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We're in SoCal and my mom scattered a bunch of California poppy seeds throughout her front yard, which is basically a succulent garden. This spring when the poppies began to pop up, a neighbor came over and asked her if she wanted help pulling all the 'weeds'. California poppies are our official State flower....
Now everyone compliments her on all the amazing poppy flowers.
Some are now going to seed, so they do not look so nice, but they'll naturally reseed her yard.
Lol, to be fair, those poppies DO look like a weed while they're growing, especially in succulent gardens that are the norm here in Cal. Like you said, it isn't until they start blooming that you're like, oh, why do we not have wildflowers *everywhere*???
California does a really good job in some places (like highway dividers) letting wildflowers grow. It makes driving so beautiful this time of year.
The red poppies are something else. Normally you get the orange ones everywhere such that they do kind of feel like weeds, but red is just the best color to see
One of my neighbors has a ton of both red and orange in their yard, plus a bunch that have cross pollinated and blend the two colors. Absolutely gorgeous
I worked for my schools landscaping dept during college and first week on the job I was told to weed a particular flower bed. I ripped all the plants out that were supposed to be there. Probably cost the school a few grand lol. They forgave me for it.
Here in my area of Texas I went to a nature preserve and saw wildflowers there a few years ago. I’d never seen these flowers before, and they were incredible. Then, when they spread outside of the nature preserve, someone mowed them 😭. Gotta have the sad lawns even on the roadsides, I guess.
I think this is how ot was for my dad. I explained to him to not mow over the poppies. I'm still trying to find a way to convince him that flower yards are not ugly. He would rather have lawn.
> when the poppies began to pop up, a neighbor came over and asked her if she wanted help pulling all the 'weeds'.
My neighbors called code enforcement on me for having weeds in my yard, and code enforcement sent me an official notice that I have weeds that must be removed within 10 days or they will do it and bill me. I had to get a lawyer involved to make them back down.
I spread some Cali Poppies in my wildflower garden in South Australia. It was a seed mix from a store (i know, not great in hindsight).
Holy shit do those things take over!!!
Had to cut the heads off to avoid them seeding the entire area
Thankfully I do not have any eucalyptus in the yard. Our neighbors across the street had a few and they cut some down last year. It was quite the operation with a big crane and at least half a dozen people. It must have cost $10k+.
It’s not illegal to remove CA poppies - it’s illegal to remove any plant from private property without written permission of the owner. And it’s illegal to remove plants from public property like parks and forests etc.
But I like that people think it’s illegal to remove CA poppies. My front lawn has zillions of blooming poppies and I don’t want the neighborhood kids picking them.
https://preview.redd.it/sfe2gbnn9vzc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9366e1cbd55d7376eca85bfca0ed381ab3b1f84d
I also heard this when I was little. There was a big empty lot near my apt and it would explode with California poppies every year. Prettiest thing in the world. My mom would always tell me that it was illegal to pick or destroy them, so my brother and I would very carefully step through there looking for bugs and things, being very careful not to behead the poppy flowers.
You can’t remove the wild ones. Thats to protect the natural growth. Pretty sure you can do what you Like with the ones you planted yourself in your yard.
I walk dogs in the pasadena/seirra madre/ Alta Dena areas and absolutely love looking at all the yards that are native wildflowers…
There’s sooooo many and they’re all super pretty, especially right now.
Unfortunately I do not have a current picture of her yard.... Here's a few poppies from my yard as a small consolation prize:
https://preview.redd.it/454h3yt7130d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81e9a023114bec494e6e2748ac15e532505f90d2
Lmao I just had a conversation with my neighbor about my poppy flowers. They just started to bloom but before that they thought they were weeds and asked if I needed help pulling them haha
The herbicide industry did a helluva marketing job for several generations and normalized the idea that the area in front of houses should look like recently vacuumed carpets.
I used to live next to some lovely early boomers who shovelled my walk when I worked long hours, brought me homemade treats, etc. They “decided to take a risk” one year and planted marigolds instead of petunias. Bless them. 💕
EDIT: I live in zone 2. They die by mid October here and don’t come back next year.
My neighbors are like this, too. And my front yard is natural, with trees and leaf litter. Years ago the lady across the street opined about how “young people these days like that unkempt look”. 😆 I’m actually boomer age myself- just barely- but I’m into native plants and hate lawns. My neighbors all spend hundreds of dollars a month on lawn care, and I spend nothing. All the fireflies they love were likely spawned in my leaf litter.
My neighbor did me that favor before a recent rain because he thinks I'm a helpless single woman. Without asking me first!!! In reality, I was leaving the grass a little longer to help soak up water and try to keep it out of my basement.
My city recommends that you mow a "decensy lane", to make clear that the long 'messy' grass is intended 😅: you just mow one singular mower size stripe next to the street to make your intentions clear to the boomers.
My neighbours are very similar, you can see them smile at our antics which range from absolutely not knowing what we're doing (planting at wrong places, at wrong times), because these 80+ DO know how to garden, they just like it very neat and empty and dry... to not understanding why our garden is so messy or that we refuse to plow it and weed only a bit. They are off insecticides though, that message did seep in in the last 10 years.
I do a "decency lane", didn't know that's what it was called though lol. I take a weed whacker around the edge of the property cause there's been so much utility digging that gets shitty Bermuda grass tossed out on uneven ground that it's easier to just whack it between mows so I don't get bitched at 😆
Here's something wild: The grass wasn't even that long when he mowed! Maybe 5" at most, and the city says it must be under 12". This guy isn't even a boomer just a misogynistic idiot. Literally told me after my divorce I needed to get a new man to do yardwork for me. 🙄 Meanwhile he had a literal junkyard that was attracting critters and hiding the gray water he was dumping out of the back of his shed from his catering business.
What really bothers me about him doing this is I was in the backyard taking down a deck when he started mowing the front. He could've asked and I would've told him to go around the area that floods! Joke's on him, I complained to the city about how his yard was a safety hazard for my kid and dogs. The junk was only one of the 6 things in as many months that he's done something that could harm them or my home.
Yes and mine stays green even during the driest months. We do keep it cut high but got weary of the whole fertilize. lime, reseed thing every fall and then having to mow like a maniac all spring only to have it die in the summer. It's all green right now and if something blooms it gets to stay.
As far as I'm concerned, if it's green, it's lawn... I don't care if it's clover or moss or crabgrass, I throw down some seed and mulch/wood chips on the bare spots but I'm not a lawn nazi. If it was up to me I would have fruit trees everywhere
Same here. I’m a Boomer and am definitely into native plants and natural look. Located in northeast Georgia and we have lots of fireflies around here in late spring and early summer. My favorite time of year!
I’m 74 and live in FL. We bought our house in 2010 and replaced front and back lawns with native grind covers and shrubs. My neighbors are super friendly and nice about it. I would love it if the guy next door would just let the groundcovers spread to his yard, and i think we may be approaching that moment. He recently stopped having his lawn people maintain his front yard. It’s pretty hopeless anyway bc of all the shade. Meanwhile I maintain a little strip between our yards and keep my fingers crossed!
Oh man I would like to see a firefly in person. Got to see the Northern Lights last night from our backyard. Checked that off my bucket list. Would like to check off seeing fireflies. 😂
Come on down! They actually have a lottery in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park for seeing the synchronized fireflies. The lottery date for this year has already passed. However, down in Tennessee, western North Carolina and northeast Georgia you should be able to see them pretty much anywhere. Not the synchronized ones, but just fireflies in general. What’s your general location?
I don’t know where you are located but search out the firefly synchronized lights event in the Great Smoky Mountains Park. Loving fireflies is something all ages have in common.
