I hadn’t understood the strange Scottish phenomenon of gravel or pebbled yards until now. I had thought that taking out all your grass in your front yard (or they would say “garden” here) and replacing it with small stones, paving stones, or rocks was pretty silly. Not only does a pebbled front yard look ridiculous, it’s not exactly keeping us in touch with nature, and probably is bad for the environment somehow. But then, the dandelions arrived.

They are taking over. Since I took these pictures Thursday, the dandelions have almost doubled in number. We’ll spend a half our picking them all, and six hours later others have grown back and are flashing their obnoxious yellow heads again.

We’ve tried pulling them out by the roots, but the roots are so deep that the tops just break off and the roots remain, ready to grow back in a few days. And if you actually get the roots, they leave a gaping hole. I suppose we could purchase a shovel and dig them out, but then our yard would resemble swiss cheese more than lawn.

So I broke down and went the horrible un-environmental route, and bought some Roundup. We’ve applied two sprayings, and the dastardly dandelions look more robust than ever–it’s like a freaking fertilizer! For the sake of our neighbors, I really want to take care of them. But, another week of pulling, and I may be considering a purchase of pebbles.