By Bill Ward
Published in The Boerne Star on January 13, 2004
When lawnmowers became widely available during the late 1800s, many people in the US started keeping manicured lawns around their houses.
During the early Twentieth Century, lawns of lush exotic grass bordered by rows of exotic hedges and beds of exotic flowers became the “traditional” yard.
Still today this is the “accepted” yard in urban and suburban communities of this country.
Toward the mid Twentieth Century, a few people became concerned about how our environment was affected by the great quantities of water, insecticide, and fertilizer needed to maintain the traditional yards.
Some people experimented with non-traditional landscaping that used plants which required little water as well as less fertilizer and insecticide.
Xeriscaping and landscaping with native plants were shown to save water, reduce pollution to streams and ground water, and, help preserve what remains of the natural ecosystem.
As the Twenty-First Century began, the use of native plants in home landscaping was growing in popularity, mainly because of concern about water supply and water quality.
Unfortunately, these non-traditional, “alternative” yards do not always meet with neighborhood approval.
To many people, a yard of native wildflowers and grasses looks weedy and unkempt.
The traditional manicured lawn is so ingrained in our concept of what is attractive and acceptable that restrictions on alternative yards are written into subdivision covenants and city ordinances.
Recently the Boerne Star reported on an enlightened decision by the City Council to waive a city ordinance that would have required mowing a yard intentionally planted with native grasses, which one neighbor considered a nuisance.
Some forward-looking councilmen suggested the ordinance should be rewritten to allow non-traditional yards in the city.
These councilmen recognize the need to protect the Hill Country’s most-precious natural resource, its water. A large part of Boerne’s budget is devoted to water/wastewater management.
Alternative yards help conserve water and maintain water quality. Thus, yards landscaped with natiye plants save money for Boerne taxpayers.
Undoubtedly, the future will see water prices continue to rise. Would T. Boone Pickens have switched to buying ground water instead of oil and gas if supplying water were not going to be big business in this part of the countrั?
I wouldn’t be surprised if someday water is so expensive and in such high demand in the Hill Country that it will be socially unconscionable to maintain a lush grassy lawn.
(Has that time already come?)
One day in the future, homeowners will change their concepts about what is beautiful in home landscaping.
Yards landscaped with water-saving plants will become the accepted and traditional ones. Those manicured grassy lawns, which require too much watering, will decrease property values.
It is not too early to begin using water-conserving plants in your home landscape. Certain native plants already are available at local nurseries, and probably there will be a larger variety as time goes on.
To find out more about native plants, join us at meetings of the Boerne Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas. These meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Cibolo Nature Center. Guests are very welcome.
