Make no mistake, if our neighbour’s lawn is filled with weeds, those weeds will always find their way over to our lawn too, we can never stop it happening but is there any way we can reduce the occurrence of this weed invasion happening to out own lawns, let’s consider what our options are.
How The Weeds Travel Into Our Own Lawns
Firstly, there is nothing we can ever do to stop weeds encroaching onto our lawns, weeds are a fact of life with both lawns and gardens, they always have been and always will be.
Most weeds will spread via their seed, either in the wind, or on the fur or feathers of animals, on our clothing and shoes, or perhaps when the neighbour does mow their lawn and a lot of debris or dust is kicked up into the air, and some of that debris being floated about may in fact contain weed seeds that may land on our lawns. Excessive rain could also wash weed seeds into our lawn too.
And while on this topic, how many of us have seen those old neglected houses with weeds growing in their gutters, ask yourself just how did weed seeds get into the gutters of housing? Weeds are clever and mischievous little things aren’t they.
Ways To Reduce Weed Invasions From Neighbouring Lawns
A first step could be to try to divide the two lawn areas with a barrier. We could lay down a single row of brick paving between the two lawns, so long as it’s a job done well and looks good. This is also a good way to stop two different lawn types mixing, say if you had a Couch lawn and your neighbour had a Kikuyu lawn. If done on a verge then we shouldn’t have an issue with council either.
Personally I would avoid any type of raised barrier, as this could be a tripping hazard which could cause injury to any number of people, best to avoid raised barriers. On top of this we could well find out also that our local council may have a word to say about raised barriers on verges, though perhaps not so much of a problem if it’s done on private property such as a front yard, still though, not such a good idea.
Planting a garden bed is also another option to divide the two lawn areas. Some pine bark mulch or some large decorative rocks, or some thick bushy plants in the same garden bed will also act as a barrier to stop weed seeds spreading from the neighbour’s lawn or yard into our own.
If we’re looking at a front yard problem and not a verge problem, then we could also consider putting up a fence between yards, even if it is just one of those short fences, perhaps 4 foot high.
Controlling Weeds When They Do Come Onto Our Lawns
Make no mistake, no matter if our neighbour’s lawn is filled with weeds or not, we will get weeds in our own lawn, only perhaps a little more frequently if we have a troublesome lawn next door.
I haven’t sprayed my own lawns for weeds in decades. I like to have a walk around the yard and when I do I always easily spot any weeds that may be appearing in my lawns or gardens, and all I do is pull them out by hand whenever I see them, two seconds and it’s done. My lawns and gardens remain weed free and have been for years, despite the occasional incursion.
Maintaining Good Relations With Our Neighbours
There is nothing more bothersome and toxic to our lives than having bad relations with neighbours, it really does sour the tranquility which is supposed to be our homes with a deadly poison which infects our lives for years. So there’s never any need to create chaos or havoc or problems with neighbours, even if there unkempt lawn is causing minor irritation for us.
First we try to find a solution which is least invasive or problematic for both us and neighbour.
Perhaps there is a reason why their lawn is overgrown or filled with weeds? Yes I know in many cases it can just be laziness or even frugality or perhaps low living standards. But can we ask ourselves if there is something we could do to help them? Not necessarily mowing their lawns for them, but if they’re doing it tough we could offer our own lawn mower to them to use rather than them perhaps struggling to save up the $80.00 to finally afford a contractor to mow it for them? Or could your own lawn mowing man do a quick passover of the lawn next door if the neighbour is elderly? You get the gist, if our neighbour is in need, can we help them, and is this the reason why their lawn may be overgrown and filled with weeds?
I fully understand what its like to have terrible neighbours, they’re just not good people, and we have to find a way to live with it as best we can. We’ve all been through it and nothing we can ever do can help or change the situation for the better. So I can’t and don’t offer any type of advice in this situation.
Finally to wrap things up here I want to share an anecdote I came across recently. In times of troubles and strife, even like we saw recently in early 2020, we see that some people are well prepared and some aren’t. As I conversed with a client of mine about the dire situation and the rush on the shops and the panic across the nation, I mentioned that it wouldn’t bother me if the shops closed down for 3 months, we’d be fine food wise for everything bar fresh milk, eggs and meat. That’s just the way I shop and the way I live and has been for over a decade, no panic buying, no rush, no hoarding, just naturally living that way…meaning I am one of those who is always well prepared. And it was about this same time when I came across this anecdote I share now from a website I was visiting at the time…
If we are one of the ones who is prepared while others aren’t, and then the situation gets even more dire, then the best place we could ever find to store our excess food, is in the stomachs of our neighbours !! Makes perfect sense doesn’t it. Think about it.
So with that little anecdote in mind, why wait until a time of strife to take care of our neighbours so that they too can take care of us in return? Do it today, and lets not let little things create great problems for us, good neighbourly relations are always a blessing that continues to reward over the years.
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