Love Affair With a Patch of Grass
Some people step on lawns without giving them a second thought. Not Thomas Burger, an architect who lives in Newport Beach.
Burger rhapsodizes about grass:
“Ever since I was a kid I have loved lawns. I don’t know exactly what it is about them, but I have always found them to be mystical. I think there’s a connection with nature--nature in an urban environment.
“The texture is wonderful. I love to walk on lawns. They smell great after you’ve mowed them and they’re just cool.
“On hot summer days I enjoy coming home, putting on shorts or trunks, lying on my lawn with my bare skin touching it and looking up through the tree at the sky.
“Lawns are also a great foreground for the other landscaping. I don’t really like a house that has nothing else surrounding it except a lawn. It should serve as a transition between big, growing plants and shrubs and the street area.
“When I moved into this house, the lawn was dead. It was just hard-packed earth. The first project I had was to revive the lawn.
“I put gypsum on it, which breaks up the hard clay soil, and I watered it deeply for three to four days with an oscillating sprinkler. My last house had a sprinkler system, which makes it easier. But after adding the soil amendment and feeding it a product that has a weed killer in it, the lawn is green and lush, and it only needs to be watered once a week.
“Some grasses go dormant in the winter and turn a little brown. The lawn I have now is a mixture of several types of grass, so it’s not as perfect as the lawn I used to have.
“For me, taking care of the lawn is like taking care of a pet, only it’s a little easier. You have to water and feed it, and when you do, you get a really beautiful lawn. Working on it is part of the fun.”
“Been There, Done That” is a recurring feature in Saturday’s Home Design section that highlights how our readers accomplish their home and garden projects. If you wish to share your experiences--or even to brag a little--call (714) 966-7883. Or send photographs along with your name and phone number to Home Design, Los Angeles Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626. Or e-mail ocsocal liv@latimes.com.
