Landscaping is the last thing on Weinberg senior Kate Hux’s mind.
When asked to what extent she does yard work around her house, Hux said with a laugh, “Besides cleaning up mandatory party trash?”
This lack of maintenance has led to a backyard that is “wild” and “unkempt.”
“We have a weed that’s about the size of a tree,” said Hux, who rents a house on Garnett Place.
But for some Northwestern students who rent houses, there’s more to yard maintenance than the usual clean-up after a weekend party.
“It’s hard to put money into something like (landscaping) when you don’t have it.”
Matthew McLoughlin, Weinberg senior
In the fall Weinberg senior Matthew McLoughlin’s only yard work involves sweeping his porch on Hamlin Street once a week.
Come winter, McLoughlin and his roommates will take on the task of snow shoveling.
And although McLoughlin and his roommates don’t have immediate plans to fix up the grounds of their house, they do want to plant grass this summer.
Some students said their landlords provide some maintenance services.
Hux and her roommates rake the leaves that accumulate in their yard, but their landlord hires a service to mow their lawn during the summer.
Once winter hits, they intend to hire a service to take care of removing snow on their walkways.
“There’s enough housework to be done that it takes up the time that could be spent outdoors,” she said.
Besides planting grass in the summer, McLoughlin said, he doesn’t want to invest too much money to maintain a property he’s only renting.
“I don’t think spending over $200 to $300 would be a good investment,” he said. “It’s hard to put money into something like (landscaping) when you don’t have it.”
He added that tending to a yard would eventually yield benefits once the grass in front of the house grows in.
“It would be nice to have a place to sit outside and read,” he said.
Hux said she enjoys gardening at home in Missouri, but it becomes a hassle when she is living in Evanston.
“With such a busy schedule and Chicago’s climate, it seems a bit unfulfilling to plant a garden when I move in in the summer and have it die later,” she said.
Aside from the weather and time predicaments, Hux said having a yard is an advantage of living off campus.
“(Having a yard is) a positive thing because we enjoy having people in our backyard,” she said.
“It creates a nice atmosphere. The benefits outweigh any of the maintenance you might have to do.”
Reach Jasett Chatham at [email protected].