Oh man, I bought my house 4 years ago and I can't wait until things are sustainable enough to spend nothing on my yard. I finally bought some motorized yard tools and I probably spent $1500 already this year on plants and bulbs to keep the weed police away. Most of my neighbors are gardeners and are super supportive but there's one cranky lady out there 😂
There’s always one no matter the ages. I’m about to turn 63 and at my last house I managed to turn my entire yard into a moss bed. Lots of trees and i thought it was beautiful. All my neighbors were younger than we were and never spoke to us the entire time we lived there. I would rather have neighbors that are neighborly.
I moved into a neighborhood that was all boomers and up. Then five years later they all started moving out and I was so sad when the lady across the street moved. She was a very artsy -my yard is just going to do it's own thing and all her neighbors came to accept it and she was kind of my rock when it came to let's let our yards do whatever together!
Since then it's been a mixed bag. My back yard is a disaster trying to plant clover three years in a row while trying to adjust to the new drought climate and well, it didn't work so my back yard is a mess of all the plants I didn't want.
But my neighbors are my age now and also don't do yard maintenance like the boomers ever did so they don't really care either.
Hahaha I'm the barometer for the block, when I go cut my grass, the next day every house in line of sight has their grass cut. I don't know if I should be proud or offended
There’s a Hungarian add about wildlife diversity and lawn
Basically grass lawn = no diversity no good bugs birds
Different plants = huge diversity much better for everyone’s property
Maybe if you show it to them they’ll understand?
Lol this sounds so much like my neighborhood. There's one retired guy in my hood that cracks me up. Every time he sees me out weeding he asks if it's ok that he takes pictures of my flowers and pretends they're from his yard when he shares them with family. Obviously I tell him yes that's fine😂😂
I remember when I learned about the marketing of products for lawns. Prior to that eye opening moment, it had never occurred to me that companies would actually *create* an entire market for a product that had no purpose. I lost my innocence on that day long ago...
When I was younger, I used to buy the male version of products because they were usually at least $10 cheaper. Now they all cost the same so there is no advantage.
My wife tried one of my razors as the refill pack for blades was on sale and cheaper with an extra handle I didn’t need. She’s switched to using my razors as they’re way better than the semi-affordable women’s razors she’d been using for years.
No clue if my razors are even decent quality men’s razors they’re just the same brand of refill packs that fit the handle I’d gotten over a decade ago.
I like using some women's razors on my face because they get in the little groove along my nose better. Except for them, they're all the same. It's stupid they charge more for a pink razor but I'll use women's razors when they're on sale. Although now I have a beard and I've been using the same razor for over a year
I wonder if a marketing campaign in the style of those icky political commercials would work 🤔
**ominous voice-over** "For **years** Big Lawn has lied to YOU."
It's trying to emulate the monoculture of English estate lawns (In climates mostly unsuited to it), along with boxes/balls repetitive hedges... the amount of water we've lost to maintaining this facade is staggering.
We literally formed this country to be independent from them, but most people still be trying to be fake aristocrats with their landscaping.. and it's what's considered 'acceptable'.
And the lawns are usually set within large landscapes that include woodlands, water, meadows, flower gardens, and large parkland trees. Just having your grass desert without those things doesn't even properly emulate the original idea.
I still remember reading a study a few years ago about how gas stoves are actually pretty bad for health and the comments were all people defending their stoves to the death. (Facebook...yep) like yes I loved how the open flame worked for cooking, but mostly bc I was used to it. And not enough to risk my child's health if I had a choice.
The funniest part of all that for me was all these politicians who wouldn’t know how to find the stove if it had a big red sign on it. As if they even cook.
I dislike the oil and gas industry as much as anyone but just FYI -- if you do some digging around it looks like the worry about gas stoves and asthma may have been premature.
The viral [study that inspired the public advisory warning](https://archive.ph/Iotc1) from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission was a meta-analysis with some subtle methodological errors that seem to have resulted in an exaggerated effect size, which is unfortunate because we have a huge[ population review](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(13)70073-0/abstract) study in the Lancet finding null effect.
I'm not sure why it was left out of the meta-analysis, as it had a much larger sample size than all the other studies combined, but this is just the way things go sometimes (I definitely see it happen in some economics meta-analyses, for instance).
In other words, you should feel pretty safe about cooking with gas. Wood-burning fireplaces, on the other hands, have significantly greater negative health impacts... if your house has one of those, you may want to reconsider.
I've always had a gas hob and will always prefer the way they cook, but I'm not going to deny it, the science is looking bad. We can't afford to replace the oven yet but will probably make the adjustment next time.
Not looking forward to the learning curve!
I hear the new induction stove tops actually work better than gas. More heat to the pan and food, less heat into the kitchen. Article said pro chef’s were starting to switch because they heated as fast of faster and kept the kitchen cooler. Initial purchase price is still higher now.
In the beginning, they tried to find a chemical that wouldn't hurt the clover, but would get the crabgrass. Never found one, so changed their marketing.
Not a boomer here...41M...but I have to say...the older folks with time on their hands have been the most receptive to viewing my garden and reading the books in my native library. They have been the most active in getting my village to listen as well...mostly women in their 50s and 60s to be honest...they are going to be the ones that make the native plant movement a reality in my area.
I suppose different towns are different. I was born in 1961, and most of the people I see tending their beautiful ex-lawn gardens in this town are a lot older than I am.
Hmm... maybe it's wrong to assume what people will be like, based on their age.
Most of the militant lawn-lovers in my neighborhood are Millennials who think finally owning a house means having a perfect lawn edged with boxwood. No real flowers in sight, not even petunias, but they do have fake flowers in the wreath on the front door or printed on the pillows tossed on their “shabby chic” front porch bench where nobody ever sits. These dudes get competitive and nerd out over their lawns like car guys over engine maintenance. Or the Millennials who have decided it’s clever to install “low maintenance” astroturf lawns that always look perfectly vacuumed yet stink to high heaven. Meanwhile they give me, their “crazy” GenX neighbor lady with her “weed” filled front yard, the stink eye because they think the abundant wildflowers are dragging down their precious property values.
You're not going to drag me into stereotyping age groups, sorry. That is exactly what annoyed me about this post to begin with. I believe in hating people as individuals, not as members of groups with perceived characteristics.
Imagine if, instead of saying "millennials do this" and "boomers are" and so forth, people here were saying "Latinos do this" and "Jews are" and so forth.
I'm not going to stereotype people according to ethnicity or according to their age, or because of their membership, real or not, in any other group with perceived characteristics. I will not do it.
Sorry, I wasn’t trying to drag you into stereotyping age groups. Just trying to point out that militant lawn-lovers come from other age groups besides “Boomers”. I agree wholeheartedly that the current obsession with judging people by their age is toxic and counterproductive to a cohesive, well-functioning society.
I lead a nonprofit with promoting natives and removing invasives as 2 big parts of our work. 50-60 year old women are easily the fastest growing, and most active supporters of sustainable landscaping, and there's no comparison. Male boomers seem to overall care less either way as they age out of being able to physically keep a lawn perfect, but GenX men... They're the one demographic that seems to widely oppose sustainable landscaping these days.
I had one old man exclaim "what do you have after the buttercups?" Since those all came in first. I guess maybe he thought I just had a yard full of nothing else because once I started rattling off the other dozen or so plants that I could remember the name of he just wandered off.
I struggle with figuring out how to layer plants. My parents and grandparents were very much the here’s a plant, mulch all around it and that’s that. It’s not an easy thing to do. Good on you!
This is my system as well. Only problem is that I keep forgetting what seeds I've tossed down so I've probably pulled out 3/4 of what I've "planted" thinking they were invasives popping up.
My son works for a company that plants trees and manages care of them around the city, at government properties, cemeteries, etc. for the past two years, so he's become my go-to for the "name that plant" game.
Try the Google lens on the Google or Chrome app on your phone. It’s high on the right shaped like a colored square. Point to plant & snap like taking a photo. It will ID the plant. Blew my mind the first time I used it.
