I never liked cutting the lawn when I was young and I had even less interest in doing it when I had a house and yard of my own, unlike many of my neighbors. Finally there is a book to give reason to what my neighbors undoubtedly considered bad lawn care habits. I love nature and could never justify spending nights and weekends trying to control it when it seemed to do so much better when I wasn't forcing artificial standards on it. I now have a better understanding of the more natural alternative from a book that is a very pleasant mix of history, philosophy, and technology for doing what makes sense to do. There will be those that disagree but I believe it is the right book at the right time and I hope many others will follow the wisdom presented.

As a structural engineer, lawns, gardens and native plants are not what I deal with. I design the structure of buildings, the bones, and let others worry about what plants may have been there before, and what plants will be come after my work is done. Sure I had to mow the lawn when I was a kid because that was my job. I didn’t like it, but what kid ever likes what his father tells him he has to do? I really didn’t like it any more as an adult when it was my lawn and I had to at least attempt to make it look nice for the neighbors. It never really did look as nice as theirs. And besides, I had engineering jobs to do that actually paid money, I was moving up in my career, and the lawn, even gardening in general, was not a big priority. I had some comfort when I bought a cordless rechargeable lawn mower as at least it was quiet and I didn’t have to worry about gas and oil changes, or winterizing. The lawn didn’t look any better but at least I felt better about mowing it. Then about four years ago I got involved in Low Impact Development (LID) and Best Management Practices (BMP’s) when I foolishly became a candidate for City Council and was actually elected. If the public only knew the truth about the people they elect, but that’s another story. With another like minded member of the Council we formed the Clarkston Watershed Group and pursued a grant from the Oakland Native Partnership Initiative (ONPI) for a rain garden to control storm water and filter the parking lot runoff into the local park and Clinton River. That’s when I first met Lois Robbins who was leading a group in Ortonville, just north of my city, Clarkston, to pursue the same grant for almost the exact same reasons we were. Several grants later, including two from the Wildflower Association of Michigan, and we now have expanded the rain garden twice, planted a children’s garden where all the plants have animal names, we call it the Zoo, and done two native plant shoreline stabilization projects. The latest done was entirely as part of an Eagle Scout project by the son of one our group’s members.

Then I heard through mutual friends that Lois Robbins had written a book called Lawn Wars. We were both members of the North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy (NOHLC), had both pursued grants, and had shared information over the last several years on a more natural way of landscaping. Our group even had the great fortune of four graduate students from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment doing a conceptual study and plan to make Clarkston’s Depot Park into an ecological showcase and educational garden. Lois was impressed and we shared ideas about how this could become a reality in both our communities. We also found that we had numerous friends at both NOHLC and at the Upland Hills Environmental Awareness Center in nearby Oxford.

I heard about the book, ordered it immediately, and then tried to read it along with all the other work I was doing and the three other books I had started reading before I ever heard of Lawn Wars. I finished this book first. While I am neither a Master Gardener or native plant specialist, I could relate to every story. I wanted to read more about the history and philosophy of a no lawn ethic. I wanted to know that there was actual justification for growing something other than “turfgrass” which never really wanted to be in southeast Michigan and certainly demanded a lot from me. That there was a reason to not spend evenings and weekends behind a lawn mower even if my neighbors seem to enjoy doing this in their free time. After reading Lois’s book, it is much more enjoyable to go out and weed for awhile and see what plants are doing well. To see which ones don’t seem to like the location I picked for them and instead have decided to grow somewhere else. To begin to understand which ones behave themselves, which ones are happy, and which ones will take over if you give them even a little chance to do so. I am honored to know the same people referenced in Lawn Wars. Trish Hennig, a native plant specialist extraordinaire who with her husband have become friends over the last several years. Sue Aulgur who developed a subdivision to take care of and protect natural features before most of us even knew what that meant. Former Springfield Township Supervisor Collin Walls and Clerk Nancy Strole who set the standards for preserving and protecting the natural features of their Township. Even the “map guys” as Lois refers to them, from the Oakland County Planning and Economic Development department. I have met them all and in my naiveté, would never have guessed that Planning and Economic Development is also concerned about native plants and the protection of our County’s natural features. Lawn Wars gives the history of the American lawn. It also gives a philosophy, the technology, and perhaps a little spiritual alternate to what many spend countless hours and dollars on. Hopefully, with inspiration from this book, many will spend the same time and effort on the alternative to lawns and something that is just a bit more natural.

Cory Johnston, P.E.

President, Johnston Design Inc.

Council Member for the City of the Village of Clarkston

Board Secretary of the North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy

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