neighbors want something that looks “nice”. Ack! As if prairie grasses look nice when mowed! There’s a reason why people don’t plant them for lawns!
So I’m stuck with trying to figure out what to do. I eventually will get around to landscaping that area – but not all of the prairie is going. I want to add some native flowering bushes and different wildflowers (and get rid of the stick-tights). It will look more “tidy” in the future, but I really do think it looks fine now. So I don’t want to just mow the whole thing since I want the grasses and flowers to grow back and I figure the neighborhood needs to start getting used to it sooner or later. But I need to somehow make it look “nice” now! I thought about mowing the first 10 feet or so back from the street so that it looks like I’ve left the tall grass on purpose. My mom thinks I should just put a sign in my yard that says “Native Texas Prairie Project” with some official looking logo on it. That sounded like a pretty good plan too…
Anyway dealt with something like this? I don’t think the neighborhood can really “do” anything about it, but irritating my neighbors is not high on my list of priorities! Any suggestions? The area is maybe about 100’x50’ with a few ~15 foot high trees but mostly just beautiful grass and flowers!
Marissa
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5/30/2007, 7:04 pm
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RantingHobbit
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Registered: 10-2004
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Re: Mowing the lawn…
sign with "Wildflower Protection Area".
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5/30/2007, 9:39 pm
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playfultree
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Location: Kentucky
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Re: Mowing the lawn…
I know here if you are not informed that there is a homeowner association and was not ask to join the neighbors are out of luck.
Is there a local Conservation Office or local Ag associations? They may have a program where you would get paid for leaving the area natural.
Personally I go for a tall privacy fence and if they complain about it I paint it lime green with orange stripes and purple poky-a-dots. but I am a bit evil.
You could invite all the neighbor over for cookies and ask what you can do to meet them part way and explain your point of view.
---
Love and Light
tree
May your journey be full of happiness and blessings
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5/30/2007, 10:04 pm
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Firlefanz
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Re: Mowing the lawn…
I like the "Native Texas Prairie" sign. Of course, having the neighbors over for cookies might also help.
Good luck! I remember how my mother used to get evil looks for her compost heap back in the 70s.
--- - Firlefanz
Writing: "Kiera und der Gauklerjunge" - novel
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5/31/2007, 6:20 am
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TexasMadness
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Location: Austin, Texas
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Re: Mowing the lawn…
Trust me, I've had some "evil" ideas too! I thought about getting the world's noisiest mower and running it late at night and mowing every other day. Of course, that would be breaking city ordinances.
The thing with this group is that this isn’t an official home owners association. It's just the "neighborhood club" - they mostly make a fuss about city code violations. I tried to find out if Austin has some sort of lawn code. They don't have anything specific, but your yard can't be a "nuisance"! Plus, I need to keep in my neighbor’s good graces. Any and all livestock can be removed if they are a "nuisance" (i.e. if your neighbor complains), so I just want to blend in...
I wish I could have everyone over for cookies! All of my immediate neighbors are fine with it (lots of compliments about letting the bluebonnets bloom this year!), but my house is at the front of the neighborhood and on the main road that EVERYONE drives in on (maybe a hundred or so houses). Can't have them all over for cookies!!!
I think I’ll try mowing 10 feet or so back from the road and then putting up some kind of little sign. Something cute like “Wildflower Zone”. I will hopefully get some of it landscaped this summer, so maybe the neighbors won’t complain too much longer.
And I thought I was safe from all of this. You know how it seems that whatever is the most glaring problem is the only one people talk about? So if your neighbor has a track heap in their front yard, no one mentions your unmowed grass. Well, a house was MOVED onto the lot next to me and it is the world’s biggest eyesore. It’s just tar paper outside and blue tarp for roof. It’s up on stilts while they dig a foundation for it (why they didn’t do the foundation BEFORE they moved the house, I’ll never know). I hated it at first, but then I realized that all the tittle-tattle would be focused on that for awhile. I guess my yard just finally irked someone though!
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5/31/2007, 1:53 pm
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lavender wings
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Registered: 03-2005
Location: Washington State
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Re: Mowing the lawn…
Ignore them!!! Its your property NOT theirs!!! Oh that makes me so mad when people think they can dictate how you have your land if you don't like it don't look!!!
I would find your field purty with all the grasses and flowers.
What ever happend to mind your own business?
If you must do something I like the sign idea but I would refuse to mow.