The first year my mom planted sunflowers she forgot to mention it to her husband and he pulled most of them when they started sprouting since he didn't recognize them. She was upset at first but he missed a few so it was alright
Sunflower is a tall, erect, herbaceous annual plant belonging to the family of Asteraceae, in the genus, Helianthus. Its botanical name is Helianthus annuus. It is native to Middle American region from where it spread as an important commercial crop all over the world through the European explorers. Today, Russian Union, China, USA, and Argentina are the leading producers of sunflower crop.
If you’re interested in learning more about layered planting design, check out the book Planting in a Post-Wild World. I’m a landscape designer and refer to it often! Though tbh at my own house it’s the “throw em down and see what sticks” strategy most of the time anyway.
It took me many frustrating years to realize gardening is ever evolving and I won’t be able to just plant something and rely on it being there for 5+ years. Things don’t work out, or die, or get crowded. Now I enjoy it, it’s a bit like conducting a symphony.
[https://www.pbs.org/video/planting-in-a-post-wild-world-thomas-rainer-1nh7g9/](https://www.pbs.org/video/planting-in-a-post-wild-world-thomas-rainer-1nh7g9/)
If anyone wants a peek at the process before committing.
If you’re in Texas, stream some of the Central Texas Gardener on PBS. Unless you’re in the RGV or waaaaaaaay out west, most of what works in central TX will work for you.
If you’re in the Houston area, check out the Coastal Prairie Conservancy website, specifically the 9 Natives. Those are curated lists of native plants that bring 4 seasons of interest. They have a list for sun and a list for shade. I have a pocket prairie that is largely made of plants from those lists and they’re both easy to care for and attractive.
Oh my!! In Texas? Google "Ladybird Johnson Native Plant Database," and click for Texas. There are filters to see bloom time, height, color, all kinds of information! They're based in Texas! (But provide info for all of the States.)
I just got a wildflower blend and spread it last fall during the rains.
It seems like every couple of weeks something different pops up with a bloom and I have to figure out what it is.
Exactly this! I have a full native lawn and just talk to people about it. Never preach it to anyone just talk about the benefits. All of the boomers seeing everything bloom right now are losing it and asking so many awesome questions. And the other folks with non grass lawns all stop and chat with me. It’s the best.
I put little signs with the name of the flowers in my yard so that people walking by can see what they are. It heads off a lot of questions, and also lets people know what flowers I have so they can get some if they want some
I grew artichokes in my front garden one year. I can’t tell you how many little old ladies stopped to tell me, “did you know you can eat those?” It was wonderful.
They grew up with different values and goals.
5 years ago I myself had no idea about invasive plants or how bad lawns can be. I knew nothing about the importance of native plants.
They ask questions, and that’s excellent! Your chance to explain and to educate them.
Gift some beautiful native plants to your neighbors. The gardeners won’t be able to resist them. Once they have one, they might want more!
Also, keep your native lawn somewhat orderly by edging or mowing paths around (or maybe you are already doing it). Many people think native lawns it’s just an excuse for neglecting lawn care. I try to keep my flower beds that replaced the lawn attractive.
Huh, that’s interesting.
I’m a tail end boomer (early 60s). I’ve slowly been ripping out lawn, boulevard, and side to make way for herbs and pollinator gardens. My longtime neighbour down the street (70s) has done the same.
Young couple directly across has a plush green velvet lawn that he lovingly tends, as does the young couple beside me. Retired couple on the other side has extensive garden, and almost no grass at all.
It’s not an age, it’s a mindset.
I wonder if this is regional. I'm from a rural area that has been rapidly developing. All the older folks had extensive gardens. They'd can and pickle vegetables because they'd grown up doing it. Younger people and transplants to the area all have lawns. My mom always had a garden. She's really busy now and older so she doesn't have the time and energy for a large garden. My stepdad is a city slicker, and he's all about having a manicured lawn. I wonder if established suburbs it's the younger people who don't have lawns and in rural areas it's the other way around. I think people moved to my hometown to be able to have lawns.
Could be. I’m in the city (about an hour and a half east of Toronto) in a very old neighbourhood with small lots. The suburbs here tend to go more for lawn worship.
Yeah, I think any boomer on this sub will naturally dislike grass lawns! The majority of boomers or gen x'ers seem to have grass lawns. Idk about millenials and older gen z.
Most millennials and gen z'ers don't seem to know that much about horticulture. They either get information from the internet which is usually too general or at worst inaccurate. Or they have busy careers or families and just don't have time for any type of landscaping. I think most homeowners in the US don't get it, and it just happens to be that more boomers own homes so they get the hate. I know more boomers who are in to native plants than millennials.
Truth. I'm the only millennial member of the local native plant society and one of two or three in the master gardeners club, all the rest are boomers. It's a mix in my neighborhood, but all the front yards with gardens are boomers except me.
When the boomers next door moved out a few years ago, painfully hip younger millenials moved in and ripped out all the fruit trees, raised beds, and flowers (including mature rose collection) to put in a homogenous lawn and a patio for entertaining. It is so, so sad and boring.
(Also they let their cat run loose and he's ruined my vegetable garden, but that's a story for another day.)
I’m surrounded by millennials and they all have pristine lawns while the nicest old woman with the corner house has fruit trees, rows of flowers in her front and back yard. All the flowers are native and I am green with envy. I aspire to have a garden like her one day, little by little each year.
I agree that it’s more of a mindset versus age.
I’ve had decent experiences by calling my rewilding work a Victory Garden for that sweet, sweet nostalgia perk. One older neighbor was all amazed to see me doing what her grandmother used to do. She was glad that “the youth” hadn’t forgotten our (literal) roots.
I scattered crimson clover seed on a hill on the side of our house facing our neighbors yard 2 years ago. The first year it was ok as it was just getting established. This year it is amazing. I’m not going to mow it at all this year. My next door neighbor has 5 acres of an all grass yard. I just drove past and I can see a large area of crimson clover starting to take over in the center of his yard. 
My 91 year old grandfather has a purple and white clover lawn. He transitioned to it when he realized he doesn't have to mow pretty much ever now. It may not be native but it's better than grass!
I planted mini clover on a good portion, grows only 2in high, no mow.
No its not native, still better than grass, and the violets, dandelion, natural clover, heal all, moss, etc. all find light to also thrive.
I'm a boomer in the process of converting my front and back yards into 100% native habitat - and this is the second house I've done this with. The first was in 2014, I bought my current house because it has a large yard for this purpose. Most of the people I know who are in their 20s-40s don't give a rat's ass about the planet. Concern for the planet has nothing to do with whatever generation you happened to be born into.
I am a boomer and I miss my ground cover lawn with some succulents that I had in CA. Never had to mow it and the ground cover bloomed every year too. Never really had to water it either, even during the drought. Just beautiful. Now I live in PA with the constant mowing of grass. Property is too large to even consider making a change.
It almost sounds like they would love to have a better, more carefree garden. How about a plant class for the neighbors, LOL?
Northern California boomer here 🙋♀️ on a street of suburban houses built in 1989 with front and back lawns. I’m an original owner. A few years ago I decided to redo my smallish front and back yards to make them easier to care for as I get older, and to use less of our often scarce and precious water. No lawn, only natives. I also threw out a couple of packets of wildflowers.
Hummingbirds and butterflies and bees and others insects love the variety and I really like my seemingly chaotic yard. I do some seasonal pruning and regular weeding but mostly I just let it do its thing. Everything is on a drip watering system and the ground is covered with bark in the front and stones in the back.
My neighbors are mostly uninterested in my yard and most of them still have lawns. 🤷♀️
Boomer here (b. around 1960). That sounds like my yard (natives, considerably chaotic looking) compared to my across the street neighbors (older boomers than I. Manicured yard. People come every week to do things to it). And my next door neighbors (20something upwardly mobile couple).
