Like a Flower to a Tree

"The grass is always greener..."

But where? ...On the other side? Of what - the fence? The city? The world? I use to like "...where you water it"

A local artist recently did a piece with "where you water it" and it's had me pondering again - "Where is the grass greener?" Let's deconstruct for a second. First... what kind of grass are we watering here? Who has an entirely perfect grass lawn? What about some dandelions in there for the bees? My favourite question... What is the purpose of the lawn. (I ponder this a lot with my landscape designer neighbour, she's pretty rad) Some people have perfectly manicured lawns. They pull the "weeds", they use up a lot of water and time keeping it perfect. Some people have imperfect lawns - they let a few weeds in. They maybe have some brown spots but ... it's a lawn. Some people have no lawn at all - gravel, woods, everything in between. Some lawns serve a purpose - a wonderful place to run and play perhaps. Ours is always good for a game of bocce. Some people have a lawn that is only weeds. I think it's important to note here that some weeds are important and good for us/the environment. (Let's chat about that another time). Some people have AstroTurf lawns. Those sure sound perfect on the outside don't they - leaning over the fence you'll likely see that the grass is, in fact, green. Almost always. This comes with a lot of other work you don't always see though (hosing off, etcetera) - and if you've seen our city boulevards, you'll know they dull over time. Not necessarily the best for the environment either. I've started re-framing my idea of the lawn. (In case you haven't noticed already, the lawn is a metaphor... no, not a euphemism, a metaphor. In this instance at least). Metaphor & not metaphorically, I love the idea of a lush garden (that is also not a euphemism right now). I love the idea of deconstructing the lawn. Yes, some lawn serves some purpose. I think intent here is important as well. I dream of lush gardens filled with plants that are beneficial and serve purpose. Note that I didn't say beautiful, although some are inherently naturally visually beautiful (deconstructing the idea of beauty perhaps is another post) - they are all beautiful in their own way. In the eye of the beholder, of course. I want a lawn, er garden, that blooms when it is suppose to - not all together at once, but through seasons of change. That grows and adapts. Plants that I enjoy being around. Ones that support each other, and their environment. Bringing temporary guests of importance - bees, butterflies, and of course a safe haven for our neighbourhood cat (ok, I'm also referencing my neighbours beautiful garden here too...). Perhaps some of these plants will not survive past a season - they maybe aren't meant to be permanent fixtures - perhaps my garden soil isn't the right ph for them, perhaps I have over/under watered them, sometimes you need to move a plant into better sunlight... sometimes we can't figure out what's wrong. The plants that stick around though, those are the ones that are meant to be in my garden. Sometimes you just need to tear it all out by the roots and start over, that's ok too. "So hoe your own row and raise your own babies..." So where is the grass green? Where it can be. Where it exists. Don't ask me about my lawn though, ask me about my garden. I'll tell you it's always in bloom and ever-changing. There's a chair in there too, a seat just for you, come and sit awhile. Keep on' growin. xo Tine.