The National Mall is our “dullest national park” in the view of writer and gardener Alexander Nazaryan. In a New York Times essay, he proposes a fix: Replace all that grass with wildflower meadows. Specifically, plant fauna from different parts of the US in each of the eight lawns between 14th and Third streets, which he suggests would result in a pretty cool tourist attraction. “Instead of a grassy monotone, imagine a jazz symphony of color and variety, buzzing with bees, thrumming with life: Mariposa lilies and Dutchman’s breeches, California poppies and Texas bluebonnets,” writes Nazaryan.
But the idea is about more than aesthetics—it would be a symbolic strike against the outdated and environmentally unfriendly culture of “Big Lawn,” he writes. A “riotous wildflower meadow” from the Washington Monument to the Capitol would be a “signal to millions of visitors that the lawn culture it symbolizes is no longer feasible in a 21st century dominated by extreme weather, species loss and forever chemicals.” He hopes it would inspire people to return home and replace parts of their own lawns with such wildflower corridors. “That is the kind of National Mall our young century demands.” Read the full essay
Zzzzzzzzz…
What an idiot!
The lawns are there for events where people gather and the space is needed. If you plant flowers people will just crush them like bison trampling a meadow.
He should go back to whatever eastern european commie country he came from.
Imagine you GFY, Alex.
Big Mower will have something to say about this, too!!
And big Weed Eater!
Uncle, you missed the marijuana plants, the poppies used to make heroin and magic mushrooms that could be planted there as well. Everybody must get stoned!
Then imagine the wildfire ripping through said lawns in the next heat wave, (i.e. Summer.)
Ah, ha ha ha ha ha.
You don’t have to imagine. Just look at the peektures coming out of Maui.
P.S. The price of water is getting high enough here in OhStink, TexAss, that I’m thinkin’ about buying some pond liner plastic and putting gravel on top … and fvck the heritage oaks.
HELLO! You can’t handle a simple weather change. What about allergies?
If the suggestion were to include a field of gallows and guillotines….
Getting back to this asshole. Fuck off. In my lifetime public lands have gone from being open to the masses to access being restricted and limited. School grounds have gone from being well maintained lawns and play fields to weed infested unwatered plagues on the community. City, county and State Perks are reserved, by default, to be used exclusively as drug dealing and human trafficking strip malls because no one with any sense would dare use them. I’ve had enough of their fucking “experts” giving anyone advice.
@geoff the aardvark:
That’s what Rock Creek and Battery Kemble Parks are for!
These people think chaos is pretty.
That’s the essential problem, as they seek to make more chaos.
And if a system is chaotic enough, you don’t notice if something in it dies.
Which may well be what they are going for…
Ever heard of “invasive species” dumb fuck?
“Wildflowers” are just another name for WEEDS.
“Dutchman’s b̶r̶e̶e̶c̶h̶e̶s̶ RUDDERS”
https://youtu.be/eGMpZnEMYVc
The USDOT has fed states $100s of Millions to plant wildflowers and native prairie grassess along federal and state highways. Unattended, looks like hell and the yearly mowing causes clumps of tall grasses, weeds and brush to smother the next years growth of plants.
Tax dollars wasted every year, for what? An unrecognizable jazz symphony of color that becomes beginner Jr. High School band music in a blur at 75 Mile per hour?
Not a sales point, but thanks for your failed analogy.
Big lawns are the stupidest waste of land outside of a golf course. If we all grew fruits and veggies instead of grass, we’d save a shitload of money, get some exercise, and pay less in frivolous taxes and fees.
Is there anything in the country they cant just leave tf alone? I hate these people.
Plant sumac trees and kudzu.
Why can’t he just have his own flower patches and let the rest of us have our tick-reducing lawns? Liberals. They always want to force you to do things THEIR way.
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