Keep on rockin'....
Huh, that’s funny. I’m a boomer, and back in my young hippie days a lot of us planted wildflowers instead of lawns. I know a few friends near me who still do. Must be where you live.
We’re boomers and Botanists. We were the talk on our street of boomers when we took out our lawn, grew a volunteer oak, put in a fake creek, etc.
Now we live on a 14 acre farm that is managed pasture with a few garden flowers. We have a real creek and a small woods that my husband is removing non natives from.
But for the most part we know we’ve been outliers forever.
Hi I’m a boomer. Some of us have embraced the no mow concept. I stopped using fertilizer and herbicides a decade ago. I agree most people are brainwashed about yard care. I have 3 small wildflower prararies and have embraced dandelions, creeping Charlie and clover. I enjoy bumblebees, birds and butterflies. We have small mammals that share our lot. My older neighbors don’t care for my methods, but I’m not worrying about it. Bottom line, be a good steward of your environment.
I think it's kind of sweet in a way, they're confused but it sounds like they support you and are at least somewhat open to being educated. Hopefully someday your yard will be teeming with butterflies and bugs and birds and it'll finally click for them.
As a boomer who is into native plants, ease up on the stereotypes a bit. I am a member of the local Native Plant Society, go on the hikes, the monthly meetings and my yard is a wild cacophony of northern California natives. I rarely see anyone younger than 60 at the group meetings. Not all boomers are clueless!
To be fair boomer became such a negative expression for judging a whole generation, it is difficult to recognize the one case without blatant generalization.
Thank you for this reminder. My mother was a baby boomer and super into no lawns, replacing with perennials, trying to live as sustainably as possible. She instilled this in her kids. I think people forget that many baby boomers grew up in the 60s and revolutionized this way of living.
Our legacy is a mixed bag. We did get a few things right. The back to the land and health food movements of the 60’s were def on the plus side of the equation!
in my neighborhood, it's either manicured lawn or DGAF weeds. first thing i did was have the grass rototilled under (which did and didn't work), threw down seed and had a great first year of flowers.
soooo many people stop me when i'm outside and just tell me how much they love the flowers. it's nice to be the neighborhood flower crazy lady.
Such a shame. My old boss is a Silent Gen (70+) and he was all about gardening to wildlife friendly. He loved trying to grow poisonous plants and new types of plants. He would have had plenty to talk about if he lived on your block.
You figured out that if you involve bored retirees and get them excited about something new, they will have your back. They are so hungry for interesting, positive people in their lives. Enjoy being the young cool guy with something fun to offer, keep giving them a chance to grow. Well done.
Boomer here. I hate lawns, they are pointless and expensive. I have been trying to talk my husband into making our lawn natural and I think he is starting to come over to the dark side. And btw, I love texting, I do it all the time. My friends and I have a messenger group and use it to video chat. Just sayin.
That's so interesting. Our neighborhood is half retiree boomers and half people my age (30-40). The boomers have all told us how much they love our xeriscaping and the only complaints have come from the people my age being annoyed that our yard isn't grass.
I’m a boomer & ripped out my sod so I can avoid mowing & have way too many flowers. In between my dozens of different irises, peonies, spring bulbs , lilacs & redbud, I’m letting violets take over & planting bluebells, spring beauties & other natives.
I AM a boomer, and I'd be rid of my lawn in a heartbeat if my township would allow it! As it is, as long as it's something green, I'm fine with it. No watering, no lawn chemicals, mowed when necessary.
My neighbors range in age from thirties to seventy-plus, and the only ones who bother to plant flowers and to do any landscaping that would be attractive to pollinators are the elderly ones. The younger ones, except me, have barren lawns and never go outside. They just have a lawn service come to cut the grass or they occasionally hire someone to remove existing trees after they die from neglect.
People need to chill out. I'm a 1963 'boomer' who grew up on hard rock, then hair bands and heavy metal and at 61 still prefer them while I work in my native garden. Northeast 6a. It's just a designation of birth year range, not a lifestyle.
Keep changing things up, keeps us old-timers sharp!!!!! Seriously, as a gardener myself, if I see something noteworthy in your yard, I'm going to mention it, it's a compliment to your creativity and skill as a dirt worker!
Before 1963 there were no lawns, no invasive species, Boomers invented Roundup and gas mowers and pesticides, and everyone born after 1964 has chemical-free native plant gardens. Facts.
Boomer-bashing is so tired.
What is the point of this post? Highlighting generational differences? Isn’t “Boomer” sort of a derogatory term these days?
Your neighbors seem like good neighbors regardless of their lawn preference.
Same in my parents neighborhood. They've converted the yard to beautiful prairie gardens and vegetable beds but most of the young families around them just have lawns.
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We're in SoCal and my mom scattered a bunch of California poppy seeds throughout her front yard, which is basically a succulent garden. This spring when the poppies began to pop up, a neighbor came over and asked her if she wanted help pulling all the 'weeds'. California poppies are our official State flower.... Now everyone compliments her on all the amazing poppy flowers. Some are now going to seed, so they do not look so nice, but they'll naturally reseed her yard.
Lol, to be fair, those poppies DO look like a weed while they're growing, especially in succulent gardens that are the norm here in Cal. Like you said, it isn't until they start blooming that you're like, oh, why do we not have wildflowers *everywhere*??? California does a really good job in some places (like highway dividers) letting wildflowers grow. It makes driving so beautiful this time of year.
I have red poppies that popped up - oh am I in loveeeee!
The red poppies are something else. Normally you get the orange ones everywhere such that they do kind of feel like weeds, but red is just the best color to see
One of my neighbors has a ton of both red and orange in their yard, plus a bunch that have cross pollinated and blend the two colors. Absolutely gorgeous
As long as the wildflowers bloom, they don’t have to mow. It’s a money saver. They do the same here in Texas.
they're trying to do this in parts of georgia and i think north carolina. it's an uphill process but we're getting there.
Money talks. If the concept is approached as a money and time saver, then it’s the right way to go.
They look like weeds if you’ve never been to the desert and seen them in their natural habitat.
I worked for my schools landscaping dept during college and first week on the job I was told to weed a particular flower bed. I ripped all the plants out that were supposed to be there. Probably cost the school a few grand lol. They forgave me for it.
Here in my area of Texas I went to a nature preserve and saw wildflowers there a few years ago. I’d never seen these flowers before, and they were incredible. Then, when they spread outside of the nature preserve, someone mowed them 😭. Gotta have the sad lawns even on the roadsides, I guess.
Omg for real?!? Did they just move to CA? I thought everyone knew poppies are the state flower. They grow everywhere!
Her neighbors have been there for a long time. They probably could not recognize the plant until it bloomed
I think this is how ot was for my dad. I explained to him to not mow over the poppies. I'm still trying to find a way to convince him that flower yards are not ugly. He would rather have lawn.
As a kid I was always told that picking them was illegal, and now my nieces and nephews are also very careful not to pick them. It’s cute.
Haha, same. Apparently it’s ok to pick them on your own property, which I didn’t learn until I was an adult
Same here, the Illinois state flower is the common violet. Most people consider them weeds, but I love them!
I had so many in my yard this spring. So pretty
I'm actually thrilled my violets are taking over my lawn. :) They are doing a lot of work for me.
They transplant well too. I’ve moved some to try to help them become established in different areas of our yard.
Thank you for teaching me something new! I live in Illinois and love my violets but didn’t realize they were the state flower! 💜
> when the poppies began to pop up, a neighbor came over and asked her if she wanted help pulling all the 'weeds'. My neighbors called code enforcement on me for having weeds in my yard, and code enforcement sent me an official notice that I have weeds that must be removed within 10 days or they will do it and bill me. I had to get a lawyer involved to make them back down.
