It just might be time for the Town of Okotoks to crack out that ‘Golden Lawn’ contest it had on the drawing board back in the spring. I know my lawn would be in the running.
Thanks to a fairly moist spring, it has taken a while for the green to disappear this year, but the gold has definitely arrived, and just in time for the Olympics. It’s downright crunchy underfoot these days but there’s no way I’m doing anything to change that.
Having come from a place with a flat rate utility bill, where there were sprinkling restrictions every summer but no financial repercussions for water usage, I cringe a little every time I turn on the hose in my back yard knowing that I’m on the clock and that every drop is being added to the bill.
My rain barrel has run dry so I’m having to tap into the civic supply to keep the trees I’ve planted from shriveling up. Once they’re established, they’ll no longer need my help, but in the meantime, I’ll be out there every so often making sure I don’t lose them.
I don’t want to skimp on water and pay for it by having a row of dead trees along the rear property line, so I faithfully go out there every few days to make sure they’re surviving the heat.
The lawn, however, is another matter. I know it’s coming back once we get some prolonged moisture, so there’s no way I’m spending a nickel to keep it green. As I’ve likely mentioned before, my environmental side is often driven by financial considerations, so although I might not be the brightest shade of green, I’m getting there one way or another.
Years ago, a brown lawn might have been considered an eyesore, a sign of someone derelict in their gardening duties, but it’s become much more acceptable these days, to the point where the Town had mused about recognizing those residents whose yards are sporting golden hues.
Yes, it would be a tongue-in-cheek kind of award, perhaps along the lines of an ugliest Christmas sweater contest, but what it does is further normalize the notion that there’s nothing wrong with letting the lawn go dormant.
I can see the desire to keep the lawn green if you’re always using it, if you’ve got little ones running around and don’t want that prickly consistency, but nine times out of 10 when I’m on the lawn it’s because I’m going from the patio to the back gate or vice versa.
A lawn is often more aesthetic than functional so if you can wrap your head around the idea that it can take on a variety of shades throughout the year, then the inevitable summer browning doesn’t end up being a big deal.
The fact you don’t have to cut a brown lawn is merely a bonus.
As summers get drier and warmer, the choice to water the grass might well get taken away from us, so the sooner we learn to embrace a golden lawn, the better off we will be.
