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| Author |
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| 25 new of 190 responses total. |
jaklumen
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response 39 of 190:
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Jun 29 08:04 UTC 2003 |
resp:35 Lovely brown? Oookkay.
resp:38 Xeroscaping? Not a bad idea, actually. Said to conserve
water.
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janc
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response 40 of 190:
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Jun 29 11:44 UTC 2003 |
What is "creeping willie"? We search shows nothing by that name.
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scott
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response 41 of 190:
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Jun 29 12:46 UTC 2003 |
"Creeping Charlie", perhaps.
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slynne
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response 42 of 190:
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Jun 29 14:53 UTC 2003 |
Yeah, I have lots of "creeping charlie" in my backyard. I figured that
is what she meant since it is so common here.
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gelinas
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response 43 of 190:
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Jun 29 15:54 UTC 2003 |
"Creeping Charlie is the bane of many lawn enthusiasts, because it tends
to grow no matter what you do to stop it. It has small, scalloped,
dark green leaves that may turn red or purple in full sunlight,
and grows in long stems along the ground. Flowers are purplish
to blue. You can make positive identification by breaking a stem,
which is square in cross-section, identifying it as a type of mint"
(http://www.riverwestcurrents.org/2002/November/000254.html).
It'd probably annoy the neighbors as much violets would, and more than
the current crop does.
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slynne
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response 44 of 190:
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Jun 29 16:53 UTC 2003 |
This response has been erased.
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slynne
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response 45 of 190:
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Jun 29 16:54 UTC 2003 |
I have heard that putting that "20 mule team borax" on the lawn kills
creeping charlie. You just have to be careful not to overdo it.
Personally, I think it looks cool and I am happy that it is taking over
the lawn.
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remmers
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response 46 of 190:
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Jun 29 16:55 UTC 2003 |
Are your neighbors thrilled as well?
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rcurl
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response 47 of 190:
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Jun 29 18:21 UTC 2003 |
Yes, what's wrong with Creeping Charlie? It grows better than grass under our
trees, and I really like seeing its flowers. Also, why should the neighbors
care" It doesn't create airborne seeds like dandelions - it just....creeps.
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slynne
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response 48 of 190:
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Jun 29 19:36 UTC 2003 |
Well, I havent asked my neighbors what they think of the "creeping
charlie" in my lawn. I dont see why they should mind. It is *my* lawn
after all. I also decided this year that I didnt have enough dandelions
so I got a bunch of the ones that had gone to seed (while out walking
the dogs) and then blew them all over my lawn. It didnt work though. I
must not have the right conditions for dandelions.
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mary
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response 49 of 190:
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Jun 29 20:05 UTC 2003 |
I'd think the reason they might mind is that it's a very
invasive plant. If all your neighbors wanted to have it
throughout their lawn, gardens and flowerbeds, no problem.
But when you intentionally allow it to thrive and don't
contain it on your property, then you're maybe giving
them a problem. Just because you like it doesn't mean
everyone else does or should.
Do you make any attempt to keep it on your property?
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slynne
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response 50 of 190:
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Jun 29 20:47 UTC 2003 |
No. But I think I have a right to grow anything on my property that I
want to. I mean why should their desire to not have this plant trump my
desire to have it? Especially since they can get rid of it in their
yard if they dont like it. Anyway, none of my neighbors have
complained. If they did complain, I guess I would consider putting
borax around the perimeter if they were nice about it. That would
probably contain the creeping charlie. Cant help them about the flowers
with airborne seeds though. I think that is how some of my wild flowers
seed. I enjoy those flowers too much to get rid of them.
One time when some friends and I rented a house, one of the neighbors
complained about the dandelions in the yard. They wanted us to put
chemicals on the yard but I didnt want to because I would rather have
dandelions. I pulled the dandelions but that wasnt enough for them but
that is all I was willing to do. Those neighbors were always mean to us
anyway. We never should have bothered with the dandelions especially
since dandelions are beautiful.
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sno
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response 51 of 190:
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Jun 29 21:04 UTC 2003 |
Not allowed to grow anything on your property. The ramifications of
doing so with certain plants is obvious.
I guess using good judgement about what you allow to grow should also
be tempered by a "good neighbor" policy. Otherwise, irate neighbors
will absolutely have property values affected, and some may be
inspired to vigilante-ism. Seems like being a contrarian is a great
way to build a consensus against you.
JM2C.
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slynne
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response 52 of 190:
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Jun 29 21:30 UTC 2003 |
Aside from marijuana, I cant think of any plants that are actually
illegal. I dont see any harm in growing wildflowers and such on my
property. It's only the back yard that I let grow wild. But, I checked
with the city and I am not violating any ordinances. They do have an
ordinance that says that a person cannot have "weeds" in their yard. I
asked them what they consider a weed and what they consider a flower.
They said, "a weed is something you dont want there, therefore if you
want it there, it isnt a weed" The ordinance only applies to "weeds"
that are above a certain height though. Once that creeping charlie does
it work and chokes out all the grass back there, I wont have to worry
about it because this stuff just grows low to the ground.
There are only 7 houses on my block. One is for sale so no one lives
there and the other is owned by a guy who collects cars and has a band
that has loud practices. I have kind of a deal with the car collector.
He doesnt complain about my dogs barking or my yard and I dont complain
about his cars or his band. I am worried that someone will move into
the house between us who cares about such things. I will deal with that
if it happens. One of the other houses has a yard that is all weeds but
they mow it sometimes. The other 4 are rentals as far as I know. They
dont really have yards, they have parking lots so I dont imagine they
are worried about the weeds from my yard.