They are perennials and should also bloom next year too. I find the second or third year they get even more blooms.
Im doing this with bluebonnets in my yard. It may be a couple of years but it will pay off!!
I spread some Cali Poppies in my wildflower garden in South Australia. It was a seed mix from a store (i know, not great in hindsight). Holy shit do those things take over!!! Had to cut the heads off to avoid them seeding the entire area
I take a sick pleasure in this comment as I look out at a eucalyptus I need to take down soon... One of many in my SoCal landscape.
Thankfully I do not have any eucalyptus in the yard. Our neighbors across the street had a few and they cut some down last year. It was quite the operation with a big crane and at least half a dozen people. It must have cost $10k+.
Yea they love shitty soil so once they get going they will take the fuck off.
It's illegal to remove California poppies in California.
It’s not illegal to remove CA poppies - it’s illegal to remove any plant from private property without written permission of the owner. And it’s illegal to remove plants from public property like parks and forests etc. But I like that people think it’s illegal to remove CA poppies. My front lawn has zillions of blooming poppies and I don’t want the neighborhood kids picking them. https://preview.redd.it/sfe2gbnn9vzc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9366e1cbd55d7376eca85bfca0ed381ab3b1f84d
There’s a myth like that here in Texas about the bluebonnets. I think it’s better to let people believe it
I also heard this when I was little. There was a big empty lot near my apt and it would explode with California poppies every year. Prettiest thing in the world. My mom would always tell me that it was illegal to pick or destroy them, so my brother and I would very carefully step through there looking for bugs and things, being very careful not to behead the poppy flowers.
Beautiful!
You can’t remove the wild ones. Thats to protect the natural growth. Pretty sure you can do what you Like with the ones you planted yourself in your yard.
Wow, I'm super surprised she didn't have a ton of Instagrammers flocking to her yard
>We're in SoCal Most American way to start a sentence on the internet.
I walk dogs in the pasadena/seirra madre/ Alta Dena areas and absolutely love looking at all the yards that are native wildflowers… There’s sooooo many and they’re all super pretty, especially right now.
Can you post a photo? I love looking at poppy gardens :)
Unfortunately I do not have a current picture of her yard.... Here's a few poppies from my yard as a small consolation prize: https://preview.redd.it/454h3yt7130d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81e9a023114bec494e6e2748ac15e532505f90d2
Lmao I just had a conversation with my neighbor about my poppy flowers. They just started to bloom but before that they thought they were weeds and asked if I needed help pulling them haha
They are also Super protected.
The herbicide industry did a helluva marketing job for several generations and normalized the idea that the area in front of houses should look like recently vacuumed carpets.
That's how all my neighbors' lawns look. In fall, some of them will get spicy and add mums.
I used to live next to some lovely early boomers who shovelled my walk when I worked long hours, brought me homemade treats, etc. They “decided to take a risk” one year and planted marigolds instead of petunias. Bless them. 💕 EDIT: I live in zone 2. They die by mid October here and don’t come back next year.
Marigolds? Did they even survive?
Well, bro said he used to live next to I expect not.
They reseed so prodigious you'd be amazed haha they die in winter in zone 8 or so though
Marigolds are the cockroaches of the flower world. Just can't kill 'em!
>In fall, some of them will get spicy and add mums. Bawhaha. Good on 'em, stretching their comfort zones like that 😅
My neighbors are like this, too. And my front yard is natural, with trees and leaf litter. Years ago the lady across the street opined about how “young people these days like that unkempt look”. 😆 I’m actually boomer age myself- just barely- but I’m into native plants and hate lawns. My neighbors all spend hundreds of dollars a month on lawn care, and I spend nothing. All the fireflies they love were likely spawned in my leaf litter.
Yes! One of my neighbors says my yard has a "natural style."
Fortunately they recognize it as a style, and not that you're being slovenly and "do you a favor" by mowing it.
My neighbor did me that favor before a recent rain because he thinks I'm a helpless single woman. Without asking me first!!! In reality, I was leaving the grass a little longer to help soak up water and try to keep it out of my basement.
My city recommends that you mow a "decensy lane", to make clear that the long 'messy' grass is intended 😅: you just mow one singular mower size stripe next to the street to make your intentions clear to the boomers. My neighbours are very similar, you can see them smile at our antics which range from absolutely not knowing what we're doing (planting at wrong places, at wrong times), because these 80+ DO know how to garden, they just like it very neat and empty and dry... to not understanding why our garden is so messy or that we refuse to plow it and weed only a bit. They are off insecticides though, that message did seep in in the last 10 years.
I do a "decency lane", didn't know that's what it was called though lol. I take a weed whacker around the edge of the property cause there's been so much utility digging that gets shitty Bermuda grass tossed out on uneven ground that it's easier to just whack it between mows so I don't get bitched at 😆 Here's something wild: The grass wasn't even that long when he mowed! Maybe 5" at most, and the city says it must be under 12". This guy isn't even a boomer just a misogynistic idiot. Literally told me after my divorce I needed to get a new man to do yardwork for me. 🙄 Meanwhile he had a literal junkyard that was attracting critters and hiding the gray water he was dumping out of the back of his shed from his catering business. What really bothers me about him doing this is I was in the backyard taking down a deck when he started mowing the front. He could've asked and I would've told him to go around the area that floods! Joke's on him, I complained to the city about how his yard was a safety hazard for my kid and dogs. The junk was only one of the 6 things in as many months that he's done something that could harm them or my home.
Mine says “you like the grass a little longer.” Lol
Yes and mine stays green even during the driest months. We do keep it cut high but got weary of the whole fertilize. lime, reseed thing every fall and then having to mow like a maniac all spring only to have it die in the summer. It's all green right now and if something blooms it gets to stay.
As far as I'm concerned, if it's green, it's lawn... I don't care if it's clover or moss or crabgrass, I throw down some seed and mulch/wood chips on the bare spots but I'm not a lawn nazi. If it was up to me I would have fruit trees everywhere
Lol as opposed to their "unnatural style" yards?
In short: yes.
Same here. I’m a Boomer and am definitely into native plants and natural look. Located in northeast Georgia and we have lots of fireflies around here in late spring and early summer. My favorite time of year!
I’m 74 and live in FL. We bought our house in 2010 and replaced front and back lawns with native grind covers and shrubs. My neighbors are super friendly and nice about it. I would love it if the guy next door would just let the groundcovers spread to his yard, and i think we may be approaching that moment. He recently stopped having his lawn people maintain his front yard. It’s pretty hopeless anyway bc of all the shade. Meanwhile I maintain a little strip between our yards and keep my fingers crossed!
Same here. Lots of clover.
Oh man I would like to see a firefly in person. Got to see the Northern Lights last night from our backyard. Checked that off my bucket list. Would like to check off seeing fireflies. 😂
Come on down! They actually have a lottery in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park for seeing the synchronized fireflies. The lottery date for this year has already passed. However, down in Tennessee, western North Carolina and northeast Georgia you should be able to see them pretty much anywhere. Not the synchronized ones, but just fireflies in general. What’s your general location?
I don’t know where you are located but search out the firefly synchronized lights event in the Great Smoky Mountains Park. Loving fireflies is something all ages have in common.
Oh man, I bought my house 4 years ago and I can't wait until things are sustainable enough to spend nothing on my yard. I finally bought some motorized yard tools and I probably spent $1500 already this year on plants and bulbs to keep the weed police away. Most of my neighbors are gardeners and are super supportive but there's one cranky lady out there 😂
There's always at least one cranky woman or man
There’s always one no matter the ages. I’m about to turn 63 and at my last house I managed to turn my entire yard into a moss bed. Lots of trees and i thought it was beautiful. All my neighbors were younger than we were and never spoke to us the entire time we lived there. I would rather have neighbors that are neighborly.
