Lawn rescued
I love getting those desperate texts from my Facebook buddy asking me to knock down his residential meadow. I often expect the texts because his neighbours start whispering when I’m in the area to service their properties.
I also love this house because it’s one example where the owner doesn’t care about his yard; he’s too busy and not interested in paying for landscaping.
So, he calls me when his neighbours start raising their eyebrows and looking up municipal phone numbers where they can make anonymous complaints.
Notice the text wording: knock down, not mow. To mow the wild back yard I would have to charge double. One charge for knocking it down and another for mowing it.
And it’s also a meadow through neglect, not through some deliberate design.
Practice
This kind of lawn care is actually a fun way to make some extra cash. I’m already in the neighbourhood and there is no pressure to produce finesse line edging work. I literally have to knock it all down and I do, especially now, when I’m feeding two new teenagers during a pandemic. I only say no when the proposed side-gigs look dangerous.
I also take out crack weeds carefully. It’s easy to take out windows with stones hiding in cracks. Work with your back to the windows and pray you don’t cause any damage.
Clean up blow is the last step. Always leave your work area clean.
Potential
The backyard actually has some potential. The one Rhododendron by the gate used to be completely covered by bramble and now it’s blooming after I rescued it last year. And, sadly, the one gooseberry shrub on the right produces delicious fruit that gets ignored.
The raised garden beds could produce all sorts of stuff but it would take time and effort.
Conclusion
Not every homeowner loves landscaping work. Many people are busy with work and raising kids; and sometimes the required funds aren’t available. But then, neighbours start making faces and social pressure forces you to make the minimum effort. That’s when you call your friendly landscaper Vas whose side-gig company motto says: “great, affordable landscaping for all.”
Vas knows to close his mouth when knocking down meadows.
