I gave up long ago.
Never hear anything from anyone around here...not even family.
I do what I do for me.

The birds, bees, butterflies, and other critters compliment me all the time just by being here. I garden for them and for me. But it is nice to hear a stranger passing by stop and say how much they enjoy driving down my street. I've even seen people stop and lean out the window last year when the brugmansias were in bloom. Others have asked about specific plants and have wondered about the castor beans plenty of times. The neighbors have come by several times and I always send them home with something, even if it's a promise of plants for next year. Those are the ones that make me feel the best. I love sharing my plants with others that will enjoy them as much as I do.

They certainly are nice to hear but I also don't have many people drop by here. We live on a dead end road so there aren't many passing by. It is a joy though when I hear that someone has seen the g*arden and thought it was pretty.

Sue

Like Tom, the best compliments I get are from the creatures that visit ... birds, butterflies ... even the possum or raccoon who took bites from my first heirloom tomatoes the other morning. I don't mind sharing a little.

I agree with sweetannie, that I do what I do for me and the others on the wildlife that show up in the yard. This year I have nesting Robins, Cardinals, Wrens at lots of Hummingbirds,Goldfinch and many more - what a pay back for creating an enviroment that brings them in. I have however had several people stop while I'm out watering to say how much they enjoy seeing the yard and I love to see people pointing when their walking by, the prickly pear cactus in bloom always gets attention.

I do it for me as well,but i still get compliments from friends and passersby,and i also email pictures to my family on the east coast and they always compliment me on them.Even if no one did though i'd still do it for me and all,maybe not all(snails)lol the critters.

I also love to come here and see all the beauty that you all create,it warms my heart immensly,and i appreciate all you do!!
Kathi

I'm another who gardens for herself and try to make it a safe environment for the birds, bees, butterflies and other bugs as long as they're friends not foes. Very few people see my gar*den but the few that do are quite surprised at what's hidden amongst the weeds behind the gar*den gate. I desperately need some dry days so I can get some of those weeds out, if anyone has some spare sun please send it my way.

Annette

I enjoy walking around on informal garden tours with family and friends - answering questions. I, too, love the fauna, but they don't notice the combination of colors and texture, sequence of blooms and how the rose arches over the trellis.

We live out in the country and except for invited guest, no one sees my gardens at all - too far back from the road. I like to have barbeques and parties and the inevitable walk arounds.

Let us know how the party went and we want some pictures!

Party's over! Everyone went home with full bellies and we had a lot of laughs. Great day but it is SOOOOOOOO hot and humid!

There's no doubt I grow the flowers for myself, but since I live in the country it's nice to see if others like it too.

Everyone loved the beds but the funniest comment came from my MIL. She told me how pretty the flowers are and I told her "I'm done. My back can't take anymore planting." She goes, "Well, you have enough in there." Not sure if that was a compliment or not! lol

I ended up buying a gazing ball and a little girl who is 2 just stood there gazing at herself. It was great since I bought the ball for little one's that come over. Just watching their faces is worth it.

I do what I do to please myself. However since so much of my garden is out in the front yard, literally starting right next to the sidewalk, anyone passingby has a great view of much of my garden. And since there are lots of roses, all blooming now, I do get lots and lots of lookers and many compliments.

No. My garden is the back yard where it is hidden behind an eight foot fence where there is an ally. Early in the morning I hear cars trying hard not to speed and garage doors opening. I love to think I have my own secret and private oasis. I like that I can go out there and no one knows how much fun I am having watching my babies grow.
The only compliment I get and welcome is from my kitties who wander out there with me enjoying the catnip, mint, and strawberry ground cover.
My front yard is unremarkable and Ilike it that way. I do not wish to attract attention. It ruins the peace of my garden.
However, I could talk a long time about each and every flower... my cats are great listeners!

LOL, I love getting compliments on my garden! I live out in the country, along a gravel road. There is an overgrown weedy sort of hedge between my yard and the road. Down the road about 1/4 mile is a small township cemetary. I get the biggest kick at this time of year, people are out fixing up the graves. As they come and go they drive past my yard........soooooo slooooow they are almost at a stop!

Peaking through a gap in the hedge at my yard! In fact I decided this year to help them out...I found an old window about 4' square, mounted it on some 4x4 posts, cleaned up the brush around it, and now they don't have to work so hard to see the yard. They can just look through the window! I would be more than pleased to give people tours, but no one ever stops and comes in.