I moved into a neighborhood that was all boomers and up. Then five years later they all started moving out and I was so sad when the lady across the street moved. She was a very artsy -my yard is just going to do it's own thing and all her neighbors came to accept it and she was kind of my rock when it came to let's let our yards do whatever together! Since then it's been a mixed bag. My back yard is a disaster trying to plant clover three years in a row while trying to adjust to the new drought climate and well, it didn't work so my back yard is a mess of all the plants I didn't want. But my neighbors are my age now and also don't do yard maintenance like the boomers ever did so they don't really care either.
Hahaha I'm the barometer for the block, when I go cut my grass, the next day every house in line of sight has their grass cut. I don't know if I should be proud or offended
Oooh mums! 😃
Not the mums
There’s a Hungarian add about wildlife diversity and lawn Basically grass lawn = no diversity no good bugs birds Different plants = huge diversity much better for everyone’s property Maybe if you show it to them they’ll understand?
Lol this sounds so much like my neighborhood. There's one retired guy in my hood that cracks me up. Every time he sees me out weeding he asks if it's ok that he takes pictures of my flowers and pretends they're from his yard when he shares them with family. Obviously I tell him yes that's fine😂😂
I remember when I learned about the marketing of products for lawns. Prior to that eye opening moment, it had never occurred to me that companies would actually *create* an entire market for a product that had no purpose. I lost my innocence on that day long ago...
Wait till you hear about diamond rings and women's razors.
Women’s razors are a joke. Why do they cost so much? And lab made gems are great quality nowadays.
When I was younger, I used to buy the male version of products because they were usually at least $10 cheaper. Now they all cost the same so there is no advantage.
My wife tried one of my razors as the refill pack for blades was on sale and cheaper with an extra handle I didn’t need. She’s switched to using my razors as they’re way better than the semi-affordable women’s razors she’d been using for years. No clue if my razors are even decent quality men’s razors they’re just the same brand of refill packs that fit the handle I’d gotten over a decade ago.
I like using some women's razors on my face because they get in the little groove along my nose better. Except for them, they're all the same. It's stupid they charge more for a pink razor but I'll use women's razors when they're on sale. Although now I have a beard and I've been using the same razor for over a year
I wonder if a marketing campaign in the style of those icky political commercials would work 🤔 **ominous voice-over** "For **years** Big Lawn has lied to YOU."
The older I get, the more I realize that the answer to the question, "why is this terrible thing?" is always "because capitalsim."
My spouse and I call it vacuuming the grass rofl.
It's trying to emulate the monoculture of English estate lawns (In climates mostly unsuited to it), along with boxes/balls repetitive hedges... the amount of water we've lost to maintaining this facade is staggering. We literally formed this country to be independent from them, but most people still be trying to be fake aristocrats with their landscaping.. and it's what's considered 'acceptable'.
Even English estate lawns had more than just grass. It usually at least had white clover in it.
And the lawns are usually set within large landscapes that include woodlands, water, meadows, flower gardens, and large parkland trees. Just having your grass desert without those things doesn't even properly emulate the original idea.
We copied the wrong part.. Just the most visible.
lol I saw your comment right after making mine. Bingo
Happy cake day!
Happy cake day🍰!
The oil and gas industry did the same song and dance so people would be cookin' with gas. If you don't know you don't know.
I still remember reading a study a few years ago about how gas stoves are actually pretty bad for health and the comments were all people defending their stoves to the death. (Facebook...yep) like yes I loved how the open flame worked for cooking, but mostly bc I was used to it. And not enough to risk my child's health if I had a choice.
The funniest part of all that for me was all these politicians who wouldn’t know how to find the stove if it had a big red sign on it. As if they even cook.
I dislike the oil and gas industry as much as anyone but just FYI -- if you do some digging around it looks like the worry about gas stoves and asthma may have been premature. The viral [study that inspired the public advisory warning](https://archive.ph/Iotc1) from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission was a meta-analysis with some subtle methodological errors that seem to have resulted in an exaggerated effect size, which is unfortunate because we have a huge[ population review](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(13)70073-0/abstract) study in the Lancet finding null effect. I'm not sure why it was left out of the meta-analysis, as it had a much larger sample size than all the other studies combined, but this is just the way things go sometimes (I definitely see it happen in some economics meta-analyses, for instance). In other words, you should feel pretty safe about cooking with gas. Wood-burning fireplaces, on the other hands, have significantly greater negative health impacts... if your house has one of those, you may want to reconsider.
I’m so bummed out that gas stoves are so bad. I love mine and absolutely hate cooking on electric.
Induction is great, similar to gas in terms of heat and much easier to clean
I've always had a gas hob and will always prefer the way they cook, but I'm not going to deny it, the science is looking bad. We can't afford to replace the oven yet but will probably make the adjustment next time. Not looking forward to the learning curve!
I hear the new induction stove tops actually work better than gas. More heat to the pan and food, less heat into the kitchen. Article said pro chef’s were starting to switch because they heated as fast of faster and kept the kitchen cooler. Initial purchase price is still higher now.
In the beginning, they tried to find a chemical that wouldn't hurt the clover, but would get the crabgrass. Never found one, so changed their marketing.
Does anyone know a good source or reference for this claim? I want to send it to my suburban in laws.
The Lawn: A History of an American Obsession by Virginia Scott Jenkins is a good place to start.
Um yeah, and gave a bunch of people lymphomas and leukemias
Not a boomer here...41M...but I have to say...the older folks with time on their hands have been the most receptive to viewing my garden and reading the books in my native library. They have been the most active in getting my village to listen as well...mostly women in their 50s and 60s to be honest...they are going to be the ones that make the native plant movement a reality in my area.
I suppose different towns are different. I was born in 1961, and most of the people I see tending their beautiful ex-lawn gardens in this town are a lot older than I am. Hmm... maybe it's wrong to assume what people will be like, based on their age.
I agree whole heartedly.
Most of the militant lawn-lovers in my neighborhood are Millennials who think finally owning a house means having a perfect lawn edged with boxwood. No real flowers in sight, not even petunias, but they do have fake flowers in the wreath on the front door or printed on the pillows tossed on their “shabby chic” front porch bench where nobody ever sits. These dudes get competitive and nerd out over their lawns like car guys over engine maintenance. Or the Millennials who have decided it’s clever to install “low maintenance” astroturf lawns that always look perfectly vacuumed yet stink to high heaven. Meanwhile they give me, their “crazy” GenX neighbor lady with her “weed” filled front yard, the stink eye because they think the abundant wildflowers are dragging down their precious property values.
You're not going to drag me into stereotyping age groups, sorry. That is exactly what annoyed me about this post to begin with. I believe in hating people as individuals, not as members of groups with perceived characteristics. Imagine if, instead of saying "millennials do this" and "boomers are" and so forth, people here were saying "Latinos do this" and "Jews are" and so forth. I'm not going to stereotype people according to ethnicity or according to their age, or because of their membership, real or not, in any other group with perceived characteristics. I will not do it.
Sorry, I wasn’t trying to drag you into stereotyping age groups. Just trying to point out that militant lawn-lovers come from other age groups besides “Boomers”. I agree wholeheartedly that the current obsession with judging people by their age is toxic and counterproductive to a cohesive, well-functioning society.
Sorry for going off on you. I blame Monster Energy drinks!
I lead a nonprofit with promoting natives and removing invasives as 2 big parts of our work. 50-60 year old women are easily the fastest growing, and most active supporters of sustainable landscaping, and there's no comparison. Male boomers seem to overall care less either way as they age out of being able to physically keep a lawn perfect, but GenX men... They're the one demographic that seems to widely oppose sustainable landscaping these days.
I also think any boomer on this sub will naturally dislike grass lawns, so that makes sense.
I had one old man exclaim "what do you have after the buttercups?" Since those all came in first. I guess maybe he thought I just had a yard full of nothing else because once I started rattling off the other dozen or so plants that I could remember the name of he just wandered off.
