tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268622326034701199.post1468867896725493663..comments2024-01-22T04:44:15.689-06:00Comments on the heights life: The Case Against GrassViulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05065221466265514944noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268622326034701199.post-4004105724860371532009-06-01T21:50:07.627-05:002009-06-01T21:50:07.627-05:00Before I lived in the Heights I lived in Washingto...Before I lived in the Heights I lived in Washington, DC, and I loved my yard there. I lived in a tiny rowhouse (it was DC, space was expensive!). In front I had a 10x12 spot that I enclosed with an iron fence and planted a formal garden in. In back I had another 10x12 spot with a privacy fence, and I bricked the whole thing over and set up a table and chairs and some potted plants to soften the space. Perfect. <br /><br />Grass? That's what parks are for (and Washingtonians are very fortunate to have tons of small parks, something really lacking here.) <br /><br />Now I am in Houston and I have grass - more than most people in the Heights. It is useful for the dog to do his business, though I do also run around with him playing fetch on it. I'm a renter getting ready to buy, and the yards I love when I look at houses are the ones dominated by decks, with just enough grass for doggie essentials. <br /><br />That said... everything paved over is not the greatest idea. The grass does not heat up like pavement, and it provides drainage. You might, at some point, consider brick; properly installed, it allows water to drain. (That was an issue; I had sliding glass doors to my courtyard in DC, and I did not want water seeping in during heavy rain or post-blizzard snow melts. It worked perfectly; even after one of the biggest snowfalls in DC ever, and after a hurricane, it drained properly.) Which is why I really prefer having a deck over the ground - there's somewhere for water to go. <br /><br />One house I've looked had a lovely solution for keeping the garden safe from pets - along the house and fences in front they installed raised boxes and planted flowers and put lighting in them - it was meticulously done and really lovely, and safe from four-pawed household members. <br /><br />And really, an expanse of green is nice, but walking out your door to color and variety is nicer!Johnhttp://www.bythebayou.comnoreply@blogger.com