To think grass should be gone

[Fucksandflowers]

And be replaced with chamomile or thyme or pearlwort or moss or wildflowers or anything but grass!

It requires huge amounts of water, huge amounts of weedkillers, regular cutting, offers limited wildlife value and it’s responsible for over 90% of hay fever reactions (the other 10% being weed and tree pollen)

I’ve just come back from walking the dog.
My feet, legs, chest and hands are covered in an itchy red rash, my fingers have swelled up and my throat is itching. Not to mention the sneezing and pee dribbles (3 kids...)

I am already taking antihistamine every 4 hours!

Really fed up, obviously have to try and get stronger antihistamines from the doctor.

Why is grass so popular?!

Get a 5 year old with football boots. We don't have any more grass to worry about :/

Sorry but I love grass.

We are in the West of Scotland too so most of the year the grass is water logged. Last week I did see someone with a sprinkler (!!!) I’m currently pulling up patches of our front lawn to plant small trees and shrubs and make it a bit most interesting than just grass, better for bees too.

I’m allergic to grass and all sorts of other pollens outside. Medicine doesn’t cut it so I can’t do much other than try to avoid it. So that means not spending much time outdoors, never opening windows in our house or drying laundry outside. We are looking into installing air conditioning because the house bakes in the summer when we can’t open windows.

If I am outside and I hear or smell someone cutting grass, I get inside as quickly as possible. I always wipe down myself and the cat if we’ve been outside. Showering before bed helps because then you aren’t letting all that pollen into bed with you.

We only have a small garden but we never water our grass either. The weeds have taken over in the front, but I’m allergic to those too anyway!

Fexofenadine on prescription has changed my life. I could roll around in a grassy meadow and not a sneeze, a hive or an itchy eye in sight.

That and the new nasal spray I use means I can enjoy summer without having nose that runs like a tap. God knows why your gp won't prescribe it for you.

Read the novel "The Death of Grass". You'd enjoy it!

From what I have heard, in order to keep a lawn nice and green and lush looking, copious amounts of water are required, although plenty of posters here say otherwise. And we are always being told what a precious resource water is, not to waste it and having bans on its usage in certain areas. I have read many times that the average lawn isn’t terribly attractive to wildlife compared to other plants

I do have a lush lawn. It looks fantastic, green, springy, and it has clover mixed in it, and gets little flowers as well. I don't water it. As said, I couldn't the garden is three acres and mainly laid to lawn. And it attracts plenty of wildlife. I can categorically assure you. Right now I can see squirrels running round it, rabbits at the top, little birds pecking at it, bees where the little flowers are, there are butterflies floating round, and the deer will come by soon.

Do other plants attract more, sure, probably. But it's not a competition.

I am guessing you have no experience of lawns due to your allergy?

The issue isn't lawns. It's you have a serious allergy and are not managing it.

Can confirm I’ve never watered or used weed killer on my lawn.

Sounds like a great idea.... I'll send my kid outside to play on the tumbleweed I grow.

Get yourself back to the GP. it can't be the first year you've had this problem.

The issue isn't lawns. It's you have a serious allergy and are not managing it

There’s not much I can do if I am only being advised to take antihistamine by GPs..
Which is exactly what I am doing!

I have tried that allergy balm stuff too, yellow pot, you put it on your nostrils but it made no difference to me.
Ditto for local honey.
Tried a nasal spray, can’t remember the brand, maybe I didn’t use it correctly but it dropped down and irritated my throat.
Eye drops I have.

I dont use weed killers or water it.
Its rarely cut (because I dont have time and it annoys my arsehole neighbours).

I refuse to turn it into a car park as we get a lot of flooding. The council have been planting trees in the green in front of me and in the verges along the street to help tackle this.

All because people buy a house, rip put the trees and pave over the grass. Then moan about the flooding idiots.

Well the you need to see a different gp. If you come out in a full body rash from just walking your dog it is mind blowing your doctor is refusing to help you.

Unbelievable really...

I really want a chamomile lawn now. Is it easy @Fucksandflowers? I've killed most plants, and am not green fingered at all.

I have two acres of grass, if we watered it, fed it or used weedkiller on it we would be bankrupt. DH cuts it every few weeks in the summer. That's it.

Its full of wildflowers and insects and is a wonderful habitat for all sorts of wildlife. Get yourself back to the GP OP.

Chamomile lawns don't take Heavy foot fall and need a lot of water. They are not a good solution.

Clover lawns if you don't want grass is an option, it's hard wearing and needs less cutting than grass. But it's not cheap to lay.

Google SCENAR or INTER X and see if anyone uses any of these treatments locally to you. They are excellent for hay fever and should actually give at the very least several years of relief. The treatment works on symptoms so if/when you get an appointment arrive with really bad symptoms.

What about the suggestion of washing down your dogs?

I would love Daisy's on my lawn... anyway I can get them?!

I'll send you mine!

We have a lawn, although it's full of clover, wild strawberries, primroses and moss alongside the grass. It doesn't get watered and it doesn't get treated. It was noticeably greener last year than next doors manicured lawn.

From what I have heard, in order to keep a lawn nice and green and lush looking, copious amounts of water are required, although plenty of posters here say otherwise

Honestly I don’t know anyone who waters their grass.

I have bad hay fever, really bad it affects my asthma and have had to have ambulances out. I have been through a range of antihistamines. I am now on montelocust and a prescribed spray. I don’t dry my bedding on the line so it doesn’t get coated in pollen. Also wipe your hair down each night with a damp flannel ( or shower at night). I’m ok for now, but it took a serious asthma attack for the gp to change my medication.

Anyway we have a large, south-facing lawn in Kent and last year our lawn stayed green and all our neighbours had brown lawns. Why? Because our gardener told me never to cut your grass more than once a fortnight, and never on a low setting. A nice springy lawn not only stays green, it traps moisture. Also it gives buttercups, daisies, dandelions and clover chance to flower. We have had numerous bees nest in old stumps in our garden and you can see them buzzing around the lawn.

As the gardener says unless you’re playing lawn bowls why do you need to cut your grass short and kill every weed in sight. In periods of dry weather don’t cut your grass, again it helps trap moisture and stops the lawn dying.

There’s a book called The Death of Grass. In it, all the grass in the world dies then basically everything else does too. It’s very good.

No, grass should remain. Far too much of it has been paved over because people are too lay to maintain it, or want somewhere to park their Chelsea tractor.

I've never watered or weed killed my grass?! I'm in England so we get lots of rain. I love walking around on the grass with bare feet and sitting down on it! Sounds like you have a bad allergy. Someone recently recommended trying a sudofed spray for hayfever. Apparently it's the only thing that works for her, as nothing else works.