(above) Part One of a really good documentary on American Lawns. One thing that comes up in this segment is the Yard Of The Month Award. Here is one such program that is run to inspire community residents to “take pride in the appearance and upkeep of their yards”. If you are looking to win this prestigious prize and receive your own “Yard of the Month” sign for your lawn, here are the criteria that you will be judged on: Evaluation Checklist1. Lawn mowed neatly; low spots filled with topsoil; no brown spots in grass?
2. Lawn and flowerbeds are free of leaves and grass clippings; area walks swept?
3. Sidewalks and driveways edged? (includes around foundations, patios, trees …)
4. Very few weeds in lawn and cracks of sidewalks/driveway?
5. Mulching flowerbeds/bushes/trees?
6. Appearance and condition of flowers?
7. Bushes trimmed neatly (no higher than bottom of window sills except for corner or “Specimen” bushes & trees)?
8. Name properly displayed? (rank, last name, first initial)
9. Front yard clear of clutter, garbage cans, litter, etc. (most visible area from street)?
10. Overall appearance
Personally, my biggest problem with all of this concern over lawns (after the waste of water and use of harmful chemicals) is the noise pollution from all the lawn mowers. I live in a suburban neighborhood and my neighbors all have fairly large lawns that are kept neat and tidy. In order to maintain these perfect green spaces though it seems there is always someone cutting or weedwacking their grass. Very rarely can you enjoy a summer afternoon, weekends are just hopeless, without the awful background noise of lawnmowers. The worst is when you are trying to have a picnic or a party and all you can hear is that mower. Can we have some mower etiquette please.
