Yard Work

Wild Turkey Trot

The first day of spring was yesterday but the weather has been unseasonably warm for the past few weeks. So, for those of us who are frozen half the year, this means getting a head start on outdoor cleaning.

This is what I've been doing for that past couple of days; trimming up trees, racking leaves and cutting back weeds. I'm trying to make my yard look purdy, instead of like a **ithole.

When you live in the country like I do, it's easy for nature to take back your yard. Unless you're spending a large chunk of your time mowing and trimming (or weeding and spraying herbicides), random plants, not just dandelions, start showing up everywhere.

Some of these plants are actually kind of nice to have, such as violets. I have a large section under my trees that is nothing but these early spring flowers. Not only are their purple/blue flowers pretty to look at, they also provide food for bees.

Other plants are not only a nuisance but they're invasive as well. We all know about dandelions (which I don't mind actually) but what I'm talking about are those plants that literally choke out native species.

The first year you notice them, there might only be one or two plants. The next year? a dozen or more. They either have prolific seeds or runners, sometimes both.

The worst of these for me is the cucumber vine. Not only is it prolific, but it grows fast too. I had one grow up next to a wild grapevine. I didn't know what kind of plant it was back then. It didn't take long for it to outgrow and takeover my grapevine. Because it drops a large quantity of fast germinating seeds, before I knew it, my yard was overcome.

I'm not one for using chemicals if I don't have too, though I could go that route. Many people do. I personally feel we have too many chemicals already in our lives, we don't need more. So every year I spend some time cutting and pulling unwanted plants, mostly vines, from specific areas so the yard looks neat.

Because I don't use chemicals, I've had to redefine what types of plants belong in a yard. While mostly it's grass, I do let other plants grow. Things like creeping charlie, though invasive, grow close to the ground, provide plenty of coverage and even has small  but pretty early spring flowers. Other plants, like violets, grow well under shade. They're perfect for those areas that don't necessarily need mowing every week but you want somewhat neat looking. Even the dreaded dandelion gets to stay in my yard. Though I have to admit, they don't do well because my yard is mostly shaded and they prefer sun. There are others, but those are the main ones.

What do these plants have in common beside normally being considered a weed? They're invasive. But not to the point of choking out all other plants. They're also low to the ground and require less mowing than grass. This means less work for me. I have a large yard, so this is somewhat important.

Having various plants besides grass growing in my yard has another benefit too. I get to see more animals than most folks. Most wildlife, like the turkey pictured above, don't eat grass. They eat other plants or bugs that eat other plants. It helps that I have trees surrounding my property which provide shelter.

All in all, while it might not be manicured to the point of boring, I have a yard that I can enjoy along with nature.

:)