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marciaz3

My garden passes the Mother-in-law test

Only a week to go and mil told me this morning that as far as she was concerned all i had to do was cut the grass and everything else was "good enough" to look at! Apparently i've been stressing for nothing! LOL

Of course, when i look at it, all i see are the weeds and invasives and bad spots, and it certainly doesn't look "good enough" to me!

Comments (14)

  • nutsaboutflowers
    12 years ago

    Sounds good if your MIL says it's fine.

    If you like, you could post a few current pictures of what people will be seeing and we can be your pre-judging panel =:)

  • marciaz3 Tropical 3 Northwestern Ontario
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Mil is NOT a gardener! LOL

    There are some pics in the gallery, but most are close-ups of flowers. These are the white gardens, an overgrown mess right now:

    This area in the front bed is pretty much weeded out, but the petunias are pretty sparse still (they were rescues last week), and the peonies are mostly done now:

    This shows the front bed, but was taken before i'd done some weeding in the area of the two roses (Marie Bugnet and Champlain) and behind them. You would never have known there were some irises there! LOL

    That's about all i have for long shots right now. Everything looks messy to me. I'll take more pictures after i clean up some more and cut the grass.

  • savona
    12 years ago

    It looks great to me! Cottage gardens are suppose to have an element of random unruliness to them. We are our worst critics when it comes to our gardens. It is hard to marry the perfect garden we have in our mind with reality where things are not perfect. I hope you can enjoy your day and the possitive comments people make will make it all worth while.Yay for MILs that enjoy the effort you have put into your garden..Jean

  • beegood_gw
    12 years ago

    Well no wonder you MIL likes it. It is beautiful. It has that English cottage garden look which I love.!!

  • Slimy_Okra
    12 years ago

    Your garden is beautiful. Not only back yards, but front yards ought to look this way. This would be so much more aesthetic than the boring, ugly green lawns that pass for "normal" in suburban North America.

  • marciaz3 Tropical 3 Northwestern Ontario
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Aww, thanks, you guys!

    Jean, unruly is the word! LOL I guess it tends towards being a cottage garden in most parts. Some beds have more of a planned look but the main ones don't.

    Okra, that is my front yard! We live in the country so there's no one to complain about not having a traditional green lawn. Dh doesn't mind - less grass to cut! I do it around the beds while he does the open areas with the riding tractor. This is the back, taken a month ago:


    I just have a foundation bed there because of the septic field. The white gardens are on the west side of the house (which faces kind of southwest).

    I'll take more pictures as things progress. Thanks again!

  • Ginny McLean_Petite_Garden
    12 years ago

    My yard looks like that and it IS in the city!! I , for one, love it!! So cottage garden looking! My favorite!! Just like a quality patchwork quilt. :)

  • Pudge 2b
    12 years ago

    Very nice, Marcia - I've always wanted a white garden.

    'Element of random unruliness' - I need that on a sign, LOL.

  • luckygal
    12 years ago

    I like your garden marciaz3 - there are lots of pretties there. I also like this description "element of random unruliness" which really suits my garden this year! It has gotten so overgrown with weeds because of the excessive amount of rain that my new method of weeding is weed-whacking. It's the only way to keep them all from going to seed and if a few common perennials get whacked c'est la vie.

  • Laurie_z3_MB
    12 years ago

    Yup, totally agree with your MIL, your yard is beautiful! And keep the MIL too (good ones are really hard to find!lol)

  • celtic_07
    12 years ago

    Love the look-relaxed and comfy. A white garden is an accomplishment indeed ! those who come will enjoy themselves. We're always to hard on ourselves as gardeners. It looks great- I also love the cottage style but I call it the "higgldy-piggldy"(sp) look where all looks well and is where you want? things to be (ha ha ). It's harder to made the cottage style than others as you have to let things be more unrully for sure

  • marciaz3 Tropical 3 Northwestern Ontario
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    The tour is tomorrow and these pictures were taken on Sunday:

    Some colour added to this bed:

    The white garden, all weeded now:

    The shady section of the white garden:

  • north53 Z2b MB
    12 years ago

    I wish I could come on the tour. Sounds like fun. I'm sure you will have an appreciative group for yours. Cottage style is more interesting to me. I can tell I would love your yard.
    I may have to copy your white garden idea. It's very calming.

  • marciaz3 Tropical 3 Northwestern Ontario
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks, Marie - i wish you could be here too. I wish all of you could!

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