I AM HERE TO TELL YOU THAT THE ONLY THING that tears through my fence is the occasional bear. Apparently Andre Jordan has forgotten evidence of that invasion. Of course he is really making fun of my recent post of my earliest chores, which says to check your fenceline (you know, for deer-sized openings created by a fallen branch, perhaps?). Truth be told, it’s Andre’s blog, not mine that has all those love stories on it. I’d love to get a peek at his fence around now, wouldn’t you?
THE LECTURE that he’s been giving for a number of years is not-so-subtly called “Kill Your Lawn.” Ecological horticulturist Dan Jaffe Wilder knows that starting over and creating an entire native habitat instead of a lawn isn’t for everyone. But Dan just wants to grab our attention and get us to start to make some changes at least in the way we care for the turfgrass we do want in our landscapes. And maybe give up a little square footage of it to some other kind of more diverse planting, too, like the wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana, inset). Alternative, more eco-focused styles of lawn care, along with some lawn alternatives is what he and I talked about on the podcast. Dan is Director of Applied Ecology at Norcross Wildlife Foundation in Wales, Massachusetts, and its 8,000-acre sanctuary. He’s also co-author with Mark Richardson of the book “Native Plants for New England Gardens.”
(Stream it below, read the illustrated transcript or subscribe free.)
This one caused a belly laugh! Mostly at the idea that those deer that came through your fence recently were all past lovers.