Jenny P

LOL oakleyok, you never know with MILs if their words are compliments or not :)

jennypat, I love your window solution!

I'm a new gardener and have spent the last year or so working on the front yard garden beds. I garden for me and I set up my large mailbox bed so that I'd be welcomed by flowers whenever I came home and drove up the driveway. However, I've been tickled quite a few times in the past couple of months by the neighbors slowly walking by out front and checking out this bed. And just yesterday one of my gardening neighbors sauntered by definitely just to check it out :) Its nice to know that my flowers are being enjoyed by others too.

Right now my gardens are gorgeous, (said modestly ;-) with iris, peonies and clematis in full bloom. SO I called up lots of friends and said, "Come on over, the show has begun." So they've come over this week and I've gotten lots of compliments. I'm honest - When I called them I said I wanted them to come over so I could show off. They duly gave me lots of compliments and we're all happy.

I do have mix feelings about compliments. I do get them and often around this time of the year, but I also don't wish to have neighbor's thinking that I'm just a show off. I am most happy simply to discuss plants. Flattery makes me feel embarrassed. I am simply very happy with my yard and feel that's enough for me.

Now, our town has a front yard recognition program for those who with to nominate their own gardens or who wish to get their gardens nominated by others. I just have no inclination to participate in this process. It is a very good program however to encourage others to get really creative with their front yard.

To me the greatest compliment is that the neighbors would follow suit. I have neighbors already improving their front yards (and by doing so, increasing the value of our collective properties).

Compliments are always nice of course. I remember the first 'real' garden I started from scratch in the first house we bought (had built) over 40 years ago. We had little money so most of the limited budget went toward the load of soil, seeds, and started plants for the backyard veggie garden. So my flower beds in the front had annuals and the naturally sandy soil was only amended slightly. However my plants flourished with daily watering so when our neighbors (who had a gorgeous garden) commented favorably I was very happy. Perhaps they were only being nice but I put a lot of work into that garden and I was proud of it.

My current garden is not visible from the country road we live on so the only people to see my garden are friends, relatives, and the occasional visitor. I've had lots of compliments, which I always appreciate, but primarily garden for myself and my DH. My DH always tells me how good it looks after all the weeding is finished (most of which he does) while I do the moving and planting.

I like to get compliments and get quite a few since the road goes by my garden. People I work with often ask me gardening questions, and I love to answer those so others can share the joy of gardening.

Sometimes, I have people ask to tour the garden, and I am happy for them to do so, so long as they don't want to tour the house. The garden gets my time :), not the house.
kay

Do I anticipate compliments? Only from visually impaired people.

I haven't gotten out this year to weed-garden is a mess, but the plants look great.

Cyn, I'm afraid I'm in the same boat, the weeds are overtaking everything. We've had very few dry days in May and the next six days, what else, more rain with maybe the sun peeking on day number seven. Everything has grown taller than usual and is now falling over from the weight of the rain. I've got mildew and blackspot on the roses, some nasty little critter's been eating my beans, the wood bugs have chewed holes in my basil (the plants, not the cat). The one bright spot one of my Cardiocrinums is blooming but because of the crappy weather there's no delicious fragrance wafting through the air.
If I got a compliment on my garden right now I'd be suggesting it was time to make an appointment with their Optometrist.

Annette

I LIVE for compliments on my garden. That's why I post photos here, so I can suck up all the garden love from all of you. And you do a very good job of it, too.

My house is back off the street, behind another, so you are the only people who see it- aside from family and a gardening girlfriend or two.

Since I have quit smoking and drinking, my garden addiction needs constant care and feeding, so:

Cyn, and Annette, I love weedy gardens. I'll coo over your gardens, just post some photos.

Gottagarden, enough already with the bragging and let's see the proof. I've been waiting all year to drool over your garden.

Thank goodness for this forum.

Renee

Because my backyard is bisected by a norway and two silver maples, all of my gardening is done in the front of my house, aloog a typical suburban street. I'm out there every evening and on the weekends all day. As a result, lots of my neighbors pass by and compliment me on my gardens.

Of course, I'm sure a lot of them wish I would do something about the weeds I call my lawn, since a picture perfect lawn is a lot more common here than a huge flower garden.

jennypat - you've got to post a photo of your window. That's a very clever idea!!