The Blight of the Neighbourhood

It seems fitting that our house is affectionately referred to as The Chocolate Lava House among certain members of the neighbourhood. Unfortunately, it's more than just the brown stained concrete than lends itself to the name: there's also the D E A D yard in front and back. I swear it's not just laziness that keeps the yard D E A D. It's also frugalness (no increased water bills! no maintenance bills! no nursery bills!) and lack desire (at least for now) to do anything outside the house when there's so many things inside the house that need work.

It's funny...when we first started looking at houses, we started REALLY watching HGTV and the DIY Network, hoping to glean some sort of expertise on the process. Something that occurred to my after hours and hours of watching House Hunters and Property Virgins was there was a distinct difference in what different age groups were looking for in landscaping. On the segments that featured slightly older people, they were highly interested in yard and grass and property size, while the younger people would balk at the enormous lawns and list it as a con when discussing the property.

My parents and grandparents have/had beautiful oases in the semi-arid region of Southern Idaho. Wide expanses of manicured grass, beds of colourful flowers, thriving trees and shrubs...and as much as I love to see these gorgeous plantings, it just ain't for me. Perhaps I'm missing that nurturing gene/instinct where I love the feeling of fresh mulch on my hands, of watching seedlings grow into thriving flora, of taking pride in creating some transient beauty out of soil. Maybe it'll be different when it's my yard I'm working in, but I somehow doubt it (the bougainvilleas I purchased and potted when we were living at the condo can attest to this...well, they could if they had lived. But they didn't. le sigh, le tear).

Here's the back yard when we first looked at the house.

And this is what it looked like this past Wednesday.

Now, in our defense, this is completely intentional (I swear!). And when the first picture was snapped back in January, it was during the so-called rainy season and the greenery there were entirely volunteer plants. And the house had been vacant for over a year, so any grass that HAD been on the property was long D E A D and not by my hand. Now why's it intentional? We've actually killed any non-tree or cactus growing on the property using Round Up and a weed whacker just to eliminate weeds. And while it makes the property look entirely barren (and keeps our cars nice and dusty), it means less work outside. And while the neighbours might grumble as they walk/drive by, I think they are secretly (perhaps DEEEEEP down) appreciative that we're doing our duty by keeping the weeds dead and thereby preventing cross-contamination. Hey, we're helping them out!

When we decide to spend money on the curb appeal and fix the front and back yards, we plan on Xeriscaping. The local water district has a very beautiful low-water garden with loads of ideas on how to create a beautiful yard with minimal environmental impact. If you're in the area, it's definitely worth it to check it out. They also have a lovely and informative booklet that includes a comprehensive listing of all plants that thrive in the Inland Empire. When we do move ahead on our xeriscaping plans, one of John's Karate acquaintances works for an organization that evaluates the water-wiseness of landscapes, and he offered recommendations and help in creating our perfect low-maintenance, high-impact yard.

In the meantime, we'll deal with the glares from the neighbours and the dusty cars and furniture. Lucky for us, it's Hip to be Green now. So yay for the Prius and Hybrid Civic parked in the front drive way, and yay for the D E A D yards flanking the house. We're being Green by living Brown!