In areas that are even more rural and less populated, there is usually more freedom.  I remember when my cousin and her husband purchased land in the woods in New York State, then again in New Mexico, what freedom they had to mold and shape their property and land the way they wanted too, and the end result was a wonderful home that provided and continues to provide them with a lot of pleasure and happiness.

I can’t help but think that with all the flooding that has been going on (I know, I talked about that already last post…it has been quite an issue in our area and nearby States), many are going to need equipment to put their homes and property in order again.

And then there are my beloved trees, I love trees, but when there are tropical storm or hurricane force winds to trees that have their leaves on them still, there is always potential for branches to come down as well as entire trees, and our house is in the “line of fire” for several trees.

There isn’t much we can do about the trees except let nature take it’s course, and my gardens are going to be protected by sand bags.  It is very close to the end of the gardening season as far as many of my vegetables and flowers go, but some plants won’t be blooming until into September.  My container garden on the deck will be moved very close to the house where the plants will be more likely to be protected from the wind.

I was very impressed by a document put out by a site in the UK on preparing the garden for flooding, as well as the home.  When you visit “Flooding in the Gardens” and page down a bit you’ll find a wealth of information on protecting the garden from flooding as well as restoring the garden and the lawn after flooding.  May we all fair well during Hurricane Irene.

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Last Saturday temperatures were not quite as bad, and my husband and I decided to go walk around the track at our local High School, and at the same time, check out the new artificial turf that makes up the new football field that the track surrounds.  It was different, but attractive, with the school emblem in the center of the field.  We had read the discussion in the local paper about the cost comparison between the artificial turf for the field, and the cost of “real” turf  upkeep…and apparently, the artificial won, and it looks green and beautiful in spite of the scorching temperatures we’re experiencing…no need to worry about watering it.  I laughed along with my husband at his often saying he’d rather have gravel in the front yard than a lawn to mow…maybe this would be an alternative…but I don’t think that will be happening even though it’s possible to do. It does, however, seem to be a great idea for schools or parks to provide safe and attractive playground surfacing.  I don’t think we’ll be going around the track tomorrow…it’s going to be another hot one.  I hope all of you are keeping cool!

We aren’t very “savvy” when it comes to keeping a healthy lawn, as we live in a community that is quite “woodsy”…not a development with pristine homes and well-kept lawns, but still we like to keep things looking as nice as possible, leading me to be tempted to consider the idea of, and the cost of fake grass.  I can’t imagine such a thing, especially during the winter when most lawns are dormant…if there is no snow covering the ground, how will my bright green fake grass look when all the other lawns are brown?  But the benefits may just outweigh the concern about a fake green lawn in winter…and my husband and son would love not having to mow the lawn.  Maybe others would be so curious about the never-ending greenness of our lawn that they would want to know how we manage it…all year round in the northeast.  Summer is coming, and with it hot and sometimes dry weather.  Not having to water would be nice at times like this.  It’s something to think about….

Now for the positive side of all that rain, it so very green everywhere, I love the lush green look of the woods and hope that in the next couple of months this will mean a colorful fall.  The lawn looks good out back, but in the front yard because of the trees surrounding the property, we have a lot of spots that aren’t looking much like a lawn. 

With this in mind it was fun to take a look at a site that provides a “Golf Green” lawn, and the grass isn’t even real! It’s tempting to cover my entire front yard with this natural looking artificial lawn. It sounds silly, but when you look at the pictures, and see how many ways the artificial turf is used, you’ll agree with me, I think. It’s pet-safe and your lawn will no longer have those yellow spots that dogs like mine are famous for causing, and if you’re one who lays down sod, it will save you from having to do this any more.

I know for the gardener it sounds like cheating, we like to get our hands in the dirt, but if a little spot covering with this wonderful green will save some time that you could use playing in the garden, it may not be such a bad thing.  This can be used in a larger scale too, for parks, schools, and more.