Back when we bought this place in 2007, the big backyard was a thick lush carpet of grass all the way to the back of the property and then a year or so before Harvey in 2017, it started dying; one patch here, another patch there, whatever was killing it moved around until most of the grass was dead or dying and then Harvey flood came and filled it with weed and hay grass seeds. Not all the grass died and we made no effort to save it, it struggles but it will never regain its former glory mainly because we don't waste water or chemicals on grass and so it looks like it does now...unmowed and unkempt.
It looks this way because it is unmowed and unkempt. Oh, it will get mowed and trimmed but not 'til after the spring wildflowers have all gone by. Standing at the edge of the yard looking back at the house it looks like an ignored field but if you stroll through it and look down you will see that it's full of flowers besides the cleaver, chickweed, plantain, hay grass, clover, and other weeds.
woodland violets
baby blue eyes
yellow wood sorrel
pink oxylis
henbit
dandelion
wild onion
purple vetch
wild ranunculus
10 petal anemone in all its variations of color
the first of the evening primrose
the woodland lilies (not wild or a native but invasive)
fleabane
and even a stray bluebonnet
The anemones, henbit, and violets are about done; the baby blue eyes, evening primrose, ranunculus, and fleabane just starting up; the clasping leaved coneflower are growing but not blooming yet.
The reason we don't mow during spring is because bees and other pollinators depend on these small wild flowers, their earliest sources of food, until the tamer varieties of flowers start to bloom.
I'm glad you leave the wildflowers in peace. I have a lot of these around here and when they crop up among the groundcover I'm pleased to see them. But most have not yet appeared. Henbit and wood sorrel have, but few violets yet. We don't get bluebonnets though.
ReplyDeleteMore people need to give up on grass
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that Miner's Lettuce bloomed. I pulled a bunch out of the garden railroad just tonight. The weather has warmed up enough that I can get out and do a bit of weeding. Nice!
ReplyDeleteVast areas of mowed grass always raise my hackles. Not enough people look down. Your field/yard looks lovely. I am slowly transforming my front yard into a garden. Luckily for me, none of my neighbors mind (or notice).
ReplyDeleteI just saw my first henbit yesterday. It was fun to recognize all of these except the lily. The anemones and baby blue eyes seem on the decline now (at least in this area) but the dandelions have just exploded. They're one of my favorites, for sure. Believe it or not, I found mountain laurel in full bloom at Brazoria yesterday. I had the very dickens of a time getting photos, because of the wind. I'm going to make another run at it this week. Believe me, I was astonished to find that hill country/central Texas tree here. I've seen the tree for years, but this is the first time it's bloomed.
ReplyDeleteIt took about a dozen tries to get a decent picture of the henbit as my phone camera just did not want to focus on the little flowers. Funny how things wax and wane in different areas, my baby blue eyes are just started blooming about a week ago. I had a small volunteer mountain laurel in a pot that a friend dug up from her house last year and brought to me. Didn't know where to plant it so in the pot it stayed. It survived the freeze last year but not the ones this year. A neighbor had a nice one that bloomed every year and for some reason she had it cut down. I couldn't believe it.
DeleteI meant to add, the woodland lily is from Africa. I bought a small pot at a nursery when we lived in Houston and it just took over, spread like wildfire. I brought a few small pots of it out here and it's doing the same. Real pretty when it blooms very early spring, a carpet of red but last year and this year hard freezes came just as the majority had sent up it's bloom stalks and started to bloom so the flowers have been sparse this year.
DeleteWe not only share weather but many of the tiny wildflowers. AND you've reminded me that I need to kick bamboo today.
ReplyDeleteThose sweet wildflowers are a nice reason not to mow!
ReplyDeleteThose wildflowers are so beautiful. I love that you let them bloom to help the bees get their nourishment. Wonderful in every way.
ReplyDeleteThat and the guy who mows back there hates to mow so any excuse.
DeleteI have grass in my new home but am thinking of how I can replace it. There are better ways…looks like you’ve found yours and I love it.
ReplyDeleteI just let nature take its course. We'd probably still have grass if whatever it was hadn't killed most of it off. It's really nice back there when the evening primrose is in full bloom.
DeleteLovely wildflowers! Very healthy back yard even if some are invasives.
ReplyDeleteThis is so beautiful to see! What gorgeous variety among your wild flowers. I wonder when it started, that necessity to grow and manicure boring uniform green blades of grass on small and vast stretches of our land - maybe with no other purpose but to keep insect life away from it. My father in law used to say, it's so we can play badminton or croquet, so be it but in every garden??? I remember much more exciting childhood games in tall meadows.
ReplyDeleteI love it! We had to keep the grass mowed short at the park, leaving just my flower beds for the bees and butterflies. We did have a nice patch beyond the dog park that never got mowed, but that was it. Seems like "campers" want clean shaven fields and all the amenities of civilization. Some of them wanted planned activities every weekend and let's not forget FREE food with the activities. So happy to be gone from that!
ReplyDeleteThose flowers are marvelous. I don't know a thing about any of them. Shame on me.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that you're letting it "re-wild," rather than having a monoculture of grass.
ReplyDeleteIt is an interesting question of where did the desire for manicured lawns originate? We're obligated to keep the grass looking good, so we do, but overall it's kind of stupid. I'd rather see raised beds of vegetables or flowers.
ReplyDeleteI really wish we had a field like this instead of our yard. I'd probably do it if we didn't rent. And remember when I said we didn't have woodland violets in NC like we did in Ohio? Yeah, they're everywhere (I posted a pic Mike took). I'm just Ms. Oblivious. Ha!
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