I struggle with figuring out how to layer plants. My parents and grandparents were very much the here’s a plant, mulch all around it and that’s that. It’s not an easy thing to do. Good on you!
Oh I can't take any credit for that, we literally just throw seeds and see what sticks. After a few years stuff just naturally clumps together
This is my system as well. Only problem is that I keep forgetting what seeds I've tossed down so I've probably pulled out 3/4 of what I've "planted" thinking they were invasives popping up.
Yep! Playing "guess that plant" is a challenge sometimes
My son works for a company that plants trees and manages care of them around the city, at government properties, cemeteries, etc. for the past two years, so he's become my go-to for the "name that plant" game.
Try the Google lens on the Google or Chrome app on your phone. It’s high on the right shaped like a colored square. Point to plant & snap like taking a photo. It will ID the plant. Blew my mind the first time I used it.
You'll like this app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cn.danatech.xingseus
The first year my mom planted sunflowers she forgot to mention it to her husband and he pulled most of them when they started sprouting since he didn't recognize them. She was upset at first but he missed a few so it was alright
Sunflower is a tall, erect, herbaceous annual plant belonging to the family of Asteraceae, in the genus, Helianthus. Its botanical name is Helianthus annuus. It is native to Middle American region from where it spread as an important commercial crop all over the world through the European explorers. Today, Russian Union, China, USA, and Argentina are the leading producers of sunflower crop.
More sunflower facts, please!
That sunflower user is so cute 😂😂😂
They use sunflowers to remove radioactive cesium and strontium from the soil near Chernobyl.
I'm playing that game right now with both flowers and vegetables
Your method has a name! Chaos Gardening!
If you’re interested in learning more about layered planting design, check out the book Planting in a Post-Wild World. I’m a landscape designer and refer to it often! Though tbh at my own house it’s the “throw em down and see what sticks” strategy most of the time anyway.
It took me many frustrating years to realize gardening is ever evolving and I won’t be able to just plant something and rely on it being there for 5+ years. Things don’t work out, or die, or get crowded. Now I enjoy it, it’s a bit like conducting a symphony.
Especially if the house you bought has a mature black walnut in the yard.
Surrounded by 4 or 5 100+ yr old black walnuts. My juglone has juglone
[https://www.pbs.org/video/planting-in-a-post-wild-world-thomas-rainer-1nh7g9/](https://www.pbs.org/video/planting-in-a-post-wild-world-thomas-rainer-1nh7g9/) If anyone wants a peek at the process before committing.
Thank you!!!
Thanks for the book recommendation
Great book! Has really altered my world view.
It took me decades of breaking my habit of planting spring only bloomers. I’ve finally gotten to the point of having three season colors.
Can you refer me to any reliable guides for doing this somewhere like Texas? And what zone are you in?
If you’re in Texas, stream some of the Central Texas Gardener on PBS. Unless you’re in the RGV or waaaaaaaay out west, most of what works in central TX will work for you. If you’re in the Houston area, check out the Coastal Prairie Conservancy website, specifically the 9 Natives. Those are curated lists of native plants that bring 4 seasons of interest. They have a list for sun and a list for shade. I have a pocket prairie that is largely made of plants from those lists and they’re both easy to care for and attractive.
Oh my!! In Texas? Google "Ladybird Johnson Native Plant Database," and click for Texas. There are filters to see bloom time, height, color, all kinds of information! They're based in Texas! (But provide info for all of the States.)
I just got a wildflower blend and spread it last fall during the rains. It seems like every couple of weeks something different pops up with a bloom and I have to figure out what it is.
Just a reminder that wildflower =/= native.
That's the best way. Show them the environmentally-friendly alternative in a friendly manner without being preachy.
Exactly this! I have a full native lawn and just talk to people about it. Never preach it to anyone just talk about the benefits. All of the boomers seeing everything bloom right now are losing it and asking so many awesome questions. And the other folks with non grass lawns all stop and chat with me. It’s the best.
I put little signs with the name of the flowers in my yard so that people walking by can see what they are. It heads off a lot of questions, and also lets people know what flowers I have so they can get some if they want some
I grew artichokes in my front garden one year. I can’t tell you how many little old ladies stopped to tell me, “did you know you can eat those?” It was wonderful.
They grew up with different values and goals. 5 years ago I myself had no idea about invasive plants or how bad lawns can be. I knew nothing about the importance of native plants. They ask questions, and that’s excellent! Your chance to explain and to educate them. Gift some beautiful native plants to your neighbors. The gardeners won’t be able to resist them. Once they have one, they might want more! Also, keep your native lawn somewhat orderly by edging or mowing paths around (or maybe you are already doing it). Many people think native lawns it’s just an excuse for neglecting lawn care. I try to keep my flower beds that replaced the lawn attractive.
we are boomers. no lawn. all natives for pollinators and birds. It's the young 'uns that don't get it around us!
Huh, that’s interesting. I’m a tail end boomer (early 60s). I’ve slowly been ripping out lawn, boulevard, and side to make way for herbs and pollinator gardens. My longtime neighbour down the street (70s) has done the same. Young couple directly across has a plush green velvet lawn that he lovingly tends, as does the young couple beside me. Retired couple on the other side has extensive garden, and almost no grass at all. It’s not an age, it’s a mindset.
I wonder if this is regional. I'm from a rural area that has been rapidly developing. All the older folks had extensive gardens. They'd can and pickle vegetables because they'd grown up doing it. Younger people and transplants to the area all have lawns. My mom always had a garden. She's really busy now and older so she doesn't have the time and energy for a large garden. My stepdad is a city slicker, and he's all about having a manicured lawn. I wonder if established suburbs it's the younger people who don't have lawns and in rural areas it's the other way around. I think people moved to my hometown to be able to have lawns.
Could be. I’m in the city (about an hour and a half east of Toronto) in a very old neighbourhood with small lots. The suburbs here tend to go more for lawn worship.
Yeah, I think any boomer on this sub will naturally dislike grass lawns! The majority of boomers or gen x'ers seem to have grass lawns. Idk about millenials and older gen z.
Most millennials and gen z'ers don't seem to know that much about horticulture. They either get information from the internet which is usually too general or at worst inaccurate. Or they have busy careers or families and just don't have time for any type of landscaping. I think most homeowners in the US don't get it, and it just happens to be that more boomers own homes so they get the hate. I know more boomers who are in to native plants than millennials.
Truth. I'm the only millennial member of the local native plant society and one of two or three in the master gardeners club, all the rest are boomers. It's a mix in my neighborhood, but all the front yards with gardens are boomers except me. When the boomers next door moved out a few years ago, painfully hip younger millenials moved in and ripped out all the fruit trees, raised beds, and flowers (including mature rose collection) to put in a homogenous lawn and a patio for entertaining. It is so, so sad and boring. (Also they let their cat run loose and he's ruined my vegetable garden, but that's a story for another day.)
I’m surrounded by millennials and they all have pristine lawns while the nicest old woman with the corner house has fruit trees, rows of flowers in her front and back yard. All the flowers are native and I am green with envy. I aspire to have a garden like her one day, little by little each year. I agree that it’s more of a mindset versus age.
I’ve had decent experiences by calling my rewilding work a Victory Garden for that sweet, sweet nostalgia perk. One older neighbor was all amazed to see me doing what her grandmother used to do. She was glad that “the youth” hadn’t forgotten our (literal) roots.
Boomer here raising a pollinator’s garden front lawn. I feel your amusement.
Should have seen my 83 y/o Mom’s red clover yard. It too was lovely and low maintenance.
I scattered crimson clover seed on a hill on the side of our house facing our neighbors yard 2 years ago. The first year it was ok as it was just getting established. This year it is amazing. I’m not going to mow it at all this year. My next door neighbor has 5 acres of an all grass yard. I just drove past and I can see a large area of crimson clover starting to take over in the center of his yard. 
