Spray painting grass? Been there, done that
The idea of spraying dead grass green was discussed in this space last week as one possible tool to ease the blight caused by the foreclosed and abandoned properties in this city.
It turns out, green paint is not new to this community.
A reader named Kitty told me that in 1980s, at the height of another drought, paint was used to beautify some of the city's biggest streets. "It was great," she wrote. "If you didn't know it, you would not have known what was going on."
But the plants that were painted weren't actually dead, according to City Manager Jack Lam. They were drought tolerant plants that turn brown during portions of the year. Residents moving in complained about the dead-looking plants so the developers turned to paint for a quick fix.
"For one or two years, the developers -- who had not yet relinquished these parkways for City maintenance -- used to enhance the color of certain plant materials with a spray material that
created a more green look in the dormant season until they systematically replaced certain plants to have more of an actual overall greener looking landscape palate year around," according to Lam.
I guess that poor guy hired to spray paint every stem and leaf green was the first to get a green collar job.
It turns out, green paint is not new to this community.
A reader named Kitty told me that in 1980s, at the height of another drought, paint was used to beautify some of the city's biggest streets. "It was great," she wrote. "If you didn't know it, you would not have known what was going on."
But the plants that were painted weren't actually dead, according to City Manager Jack Lam. They were drought tolerant plants that turn brown during portions of the year. Residents moving in complained about the dead-looking plants so the developers turned to paint for a quick fix.
"For one or two years, the developers -- who had not yet relinquished these parkways for City maintenance -- used to enhance the color of certain plant materials with a spray material that
created a more green look in the dormant season until they systematically replaced certain plants to have more of an actual overall greener looking landscape palate year around," according to Lam.
I guess that poor guy hired to spray paint every stem and leaf green was the first to get a green collar job.
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