PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

April 17, 2024

GRASS AND FLOWERS DO NOT MIX

When Diane and I purchased our home in Plymouth we inherited an oval flower garden of about ten feet by nine feet.  The first couple of years we just let it grow to discover what flowers might emerge.  A couple of years ago we moved all of our Black Eyed Susans to the plot.  Just as the early spring flowers are dying out, the Susans make their appearance.

Over the years one of the major maintenance problems with the spot is invading grass.  Since the demarcation between the garden and the adjoining lawn is a stone edging, the grass has no difficulty burrowing under the rocks to send forth stems on the other side.  The grass invasion was especially invasive this year because I had not been able to give it the attention it needed last year because of being sidelined with a hip replacement.

One of the difficulties of eradicating grass is that it is not enough just to pull what one sees on the surface.  To really do the job it is necessary to get to the extensive root system which lies below the surface.  Some of the large roots can be down as much as six inches.

This spring as I was weeding the oval flower garden, a difficulty I encountered was that some of the spring flowers looked similar to the grass.  More than once I found myself with a handful of flowers.  I have found that the best way to pull grass to get as much of the root system as possible and avoid flowers is to pull one stem at a time.

In another of my flower gardens I have addressed the grass problem by installing edging that goes four inches deep into the ground, making it very difficult for grass roots to burrow underneath.  It is still possible for a few roots to make it.  At the first indication of their success, I am quick to give them my full attention.

The whole grass problem would be mute if I did not wish to have a nice, well kept, healthy lawn like one sees on a well maintained golf course.  Six times a year I have a lawn service come to spread fertilizer and weed retardant to improve the quality of my yard.  I spend hours every year mowing to keep the lawn looking nice.  Sometimes I have been known to get down on my hands and knees, spending hours picking unwanted strands of grass.

We read in Exodus 23:19 that one should not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.  This passage and similar ones to be found in Exodus 34:27 and Deuteronomy 14:21 have been used by Jews to not mix meat and dairy as a part of their kosher food laws.  Strict followers go so far as to have two separate kitchens, utensils, and serving dishes, one for meat and one for dairy.  The believe that while it is good to eat certain meats and it is good to eat dairy products, it is not good to consume them together.

One might extract from the Jewish practice of not eating meat and dairy together a general principle that sometimes two good things do not mix.  Flowers and a nice lawn are to be desired.  However, it is not good to have flowers growing in the lawn or grass to be growing in the flower garden.

Here are some other examples of things that it is not good to mix.  One should not drive and text at the same time.  Don’t put aluminum foil in the microwave.  Water and electricity do not go together. Don’t watch television while doing your homework.  Open flames and oxygen tanks are not compatible.

Next time you find grass growing in your flower garden remember there are certain things in life which should not mix.

(This article was originally published April 17, 2011.  Comments may be sent to davidh15503@embarqmail.com,)