GranolaBox

Before we destroy our existing lawn, I wanted to get pictures of our old, mostly non-functioning yard.

black mulch

I’m learning that mulch, in almost all cases is bad news. It prevents important insects from doing their jobs. They then roam the neighborhood in unruly gangs.

Unraked Grass
Yes… this grass is unraked and it’s going to stay that way. All those leaves on the grass provide way more nutrients than the grass itself. Besides, I freaking hate raking.

fairly worthless hedges

Ever heard the phrase "you can’t polish a turd?" I’m not sad to see these guys go.

invasion central

In one month, this will be entirely covered by knotweed and various other forms of invasive plants. Why? Because every year I try to cut it back like a damn fool. Every time you rip everything down to bare soil, you make it open season for invading, often very ugly plants.

protection from invaders

This is all the brush I cut back last year. I think its only value is protection from potential invaders, like those who would harm our cats. Bushism.

butt ugly shed

This shed is just a slap in the face to aesthetic virtue. I wish we could blow it up, but I think we’ll have to settle for watching Bill’s backhoe rip it to shreds.

inedible flower bed

There were some pretty flowers in this bed, but it’s the most intense sunlight in the back yard, and therefore must be sacrficed to the Gods of Edibility. There’s still tons of Iris every year.

just one composter

We got this last year, and over the winter it’s developed into this wildly nutritious goop that will make everything grow at lightning speed. The problem is that we only had one last year.

lotsolawn

Did you know that a lush, chemically treated lawn is one of the worst possible things for your soil, and devastates your lawn’s natural ecosystem. I wanted to explain this to the Chemlawn guy who was roaming the neighborhood, but I didn’t want to shatter his world and force him to examine some fundamental existential questions.

charlie brown tree

This tree eventually gets a few leaves, but it never seems to thrive. That’s because we’ve choked out the bottom of the tree. The mulch raises the soil level, so the roots go to the surface of the mulch and get all tangly. Bad scene man.

Filed under: EWAKI on April 17th, 2008