I generally believe in "good neighbor" policy. But only to a point. I
dont believe in chemical weed killers for instance. I also have to say,
though, that it is not really being a "good neighbor" to go bitch about
plants a person has in their yard. Or their paint color. Or their
window treatments. Or the political signs they have in the yard. etc.
My parents have neighbors that do that. They get bitchy about
everything that all the neighbors do. They dont like the dogs off
leash. They dont like that people let their yards go wild. They dont
like the 30 broken tractors a neighbor keeps (even though they were
there when they moved in). They dont like the new siding on one
neighbor's house. *shrug* I guess there are just a lot of folks who are
overly concerned with what their neighbors are doing.
So, yes, if one of my neighbors didnt like my plants, I would be
accomodating to a point. I would pull things like dandelions and those
pretty blue flowers that I dont know the name for but I wouldnt get rid
of the creeping charlie. I would put borax around the perimeter though
which probably would keep it from going off my property. But, I would
think very low of the person. I have to admit, I would think of them as
being very rude.
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gelinas
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response 53 of 190:
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Jun 29 21:40 UTC 2003 |
(MY only concern was the plants growing beyond the perimeter. BTW, a web site
I found on creeping charlie noted that borax is not approved as a herbicide.
That may have been only in their state, though.)
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slynne
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response 54 of 190:
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Jun 29 22:24 UTC 2003 |
Just out of curiosity, I took a look at my neighbors yards. It seems
like the plant that has been most invasive is the grapes. I guess
animals eat the grapes and then poop the seeds. There are grape vines
growing all over the place in the yards on both sides of me. Oh well.
The grape vines have been here longer than this house (which was built
in 1925). I am not going to get rid of them.
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mary
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response 55 of 190:
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Jun 29 22:33 UTC 2003 |
Whoa. What you said is "...if one of my neighbors didn't like my
plants, I would be accommodating to a point. But, I would think
very low of the person."
Why? Do your neighbors not have the same right to enjoy their
property as you do yours? Why would they be rude if they didn't
like the same plants you do? On their property?
The problem I'd have with letting this particular weed force out grass
in my backyard would be that come late fall, winter, and
early spring, a 100% creeping charlie yard will be zero
foliage and all dirt or mud. Not an easy space to enjoy for
either people or pets.
But that's just me, so I'd be one of those neighbors who'd hope
someone next door would at least try to keep it in their yard.
To minimize my use of chemicals. But a neighbor's creeping
charlie has never led me to dislike or disrespect them.
And we had a neighbor who let it take over.
Borax doesn't work. But there are targeted herbicides that
will kill it at specific times in the growth cycle. For those
who care to do so.
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keesan
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response 56 of 190:
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Jun 29 22:40 UTC 2003 |
I planted grass seed in my yard. After a few years the creeping charlie took
over most of it. Grass does not do well when shaded by two houses and a large
tree. The next door neighbor also has primarily creeping charlie. She is
ignoring the fact that my yard has not been mowed for a month or two and I
am taking in her mail. I wage a constant battle in my front yard to remove
invasive grass, which grows in the middle of my ground cover. The seeds are
probably blown over from the neighbor's yard. I don't complain. I remove
thistles and nettles and tall plants that do not flower.
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slynne
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response 57 of 190:
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Jun 29 23:04 UTC 2003 |
Mary, honestly, how would you feel if a neighbor came over and
complained that your grass seed was getting over into her creeping
charlie and then asked you to remove your lawn? Wouldnt you think that
was kind of rude? I am not telling my neighbors that they MUST grow
creeping charlie. I am just growing it. I think it looks nice. IF they
dont like it in their yard, they dont have to grow it. IF they want to
put chemicals on it, that is ok. I just dont want chemicals on my lawn.
Luckily for me, the diluted chemicals that might end up on my lawn when
it rains dont bug me.
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i
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response 58 of 190:
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Jun 30 00:32 UTC 2003 |
Marijuana is certainly *not* the only drug that's illegal to grow in
your yard. I think opium poppy patches are the latest local fad...
It'd be interesting to hear about neighbor's reactions to growing
female gingko trees...but not in my neighborhood.
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jmsaul
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response 59 of 190:
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Jun 30 00:50 UTC 2003 |
What's the deal with female gingko trees?
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slynne
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response 60 of 190:
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Jun 30 01:02 UTC 2003 |
lets sneak over to walter's house and plant female ginko trees!
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keesan
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response 61 of 190:
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Jun 30 02:26 UTC 2003 |
There are a few streets in Ann Arbor full of them. The fruits stink, but the
nuts are supposed to be edible. Trying to remove the mushy part to get at
the nuts cost me a fortune - I ended up with a mysterious rash on my hands
and mouth and a rheumatologist friend in another city said to check it out
since it might be herpes, which got me a large doctor bill and a misdiagnosis.
The two interns looked at the brown stain on my hands and told me I was
allergic to black walnut. I looked in a textbook and told them they were
wrong. Gingko nuts contain the same or nearly the same chemical as poison
ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Black walnut fruits contain tannin. I
dyed some sheets and underwear with brown spots one year when the clothesline
was under a walnut tree. Light tan, good at hiding other stains on sheets.
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jmsaul
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response 62 of 190:
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Jun 30 02:58 UTC 2003 |
So the nuts are toxic?
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mary
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response 63 of 190:
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Jun 30 03:16 UTC 2003 |
If I had an invasive plant that was moving into my neighbor's
plantings, and they asked me if I could maybe do what I
could to keep it on my property, I'd do what I could.
That's part of being a good neighbor.
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