IF YOU want to know about your neighbour's politics, just peek over the fence at his front yard. According to York sociologist Allan Greenbaum, your lawn clearly states whether you're left-leaning, far right or somewhere in between. He based his study on a survey of homeowners in the downtown Toronto neighbourhood known as Seaton Village in the west Annex. He probably believes in hard work, responsibility, getting the job done and supports bylaws that limit the length of your grass.
Manicured types associate their lawn with cultural conservatism.
It symbolizes taking care, and not taking care is associated with abandonment, crime, urban decay. They're not opposed to using pesticides to control weeds. And manicured lawns tend to be next door to one another. Naturalists on the other hand oppose the city's old bylaw to limit grass height to eight inches and wouldn't use pesticides. It's about artificiality.