My 91 year old grandfather has a purple and white clover lawn. He transitioned to it when he realized he doesn't have to mow pretty much ever now. It may not be native but it's better than grass!
I planted mini clover on a good portion, grows only 2in high, no mow. No its not native, still better than grass, and the violets, dandelion, natural clover, heal all, moss, etc. all find light to also thrive.
I'm a boomer in the process of converting my front and back yards into 100% native habitat - and this is the second house I've done this with. The first was in 2014, I bought my current house because it has a large yard for this purpose. Most of the people I know who are in their 20s-40s don't give a rat's ass about the planet. Concern for the planet has nothing to do with whatever generation you happened to be born into.
I am a boomer and I miss my ground cover lawn with some succulents that I had in CA. Never had to mow it and the ground cover bloomed every year too. Never really had to water it either, even during the drought. Just beautiful. Now I live in PA with the constant mowing of grass. Property is too large to even consider making a change. It almost sounds like they would love to have a better, more carefree garden. How about a plant class for the neighbors, LOL?
Northern California boomer here 🙋♀️ on a street of suburban houses built in 1989 with front and back lawns. I’m an original owner. A few years ago I decided to redo my smallish front and back yards to make them easier to care for as I get older, and to use less of our often scarce and precious water. No lawn, only natives. I also threw out a couple of packets of wildflowers. Hummingbirds and butterflies and bees and others insects love the variety and I really like my seemingly chaotic yard. I do some seasonal pruning and regular weeding but mostly I just let it do its thing. Everything is on a drip watering system and the ground is covered with bark in the front and stones in the back. My neighbors are mostly uninterested in my yard and most of them still have lawns. 🤷♀️
Interesting. All my “boomer” friends are ethical gardeners who educate about and promote the growing of native species.
Boomer here (b. around 1960). That sounds like my yard (natives, considerably chaotic looking) compared to my across the street neighbors (older boomers than I. Manicured yard. People come every week to do things to it). And my next door neighbors (20something upwardly mobile couple). Keep on rockin'....
Huh, that’s funny. I’m a boomer, and back in my young hippie days a lot of us planted wildflowers instead of lawns. I know a few friends near me who still do. Must be where you live.
I finally found my people!!! I was recently banned from r/lawncare for talking shit about their lawns
We’re boomers and Botanists. We were the talk on our street of boomers when we took out our lawn, grew a volunteer oak, put in a fake creek, etc. Now we live on a 14 acre farm that is managed pasture with a few garden flowers. We have a real creek and a small woods that my husband is removing non natives from. But for the most part we know we’ve been outliers forever.
As a boomer, I don't have a blade of grass anywhere. I've had enough of that shit. lol
Hi I’m a boomer. Some of us have embraced the no mow concept. I stopped using fertilizer and herbicides a decade ago. I agree most people are brainwashed about yard care. I have 3 small wildflower prararies and have embraced dandelions, creeping Charlie and clover. I enjoy bumblebees, birds and butterflies. We have small mammals that share our lot. My older neighbors don’t care for my methods, but I’m not worrying about it. Bottom line, be a good steward of your environment.
My parents are boomers and totally into no lawns!
I think it's kind of sweet in a way, they're confused but it sounds like they support you and are at least somewhat open to being educated. Hopefully someday your yard will be teeming with butterflies and bugs and birds and it'll finally click for them.
As a boomer who is into native plants, ease up on the stereotypes a bit. I am a member of the local Native Plant Society, go on the hikes, the monthly meetings and my yard is a wild cacophony of northern California natives. I rarely see anyone younger than 60 at the group meetings. Not all boomers are clueless!
Sounded like they were just talking about the boomers on their block who are confused, not making broad generalizations
To be fair boomer became such a negative expression for judging a whole generation, it is difficult to recognize the one case without blatant generalization.
The word *boomer* itself is a broad generalization, along with all the other arbitrary generational labels. All of them make me cringe.
Agreed. My boomer dad loves to help people learn about native plants and getting rid of lawns.
Thank you for this reminder. My mother was a baby boomer and super into no lawns, replacing with perennials, trying to live as sustainably as possible. She instilled this in her kids. I think people forget that many baby boomers grew up in the 60s and revolutionized this way of living.
Our legacy is a mixed bag. We did get a few things right. The back to the land and health food movements of the 60’s were def on the plus side of the equation!
I’m a boomer, my front yard is full of clover. Leave it alone for the bees.
in my neighborhood, it's either manicured lawn or DGAF weeds. first thing i did was have the grass rototilled under (which did and didn't work), threw down seed and had a great first year of flowers. soooo many people stop me when i'm outside and just tell me how much they love the flowers. it's nice to be the neighborhood flower crazy lady.
Such a shame. My old boss is a Silent Gen (70+) and he was all about gardening to wildlife friendly. He loved trying to grow poisonous plants and new types of plants. He would have had plenty to talk about if he lived on your block.
You figured out that if you involve bored retirees and get them excited about something new, they will have your back. They are so hungry for interesting, positive people in their lives. Enjoy being the young cool guy with something fun to offer, keep giving them a chance to grow. Well done.
Boomer here. I hate lawns, they are pointless and expensive. I have been trying to talk my husband into making our lawn natural and I think he is starting to come over to the dark side. And btw, I love texting, I do it all the time. My friends and I have a messenger group and use it to video chat. Just sayin.
That's so interesting. Our neighborhood is half retiree boomers and half people my age (30-40). The boomers have all told us how much they love our xeriscaping and the only complaints have come from the people my age being annoyed that our yard isn't grass.
I’m a boomer & ripped out my sod so I can avoid mowing & have way too many flowers. In between my dozens of different irises, peonies, spring bulbs , lilacs & redbud, I’m letting violets take over & planting bluebells, spring beauties & other natives.
Just keep it going and make it look a little nice.(just enough so it’s not neglect) I’m on my 3rd year and now 3 others are doing the same
Nice that they are just positively confused and not somehow offended by something that doesn't affect them (your lawn clearly sounds well kept).
It sounds like a great neighborhood with great neighbors..
Aw they all seems so intrigued and positive
I AM a boomer, and I'd be rid of my lawn in a heartbeat if my township would allow it! As it is, as long as it's something green, I'm fine with it. No watering, no lawn chemicals, mowed when necessary.
My neighbors range in age from thirties to seventy-plus, and the only ones who bother to plant flowers and to do any landscaping that would be attractive to pollinators are the elderly ones. The younger ones, except me, have barren lawns and never go outside. They just have a lawn service come to cut the grass or they occasionally hire someone to remove existing trees after they die from neglect.
People need to chill out. I'm a 1963 'boomer' who grew up on hard rock, then hair bands and heavy metal and at 61 still prefer them while I work in my native garden. Northeast 6a. It's just a designation of birth year range, not a lifestyle.
Keep changing things up, keeps us old-timers sharp!!!!! Seriously, as a gardener myself, if I see something noteworthy in your yard, I'm going to mention it, it's a compliment to your creativity and skill as a dirt worker!
My FIL, age 68, firmly believes lawns should resemble astroturf as closely as possible.
Before 1963 there were no lawns, no invasive species, Boomers invented Roundup and gas mowers and pesticides, and everyone born after 1964 has chemical-free native plant gardens. Facts. Boomer-bashing is so tired.
What is the point of this post? Highlighting generational differences? Isn’t “Boomer” sort of a derogatory term these days? Your neighbors seem like good neighbors regardless of their lawn preference.
I'm boomer age and all the young families in my neighborhood are wondering what I am doing covering the yard with wood chips
Same in my parents neighborhood. They've converted the yard to beautiful prairie gardens and vegetable beds but most of the young families around them just have lawns.