Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with yards

What kind of fake fur is this?

arnicae — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:11:12 -0800

What kind of fake fur is this? Bonus points for where I can find 20 yards of it cheaply. (The fabric in question is the yellow and white fur that the small child is wearing)

I hate mowing. I love moss.

agropyron — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 13:37:46 -0800

Lawn alternatives! Has anyone here tried replacing their high-maintenance grass lawn with an alternative lawn? I've read about some of the no-mow lawn grass types, and I understand other people simply let the moss and clover grow. Have you seen a lawn like this? How did you like it? My (back yard) lawn is usually either brown and dead from lack of watering, or enormously tall from lack of mowing. I've noticed that moss is creeping in, and I've read that some people allow the moss to take over. I wonder what the disadvantages of a moss lawn would be. Would it get torn up from vigorous activity like kids playing on it?

I also like the clover idea. I know it attracts a lot of bees when it flowers, but I have the impression that you can just mow it once or twice when it's flowering to prevent this.

I'm not too interested in the gravel lawns some people use, but failing other alternatives I might resort to strewing nice-looking wood chips all over instead of grass.

What alternative lawns have you seen? What did you think?

light snowblower

MattD — Sat, 12 Nov 2005 10:51:48 -0800

Suggestions for a lightweight, but capable, snowblower? I need to buy a snowblower which I can use to clear the moderately heavy snows of central New Jersey from a short driveway, but which can also be used with good effect when I'm away by my skinny wife or our middle-aged nanny.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors?

boomchicka — Mon, 14 Jun 2004 08:00:12 -0800

I would like to fence in my back yard, but my neighbors would prefer that I didn't. (more inside) My husband and I recently moved into a new house and would like to enclose our back yard with a charming (and dog-corralling) picket fence. However, we've just learned from a neighbor that years ago, a group of residents (our house's past owners included) made an informal "no fence" pact to preserve the views of the wooded landscape.

We know we're not officially prevented from putting in the fence --- there's no homeowner's association, and our town doesn't require us to seek our neighbors' approval --- but our sense of neighborly good will is telling us to think twice. We definitely don't want to come off as the nature-hating, unwritten-rule-breaking jerk neighbors; we just want a safe, enclosed area where our dog (and future children) can run and play. I'm not really asking for factual information here as much as experience-based opinions and/or advice. What would you do if you were in this situation -- defer to the neighbors, or go ahead and build the fence?

Advanced Lawn Care

grefo — Thu, 15 Apr 2004 14:43:38 -0800

Is there a formula for figuring out the most efficient pattern to mow a lawn? Something that takes into account obstacles and elevation changes.

Houston Lawn Problems

LittleMissCranky — Tue, 03 Feb 2004 11:52:52 -0800

Oh, my lawn, my beautiful lawn. . .could anyone help me with a problem lawn in Houston? I have the worst looking lawn in the world. I understand that it's dormant right now, but it's really, really ugly, and we're trying to sell the house. We have giant dead (and I do mean DEAD, not dormant) patches, that nasty crab grass stuff, etc. We've just begun using a chem lawn service, but I need a more short-term fix.