Vox Humana wrote:
"Tiny Human Ferret" wrote in message
...

Vox Humana wrote:

snip snip

Due to the urbanized nature of even the "bedroom neighborhoods" such as
Mr Packer's, there's a tradition of letting nature flourish wherever it
may, as a contrast to the asphalt and sidewalks. Also, the District is
rather famous for its extensive Urban Forest, as well as one of the
highest acreages of per-capita parks. My own suburb mostly has trees
which have grown since the neighborhood was cleared and developed in the
late 1950s. I suppose that the contrast and comparison I wish to make is
that it's a lot easier to manage your yard's vegetation when it was
placed there by design.

Given the local problem with the spread of "invasives", I suspect Mr
Packer's yard will soon become home to the spreading "mile-a-minute
vine" which within a year should overtake his property and pull all of
the trees down onto his house, ending this discussion.



Nature flourishes in my landscape, but it wouldn't be seen as wild or
unkempt by any reasonable person. Ironically, a "natural" look probably
takes more thought and care than a rigid, formal design. Letting your yard
become overgrown with weeds and calling it "natural" is like letting your
kids run wild and celebrating their exuberance.

I can tell that you shop in grocery stores quite similar to my own.

My own yard has a variety of native as well as non-native species.
However, most of the non-natives are annuals and winter kills them off.
Replanting every year is a bit of a hassle, but it prevents the yard
from being overrun by ornamentals. BTW, I misspoke in the quoted text,
above, there are a fair amount of rather large (100 years or so) trees
such as white oak, poplar, ash, gum and hickory. (I have all of these
forming a pentacle in the back yard, and call it the Grove.) Most of the
underbrush probably was cleared, leaving only the large trees, and
houses were built in between the large trees. Then grass was brought in,
along with whatever other landscaping plants were added later on. To
find the smaller native stuff has taken some time, as even the local
parks are often second generation regrowth after having been cleared,
farmed, and fallowed a few times since Colonial days.

An interesting site on the flora of the area is available at
http://www.mdflora.org/
which is the "Maryland Native Plant Society". Vegetation in the District
naturally was about exactly what you'd find in the adjacent regions of
Maryland or Northern Virginia.



--
The incapacity of a weak and distracted government may
often assume the appearance, and produce the effects,
of a treasonable correspondence with the public enemy.
--Gibbon, "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"
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