---
~ *I Believe*~
~@ lavender wings @~
*~*~*~*~*~*
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5/31/2007, 2:48 pm
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Fenyx
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Re: Mowing the lawn…
I really think you need to throw out wildflower seeds that are native to your area of the country. It would be so pretty. And, how annoying of this unofficial homeowners assoc. When they brought it up again, you could tell them that when you wanted their opinion you'd ask for it. Or you could have some complaints about them not be conservative, and the waste of gas to always be cutting the grasses, and the drought with fire dangers, etc etc etc. All in a drippingly nice voice of concern for their yards.
Fenyx
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6/2/2007, 1:41 pm
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Saijen SilverWolf
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Location: Upper North East Tennessee
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Re: Mowing the lawn…
Do you have a local college with an AG program close by? Sometimes, tech schools, or whatever, use property like yours to teach with....and it may help keep it the way you like it.
Someone above also mentioned checking into the local Ag Association to see if they have any programs available.
thing is, I know around here, if someone complains enough, they can get the city involved, and fines can be issued to the person who is inviolate...even if there are no real set standards. Just be aware that it may be the same down there.
As for the 'cookie' thing.....why not see if your close-by neighbors would consider helping you with a block party...the neighbors that like the blue bonnets and such...with the express purpose of explaining WHY you don't want to mow. A block party can consist of something as simple as fresh lemonaid and home baked goodies (no extremes), or chips and cola (the cheap stuff). If you don't have to foot the bill alone, it makes it easier to do, and it would help the rest of the neighbors get to know you, and maybe back off. You can always catch more flies with honey than with vinegar..so, keep that in mind, too.
IF something like that isn't do-able, and you can't get any help from the AG agency or some other like that, then consider a temporary fence, until you can get it landscaped like you want, then have an 'unveiling'. OR....if you have the balls...lol...send out little notes addressed to "neighbor" explaining things as you see them (can even deliver them door to door if you don't wanna spring for the stamps).
Or....a sign...
'Please Pardon My "MESS", but it's MY Mess and I like it.'
'Please pardon my grass, it's a work in progress.'
'Wildlife Preserve..and by that, I mean wild flora AND fauna' (I imagine you got lots of wild lil critters that live in that little lot).
'Don't ya just LOVE all the pretty flowers?'
'Wildflower Project in Progress'
'You don't like looking at it, I refuse to cut it all down....any landscapers handy?'
You get the idea lol
--- Blessed Be,
~*~ Saijen ~*~
~~*~~ .~~*~~ |
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6/2/2007, 7:39 pm
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RantingHobbit
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Re: Mowing the lawn…
you could limp a lot and have a few crying spells in the front yard. If that doesn't get them to offer to help, it will probably get them to stay away.
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6/4/2007, 9:04 am
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TexasMadness
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Location: Austin, Texas
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Re: Mowing the lawn…
Well, there was a note on my door from someone down the street wanting to know if they could mow my yard for $60 and that it would be cheaper in the future if I didn't let it get so tall.
I'm going to mow the right of way between the road and my yard this week so that it looks like I'm letting the grass grow on purpose instead of just being lazy. There's another house in the neighborhood that has done that. But their yard has tons more flowers in it (probably because they stopped mowing it years ago and this is the first time my yard has been allowed to actually bloom in who knows how long). I think the neighbors understand it when it is full of flowers - but that doesn't happen overnight! I'll be seeding with more native wildflowers this fall so next year it should be really beautiful.
I don't think there's any Ag programs around - plus we have so many larger prairie areas around the city my yard might not be the best place! I've actually thought about having the elementary school just down the road learn about prairies through my yard. My mom set up a program like that at my elementary school with a piece of unused land at the back of the school's playground. After I went on to middle school, my mom finally gave up the constant fight with the neighbors and the school mowed the area that had been the prairie project. It was really sad - I thought it was so pretty and I had learned a lot. We even did a controlled burn one year to see how the grasses recovered from it. Really cool!
Thanks for the advice everyone. I was so upset the day that guy came over but I've pretty much gotten over it. With my ideas for turning the property into an "urban farm" I'm sure I'll have bigger battles to fight in the future! It wouldn't kill me to just mow it if it comes down to it - I'll just enjoy the flowers for as long as I can. I just got back from a weekend in the country learning all about Nigerian dwarf goats and I have to admit I am VERY jealous of folks that can do as they please out in the woods. Sigh...someday!
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6/4/2007, 3:39 pm
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