To Mow or Not to Mow? That is the Question

Mow, mow, mow your lawn...gently down the yard. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily...mowing isn't so hard.

At least it isn't too tough of a job if you keep at it. Which can sometimes be easier said (or written) than done. 

When I moved to the 'burbs I found myself with a new responsibility. Mowing the yard. Luckily the front yard is about the size of a postage stamp and the back lawn is pretty teensy weensy as well. 

Prior to migrating northward I had never lived anywhere that included me rolling up my sleeves to maintain landscapes. Mowing grass and shoveling snow? That's the sort of thing I had people for. But no more. It's all me (and my downstairs neighbor) and I'm actually OK with that notion. And the provided cute little push mower, that seemed to belong more on the set of a romantic comedy than in my hands, didn't hurt.

After moving in last fall and mowing, mowing, mowing my way to winter and then shoveling, shoveling, SHOVELING my way to spring I was more than ready to gear up for a my first summer filled with planting flowers, trimming shrubs and making our yard the greenest gem on the street. 

Then one day I woke up and noticed the backyard looked like Jurassic freakin' Park minus the dinosaurs. There were weeds everywhere of every kind but not every size. They were all ginormous. Some taller than me.

How was this possible? What can I do? The adorable push mower was no match for Tyrannosaurus Weeds. My neighbor tried spraying them to no avail. They weren't going anywhere. I started researching where I could buy a goat. 

Then it happened. I was sitting out on my balcony one morning when a man walked into the back yard. He said he was a building inspector and neighbors had complained about the weed forest we had happening all up in hurr. 

I admit the back yard was pretty....ummm...lush. But, I pointed out to the inspector, it wasn't anywhere near as overgrown as the houses in the neighborhood sporting "natural lawns". After he informed me that every weed "except a dandelion" are outlawed in Shorewood I was further perplexed. How could my tiny patch o' weeds at the back of my house call the attention of the village but folks who have front yards overgrown with foliage be applauded? 

Coming to Shorewood from a mostly urban existence there's not a whole lot of horticulture experience to fall back on. But I grew up in the suburbs. And there your lawn is something to be lauded upon. My dad had been known to cut all sorts of intricate patterns into his, making it even more of a showcase. 

So what is up with these "naturalized" spaces? How are they legal when our little Jurassic Park remake was called in as a neighborly nuisance? 

Turns out it's not legal in Shorewood, unless you have permission to maintain such a yard from the village. A resident can apply with the Planning and Development Department to be granted the ability to maintain a natural lawn, one where vegetation exceeds four inches in height. To do so one must include "a statement of intent and purpose of the lawn, general description of the vegetational types, plants and plant succession involved, and the specific management and maintenance techniques to be employed."

In Whitefish Bay it's pretty much a no-no with the village code there stating, "Yards shall be kept substantially clear of debris and shall be provided with adequate lawn, ground cover, vegetation, hedges, bushes, or other vegetation, maintained as necessary to create a neat and attractive appearance. All weeds and grasses shall be kept cut to a height not to exceed six inches."

Turns out naturalized yards are pretty spiffy for the environment. They conserve water and attract wildlife. They're free of chemicals and pesticides. 

However, I think I'll stick to tackling the mowing, pulling the weeds and keeping my yard looking like a lawn and not a snack for a Brontosaurus.