[NatureNS] Lawn flowers/weeds

From: "Marian Fulton & Art Harding" <fulton.harding@ns.sympatico.ca>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 20:54:25 -0300
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I once had a neighbour come by and ask why the cinch bugs had not attacked
my lawn.  I told him because I had more weeds than grass and they did not
like it!  I love my weedy lawn; it does not require watering or much work
except for occasional mowing and in my opinion looks just as good as the all
grass lawns that require so much work and noxious chemicals.

Marian Fulton
Hantsport NS 

-----Original Message-----
From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca]
On Behalf Of iamclar@dal.ca
Sent: 16 June 2007 20:28
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: [NatureNS] Lawn flowers/weeds

All:

At present, our regularly mowed, but rather unkempt front lawn boasts
(probably
the neighbours think, suffers from) a range of modest flowers that have
colonized from other parts -- excluding three of our own or nearby garden
escapes. We?ve never used pesticides thereon, or really tried to nourish it
as it should be.  These are in unsystematic order, probably not with the
latest
nomenclature: Common Dandelion, Taraxacum officianalis (the only one we
regularly dig up -- fewer than on some neighbouring lawns); Mouse-ear
Chickweed, Cerastium vulgatum; Creeping Cinquefoil, Potentilla reptans;
Field
Speedwell, Veronica arvense; Corn Speedwell, V. Offiicianalis; Creeping
Buttercup, Rannunculus repans;  White Clover, Trifolium repens; Field Mint,
Mentha arvense; Ox-eye Daisy, Crysanthemum vulgare; Mouse-ear Hawkweed,
Hieracium pilosella.

None of these is at all exciting -- they?re everywhere in the province --
all
of them are European or Eurasian ?weeds? and some are warned against.  We
once had some (native?) Bluet, Houstonia caerulea, but it?s gone --
out-competed?  We like the "weeds" and there will be more to come. We
usually
let patches of them get some growth and flower before mowing them, except
the
Ox-eyes, which we confine to edges. Note that three of them are creepers
(repens, reptans), and their foliage avoids the lawnmower -- (un)natural
selection in action.

Altogether, more fun than a uniform, well manicured turf.

Cheers, Ian McLaren

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