I really feel for our friend...Hamish pointed out the sad condition of his lawn in his post about his outfit for the Brighton Pride event.

My own back yard is overgrown with what we euphemistically call "Native Illinois Prairie Plants"...or, as my neighbors refer to them, weeds. We've been meaning to start lawn type grass back there for a while but with the heat wave, I'm glad that we didn't...these plants are green and on the ground and they're taking minimum resources to maintain; lawn grass woould be requiring a lot of attention and water right now. Despite the fact that we're on Lake Michigan we are slowly getting the message that we have to conserve water as much as possible. I just heard that the City is making rain barrels available at their cost to encourage the use of rain water for gardening rather than just hooking up the "hose-pipe".

There have been a lot of articles published lately extolling the virtues of eliminating the lawn and landscaping with more drought resistant plants. That actually might end up being what we do with the back yard. As it is now, my back is a virtual wildlife preserve in a sea of neatly trimed lawn and manicured bushes...the wild look is appealing to us and to all of the birds and squirrels who appreciate the places to hide and the food sources.

I've come to think that lanscaping should always look like its been there for years and has never been touched by the hand of man...or the weed-whipper or power mower either.

So take heart, Hamish...maybe this is a good time to rethink your garden plan and get drought resistant...I have a feeling that things will be like this for a while to come.

Best

AA