Posted on 05/03/2008 4:58:38 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
Park the mower: climate change to kill off lawns Jonathan Leake, Environment Editor
THE Met Office is to warn gardeners to plan for a warmer climate by cultivating drought-tolerant plants such as palms, olives and Mediterranean herbs and to resign themselves to the death of the traditional lawn.
It believes this year will be one of the hottest on record.
The Met Office will issue the warning at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Hampton Court Palace flower show this July.
“If you are planting long-lived plants like trees then you might want to choose a species that can cope with hotter, drier, summers and warmer, wetter, winters,” said Vicky Pope, the Met Office’s head of climate change. The decision to take the message to gardeners reflects concern among researchers that the public has still not understood the threat of climate change.
Pope said the 2003 heatwave, which was blamed for 35,000 deaths across Europe, could be regarded as cool by 2060. Such warnings are backed by a survey from the Waste and Resources Action Programme, in which 56% of gardeners reported a longer season for grass cutting.
Charlie Dimmock, the television gardener, said: “The best way to protect gardens from climate change is to use heat-tolerant plants and ensure they have good soil.”
The Met Office is sticking to its warnings despite research last week arguing there could be a lull in climate warming until at least 2015.
Guy Barter, who oversees the RHS’s advisory service, said lawns would become untenable in parts of southern England.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
A complete list of things caused by global warming
Acne, agricultural land increase, Afghan poppies destroyed, Africa devastated, African aid threatened, Africa in conflict, aggressive weeds, air pressure changes, Alaska reshaped, allergies increase, Alps melting, Amazon a desert, American dream end, amphibians breeding earlier (or not), anaphylactic reactions to bee stings, ancient forests dramatically changed, animals head for the hills, Antarctic grass flourishes, Antarctic ice grows, Antarctic ice shrinks, Antarctic sea life at risk, anxiety treatment, algal blooms, archaeological sites threatened, Arctic bogs melt, Arctic in bloom, Arctic ice free, Arctic lakes disappear, Arctic tundra to burn, Atlantic less salty, Atlantic more salty, atmospheric circulation modified, attack of the killer jellyfish, avalanches reduced, avalanches increased, Baghdad snow
http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/warmlist.htm
What a joke, I guess this warmest year ever is off to a slow start. 4 months in and winter weather everywhere.
I wonder how much CO2 an average lawn sucks out of the atmosphere, compared with those “drought tolerant” plants? My, my.. what a dilemma. Save water or fight “global warming”... what to do... what to do? ;^)
I don’t know about England, but here in Vermont we’ve had hard frosts for most of the past week. I was outside most of the afternoon working around the place, and it was bloody freezing.
Nearly every month for the past year has either been record cold, or close to it.
So that's the official explanation for the lack of global warming. It's just a lull for the next few years, decades, centuries... as long as it takes before it starts warming again. They will never let it die. Even if it starts snowing in the summertime.
Must go lay some sod here in Los Angeles, just to give them something to complain about.
You're right! There is a golf course at Furnace Creek in Death Valley where the temp hits 125 degrees every summer.
Mountain pine beetles are devastating huge sections of the Rocky Mountain forest. That’s a fact. My liberal relatives in Colorado say that it’s because of climate change — the beetles are supposed to die off in the winter, but it takes interior tree temperatures of -30 degree temperatures for at least a day or two to kill them off.
Colorado’s cold snaps don’t get that cold anymore, or don’t last that long — so the beetles survive and thrive.
Ironically, a new study has shown that because they are destroying trees at such a rate, THIS is contributing to climate change. The more trees they destroy, the warmer it gets. The difference is only about 3 degrees, but that is the difference between death and life for the beetles.
I don’t buy into this whole global warming thing insofar as the theory says that it is man-made — but there are some things going on, like this one, where everything — and I mean everything — I read about it says that since it doesn’t get cold enough for long enough anymore, it doesn’t kill the beetles off and therefore we’re seeing mass destruction of trees. (I could actually see this from the airplane; huge brown sections of trees visible from the air.) Climate change does seem to be a factor.
There’s nothing anyone can really do about it, though. Even if all humans bought 100% into the whole climate change / global warming thing and lived their lives in such a manner that it virtually eliminated all of the man-made things that are supposed to be causing it, I seriously doubt that anything would really happen. The earth’s climate may be changing, the median temperatures may be warmer and the extremes are not as extreme anymore, but I think these things just go in cycles that are beyond the control of humans.
It would really be a shame to see the Rocky Mountain Forest eventually devastated by pine beetles — and they are killing trees at a really alarming rate right now. But I think we didn’t cause it and we are powerless to really stop it. So the trees die and eventually something else springs up in their place. That’s also a cycle; one that has been going on for eons.
The price of fertilizer is way up. That pricey fertilizer just makes the grass grow faster which means more mowings at $3.55/gallon (on the east coast).
So let the nutrients in the clippings fall down where they can do some good, cut the fertilizer, and cut the fuel bill. I'm only going to mow when the grass starts to bend down, which is what the experts say you should do anyway.
