494 Water Wise Clothlawn Part 2
It took the worst drought/heat wave in our recorded history to get me to realize that the Clothyard’s plants are as native to Montana as the satellite dish. My grass is from Kentucky and my willows are from… well, I don’t know where they’re from, but it certainly got more than 14-15 inches of rain a year. No wonder the Clothyard can’t survive without me coddling it like a newborn.
Like most in the semi-arid West, the Clothfamily invests enormous resources into maintaining a yard that may make our house look nice but is as practical as ice skates in the Sahara. And when we get a drought like this year’s, the Clothlawn is constantly on life support.
Where did we get the notion that our lawns have to look like golf courses; especially since golf courses don’t exist in our natural environment? Aside from the buildings and streets, I can tell when I’m in town because I rarely see any of the vegetation that blankets our surrounding fields and mountains.
Wouldn’t it make more sense if our lawns mirrored nature? They do this in Arizona and Colorado. Many lawns aren’t lawns; they’re landscape which matches the native surroundings.
I’m not saying we can’t devote a portion of our yard to lush grass. And of course parks, schools, golf courses, etc. need green lawns for folks to recreate on. But we could save a massive amount of resources if we would simply utilize natural landscaping. That’s what we’re going to do with the Clothlawn. Here are some tips on how you can too. 1. Planning and Design. Work with your yard’s topography, exposure and soil. Create planting zones and group your plants by their needs. For example, group drought tolerant plants in areas exposed to the sun all day, give less tolerant plants some partial shade and keep the more delicate plants near your water source. 2. Planting. Choose a few plants that need babying, but for the most part, select plants that thrive in during our dry summers. These include the native plants that we take for granted. You’ll still want some grass but take into consideration what you plan to use your lawn for and keep it to that size.
3. Watering. Not all plants need the same amount of water and those needs may change with the seasons. If you’ve followed the steps above, your plants are grouped by their water needs, including your lawn. Then water only when and where it’s needed. And note that drip irrigation systems are twice as efficient as sprinklers which loose up to half of the water to evaporation.
4. Mulching. A layer of organic mulch can cut water needs in half by smothering weeds, reducing evaporation and increasing the humidity. Mulch your grass clippings. Other mulches include leaves, straw, compost and shredded newspaper (always remove Clothman before shredding).
Paul says that “creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it (humanity), in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21).
It’s sad that we got so out-of-sync with God’s creation because of ignorance but if we stay there after being enlightened I think we risk being out-of-sync with God himself. God certainly cares about his creation, so should we – that includes out lawn.
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