Stuart Rocks (Discuss Among Yourselves)

Everybody's blogging about the hornet's nest that Stuart Robinson stirred up over at Gardening4Dummies and although we've commented over there, it's time to lob the discussion back here for a new installment.  Some thoughts:

• Stu's a big advocate of civil discourse, as am I.  I've been known to sound almost new-age-y on the topic of treating people we disagree with respectfully and thus creating safe places to discuss things that matter.  So recognizing that the Hot Topic in Gardening today is all about the Environment, let's take a look at the likely discussants.  If it's Gulf-Mobil or Bush's White House speaking, we all know they only care about money and power so let's have at 'em.  But if it's just us gardeners and nature-lovers, there's no cause to get all ugly and Karl Rovian just because someone, for instance, admits to using a gas mower.  I've been on the receiving end of Rovian tactics myself for my crimes against the Environment so I know it's no fun.
• When it comes to the plants we hate, though - or boring design or crappy products - there's no need to get carried away with feel-good tactics.  And Readers, if you're upset at the dissing of a plant you like, you might try a little Valium.

• Back on the Hot Topic of Lawns, thank god Stuart has the guts to speak up in their defense (or 'defence' down in Oz where he gardens). Too right, Mate, ya gotta have room to play football and fire up the old barbie! Or, as I wrote recently in Toward a Biodiverse Lawn, room to lug a garden hose without getting it snagged on something.  So humans enjoying the outdoors is a good thing - no disagreement there.  And because Stu's an open-minded kind of guy, there's a chance I can convince him that a functioning and skillfully cared-for lawn can be a jumble of different species.  Then, as our emissary to the world of traditional-lawn-lovers, our Stu could spread the word, another good thing.

• And speaking of having emissaries, this quote from Stuart raises more exciting possibilities: "I am a total plant addict and the people who feed my addiction are getting rich. All you gotta do is tap into that motherlode of horticultural passion, and gardeners will get all glassy-eyed and hand over their credit cards.  But yeah, it's funny that we're all out here blogging about what we want and what we don't want, and I wonder why the industry isn't taking notes?"  Well, who should be taking notes and commenting but Trey, a nurseryman in California! (Trey, you rock, too.)  Now let's all figure out how to get the rest of Trey's industry to listen to their customers as well as he does.
  

And by the way and pardon me while I put on my cheerleading uniform, but what are the chances any of us would be chatting with each other - much less with a plant nut in Busselton, Australia - if it weren't for the wonders of blogging.  I'll stop there on a note we can all agree on.

Comments

[Janet]

Well, I'm glad somebody's putting in a good word for lawns. They have their place. There isn't much point for them in small places like mine (I'd gladly get rid of it, and may yet do it, bit by bit) but a large property virtually cries out for it, if only so you can see the other plants! I agree with you on the jumble lawn philosophy, too. Not doing a very good job of stirring up any new hornets, eh?

[Stuart Robinson]

I'm honoured that you've picked this up Susan and yes, let's talk and discuss more of these things - respectfully? Of course!

Alas, the wonderful comment you credited me with actually came from your friend Amy Stewart and while I certainly would love to claim such eloquence, she should be the recipient of your cheer.

[Michele]

Well, okay, but we don't have to be too respectful, do we? This is, after all, the Web. If I wanted respectful conversation, I'd go to mass and hang around on the church steps afterwards.

[The Orchid Steward]

We should really get into the heads of some of those people hanging out in the church courtyard after services. You just never know what they truly think of their fellow congregationists (is that a word?).

But, what really matters is what one does with his/her property though, right? I ripped up both my front and back lawns (both 19'x9') last Fall and worked the soil, which hadn't been by the past owners for 25 years. Imagine that. And I turned the back patch into a veggie garden and the front into a scientific research, so that the neighborhood kids can come play with the plants and learn.

My neighbor ripped up her yard too two months ago, but she put down landscape fabric and layered hardwood chips on it. It actually looks nice.

The other neighbor, having seen what we have done, ripped up his lawn and scatter massive amount of wild flower seeds, and it's looking rather nice right now.

Where am I going with this? I don't know...