Alexandria man gets creative with his lawn

Arthur Brown's artistic tool is a lawn trimmer, and the grass is his canvas.

For 15 years, Brown has been creating designs in his yard at the corner of University and Fifth streets in Alexandria. He changes it up on an annual basis.

Fittingly, the idea came to him while he was working in his yard.

"Something told me to get the Weed Eater, and I started cutting different patterns," Brown said.

"It takes a week to put the design in," he said.

The patterns extend for about 50 feet.

"Lots of work goes into it," he said, adding that neighbors complement his landscape efforts.

Brown's work begins in October and usually is finished by November.

He plants rye grass, because it's a winter grass and will last until May.

"You just can't plant any kind of grass," he said.

The designs come naturally to him, sometimes with the help of paper and pen. He draws them out a year in advance.

"I already started working on 2017," he said.

Brown always puts the year in the patterns he creates, too.

"It's a hobby," Brown said as while looking over his creations. "I enjoy it."