My garden makeover

[mossie]

Well I didn't do it myself, far too lazy, got someone in to tidy up my bit of wilderness out front which was making the area look untidy.

Before



Now

[onlyMark]

It looks like it'll need a lot less maintenance than before. That'll make your life easier.
By the way, your November 2016 Vauxhall will need taxing in February next year.

[kerouac2]

Goodness, you have destroyed an entire ecosystem. I don't know if the pollinators will ever forgive you.

[amboseli]

That's indeed a very low maintenance front garden!
I liked your wilderness, to be frank.

[mossie]

Mark, that is my neighbours car so I aint worried about the tax.

I'm afraid the wilderness had to go, I hung on to it for as long as I could. The before shot was taken to show its best side and the rubbish wouldn't stop growing

[bixaorellana]

But Mossie ... it seems rather extreme. I agree with Amboseli about your wilderness, but understand that you might want something less exuberant in front of the house. Still, what about a few pots of low-maintenance perennials or maybe seasonal annuals that could be discarded?

[kerouac2]

You could indeed set out a few big pots with exuberant flowers. No, don't try to carry them yourself.

[amboseli]

I understand about the wilderness growing out of proportion. It's very pretty in the summer when the flowers are blooming but it takes a lot of work to keep a garden neat and clean.

[onlyMark]

It looked like it would be your drive Mossie. No matter. I'll tell him when I see him.

[cheerypeabrain]

My beloved likes your garden makeover Mossie, altho he would use paving slabs... me? I think it's nice and tidy, you can put out pots with seasonal planting if you so wish. Watch for weeds as they still seed even if you have membrane down under the shingle.

[kerouac2]

Actually, my grandparents did a somewhat similar thing in their front garden when things became a bit too hard for them to handle with increasing years. They had gravel surrounding their circular rose bed, but changed it to cement when the weeds continued to be incorrigible.

[mossie]

I know that weeds will still take root, my back garden has a lawn laid with gravel. The birds have very kindly seeded it for me with Pyracantha Horizontalis, which we had growing to hide the rear wall of the garage.

[bixaorellana]

Mossie, have your neighbors commented on the makeover?

[casimira]

I always really liked seeing pictures of your "wilderness" Mossie and I am in agreement with Bixa about putting out some large pots with some low maintenance color and plants that would attract more wildlife and pollinators.


My mother was in the same situation and I finally was able to talk her into having more potted plants. The problem was the deer almost immediately devoured all the blooms as soon as I put them out. Overnight they decimated every single blossom. Maddening.

She made sure to let me know "I told you so" despite my persistence.

[kerouac2]

You should have had her plant cacti.

[casimira]

You know it's funny that you say that Kerouac.

At one point in time my mother kept a greenhouse and she had one part sectioned off for cacti and succulents. Something I never really have had a penchant for personally save some select few cacti and a fair number of succulents.

Anyway, my mother's little desert garden was enchanting. Whenever anyone asked her how did she know when to water them as they never had any luck with growing them her response was "I just look in the newspaper and see when it rained in the desert and then I water them".