Then why is not the rest of the country barren of all pines?
Pines grow in some really hot places. Everything east of the big ditch and south of OH, IN, NY never ever sees the kind of cold you are talking about.
Yet we have pines, hemlock, spruce, etc.
I have heard people in FL say the bugs are bad because it did not get cold enough. The same bugs thrive in MN.
I took the idiot's advice but last Wednesday's overnight temp of 24 degrees destroyed hundreds of dollars of freshly planted Mediterranean herbs, palms and olives........when I see him I'm opening a can of whupass.
THE Met Office is to warn gardeners to plan for a warmer climate by cultivating drought-tolerant plants such as palms, olives and Mediterranean herbs and to resign themselves to the death of the traditional lawn.
....And wear a white bed sheet and ride a camel to work? Might as well complete the picture!
More like climate change AND President Bush!
/ducking for cover ‘cuz the sky will likely be falling next
Chilly wet day here.. and still in May, have a small fire going at night..everyone seemed to run out of wood this winter and ordered more. Wood Pellet mills are opening up in NH and Maine with the popularity of this new form of energy which can be thermostatically controlled and long stored burning, a cost saving when not at home.
Beautiful weather and excellent conditions at Sugarloaf 5.2.08. ...Were in the midst of our final weekend of the season here at Sugarloaf, and conditions have been excellent once again. Tomorrow looks like it may be a bit on the damp side, but fear not - we've added one extra day to this unbelievable season, and forecasts are calling for nothing but sunshine on Monday. We're officially open until May 5, so extend your weekend and spend one last day on the slopes at the Loaf!
Lack of interest in winter sports, more spring focus on crocus across New England make it not worth the ski operational costs.
John Coleman's (Weather Channel)proposed need for a law suit against Al Gore has gathered a lot of support.
| The Weather Channel has lost its way, according to John Coleman, who founded the channel in 1982.-- Business and Media. Coleman told an audience at the 2008 International Conference on Climate Change on March 3 in New York that he is highly critical of global warming alarmism. “The Weather Channel had great promise, and that’s all gone now because they’ve made every mistake in the book on what they’ve done and how they’ve done it and it’s very sad,” Coleman said. “It’s now for sale and there’s a new owner of The Weather Channel will be announced – several billion dollars having changed hands in the near future. Let’s hope the new owners can recapture the vision and stop reporting the traffic, telling us what to think and start giving us useful weather information.” |
Had flooding rains this past week as well. Rivers are running high.
And we’ve had one of the worst winters here since maybe 1984.
Minnesota? I'm sure your familiar with the deer fly, black fly, and horse fly then, not to mention the state bird of several states - the mosquito.
Global warming on Free Republic
Global Warming to help with immigration reform.
Isn’t lawn mowing amongst the list of jobs “Americans don’t want to do?”
Today is May 3 and it’s 48 degrees right now in NYC.
48 degrees.
May 3.
That’s 48. Fahrenheit.
May. The fifth month.
48 degrees.
It was May 3 in Texas, as well. And, this morning, it was 46 degrees.
“It believes this year will be one of the hottest on record.”
This prediction insures that Europe will have the shortest summer in decades, with cooler temperatures than normal.
These enviro-soothsayers are always wrong.
Not my lawn. With the mild temperatures and rain we’ve been getting, it’s not in danger of going any time soon.
If this doesn’t scare people into complying, I wonder what *disaster* they’ll think up next?
Government scare tactic. They must need money. You need a license from the Crown to own a lawn sprinkler in the UK.
Which climate change? Global cooling?
God and lawns
(An amusing story of unknown authorship that would perhaps be even funnier if it weren’t so heartbreakingly true.)
GOD: “St. Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there in the USA? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles.”
ST. FRANCIS: “It’s the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers weeds and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.”
GOD: “Grass? But it’s so boring. It’s not colorful. It doesn’t attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It’s temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?”
ST. FRANCIS: “Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.”
GOD: “The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.”
ST. FRANCIS: “Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it, sometimes twice a week.”
GOD: “They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?”
ST. FRANCIS: “Not exactly Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.”
GOD: “They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?”
ST. FRANCIS: “No, sir — just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.”
GOD: “Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?”
ST. FRANCIS: “Yes, sir.”
GOD: “These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.”
ST. FRANCIS: “You aren’t going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.”
GOD: “What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stoke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It’s a natural circle of life.”
ST. FRANCIS: “You’d better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.”
GOD: “No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?”
ST. FRANCIS: “After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.”
GOD: “And where do they get this mulch?”
ST. FRANCIS: “They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.”
GOD: “Enough! I don’t want to think about this any more. St. Catherine, you’re in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?”
ST. CATHERINE: “Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It’s a real stupid movie about ...”
GOD: “Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.”
As every good gardener knows there are no lawns South of the English Channel.
</sarcasm>
Outstanding...I really HATE mowing lawns! Rocks are so much easier to take care of anyway.
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