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Why are we so obsessed with lawns?

gardensillustrated.com

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Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?

#61

Post by sokoloff »

th0raway wrote: post #48
sokoloff wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’d consider those redditors to also be obsessed with lawns.

I mean, I also get obsessed with their horror when, after coming from abroad, I am back at my American suburb. All this mandatory front yard and setbacks that must be lawn, even though nobody in the entire subdivision seems to use said front lawn, ever. It's not the grass itself, but the utter waste of space, pushing any chance of walkability away, as it's ultimately increasing the distances to anywhere. It's not so…

Is there a state that has absolutely no high-density areas? I’d think every city over 200K people would have such sections, and probably most that were over 100K.

Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?

#62

Post by [deleted] »

Yizahi wrote: post #56

I have 30sqm of a yard and keeping up even that amount of lawn is a gigantic pain in the ass. Over the year I plan to get of all of it as much as possible and replace with flowers, shrubs and other bigger plants, a third is done already. Lawn is a crazy work.

[deleted]

Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?

#63

Post by mysterydip »

Terr_ wrote: post #47
lstodd wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Truly most helpful advice. The sheer speed with which they eat down bushes and small growth has to be seen to be believed.

Besides buying a couple goats, another option is to to rent a whole bunch of goats for a shorter--and shorten ing --engagement.

I just did this a month or so ago to take care of the growth around a creek. It was a fantastic experience and I will definitely be doing it again. The whole neighborhood loved them. My kids gave them all names and would go out to pet them periodically. And everything green that was within their reach (even standing on two legs!) was gone.

Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?

#64

Post by awesan »

goosejuice wrote: post #45
awesan wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this is obviously bs, the lawn thing is mostly a north-american obsession. most people here in europe like shade and thus higher vegetation in their gardens.

Forgetting that part where the lawn was born in Europe.

OK, but that doesn't mean the comment I replied to is any less BS. What I pointed out is that if there was such a deep preference for short grass, you'd expect this globally. And this is simply not the case, empirically.

Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?

#68

Post by lstodd »

internet_points wrote: post #37
Battleshack wrote: post #3

Someone, though I do not remember who, made the point that grasses are a highly successful parasite of the human species. The point was made in humour, but I still think it's a fascinating perspective.

Just like wolves selected for survival the humans who treated them well and eventually humans evolved to produce oxytocin on petting wolves =P

do not mention them cats.

Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?

#69

Post by lstodd »

stymaar wrote: post #54
GJim wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say less pent up anger, more writing oddly in the desire to be awarded imaginary internet points.

> writing oddly in the desire to be awarded imaginary internet points Aren't we all?

If for some reason you don't like what it takes to earn the other imaginary points (billions of $), so yes. At least as of now internet points take less from yer soul.

Re: Why are we so obsessed with lawns?

#70

Post by scoofy »

A short cut lawn signals productive land, a water source, and herbivore wildlife.

I've always assumed that we appreciate lawns because we are evolutionarily adapted to aesthetically appreciate the types of land that signal easy survival.

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