I often tell people not to look at my garden as an example of my work! Not only is composed of experiments and leftovers, it's neglected. I can't seem to find the time to give it the care it really needs. When I do have the time, I prune, water and feed the plants in my holding area...Despite the neglect, there's always something in bloom and it has that blowsy, worldly look of une femme de certain age...

LOL ...

By no means is my garden a picture of main street American dream scapes ...

Some would say it is overplanted .. I call it "overplanted by design " .. plants are my friends .. it's like the old life boat dilema .. Who do you leave behind ??

My interest in a green lawn is .. well .. not their anymore ... so I'm slowly phasing out the grass ... after maintaining over 30 acres of landscape all week taking phtographs of weeds is really more interesting then mowing the lawn. I call it the "pasture" look ... it spares the world a lot of carbon dioxide but makes me less tolerable of those that must mow their grass every sunday morning and wake the neighborhood.

"A perfectly able, experienced and qualified gardener paid to attend to the matters of other peoples gardens hiring out the work on her own?"

Considering the sad state of the gardening business today it makes perfect sense ... but I enjoy MY garden ... and all in all it is just like I want it to be.

Good Day ...

Glad to see I'm not alone!

My garden = chaos. It's mainly from some poor transplanting choices last year (i.e. sun plants in a shady position), but mainly from my hectic school schedule. Just today I finished summer school (thank goodness!) which took up an unbelievable amount of time. Thus flanking my front door are four pots of dried violets and mallows (did anyone order the 'extra crispy'?), daisies are tumbling over themselves, yet to be deadheaded, the edging is getting grown over by grass, weeds are rampant in the backyard in sections yet to be planted, over-crowding and underplanting are occuring in tandem, in various spots. A bed on the side of the house is simply soil, and on the other side are hostas being taken over by groundcovers and cardboard (laid down last year, no doubt) which still has to be covered by soil.

-Audric

I just told a coworker this morning that I have named my garden "El Jardin de las Plantas Muertes". Sounds better in Spanish, doesn't it? The drought here hit the extreme rating early this week, and even with work slowing down, there just aren't enough hours in the day to do all that watering. Plus I'm on a private well and don't want to overtax the water supply.

Every year I promise I will get after the weeds early, and every year...

V.

I hestitate to chime in cuz my pina colada garden is looking simply smashing right now.
The fact that I have a garden tour group coming to visit the last weekend in July has helped to give me the kick in the arse to finish some incompleted projects in the garden gallery.

Some time ago I decided that my marketing dollars were no longer going to be put into the spring time exhibition shows, instead I earmarked my $ into my own garden hoping that I could kill two birds with one stone : Create a place of refuge for myself as well as create a garden that depicted my horticultural skills .

Since making that decision I have also incorporated an outdoor garden gallery that hosts a variety of sculptural works from a variety of artists.
This garden gallery has proved to be one of the funnest things I have ever done.

I take a variety of sculpture classes at the local community college and at the end of our semester I like to host an exhibition of our sculptural works.
It's a fun way to celebrate the end of the semesters with new and old friends who share the same passions .

The Himalayan blackberries growing over part of the front border are ripening fruits now and the giant morning glory covering some other plantings is putting on a nice show of flowers.

I'm afraid I come from a long line of 'Cobbler's Children'. My father's a fine woodworker - and during my entire childhood our front door was off it's hinges - because there was no point in fixing the door without fixing the framing which couldn't be fixed until the cills were dealt with - never mind the 1/4" flooring in the our bedroom that we stepped through painfully whenever we got too rowdy etc.. Of course his garden is beautiful as is his furniture! My poor garden is alway unkempt at this time of year. Some of my bright ideas from spring are installed - but some are just stalled midstream. And the various orphan plants I saved from the dumpster at work are expiring from the heat wave. I did manage to plant the completely unneccessary but beloved Black Beauty Lilies I picked up on sale last week - before they were done blooming.
Happy Gardening....

I've been known to mutter that very phrase. Now that I have a nursery crammed into the garden I get a lot more people here. They can't help but wander through the garden and look and I just tell them the gardener who works here is really lazy, pause, and that would be me. Generally though I get tons of compliments because they are so overwelmed by the lushness and number of blooming plants. I would be black and blue from all the kicks in the arse it would take to make this place rise to my standards.
{{gwi:1164410}}

Here is volunteer Butterfly Pea and Pentas having their way with a row of Agapanthus.

ilima

It looks smashing this year, but only if one is about as myopic as Mr. McGoo. Just don't look too closely. I have an educational group who tours our gardens each summer, so I have become very lain back where lack of O/C gardening is concerned. The plant lecture this year were examples of a tree put in the wrong location, damage from grape flea beetles, crayfish holes, a recently corrected intermittent streambed what killed a tree by drowning the roots, several examples of how invasive plants can take over a bed, and a study in thistle procreation.

LOLOLOL. The thing is, at first glance the grounds looked beautiful, thanks to my groundskeeping hubby. But I just frankly admitted to the group that one can enjoy a garden without being crushed if it's not immaculate and that yes.......professional gardeners make mistakes and sometimes don't get stuff done as well.

The lecture was received well, and I even got a thank you note. IOW perfection can be boring.

Thanks for the photo of a Clitoria having its way. All the Old World architecture (including, of course, industrial blight and military complexes) and commensurate empty landscaping in Hawaii is what doesn't jibe with the setting, not the "slobs" who have lush plantings.

I've used our untidy gardens to some effect on tours this summer by telling gardeners "what not to do." Luckily, the most untidy and noticeable weeds are fleabane, which are easy to pull, and make it look like we've done a major clean-up once they're removed. All in all, it was a two-beer job times two people. Quite enjoyable atcually, once the weather cooled enough to actually clean it.

It is very reassuring to know that I am a not alone in this predicament :-))

Ron, are you trying to tell us the blackberry and bindweed are not an intended part of the overall design effect? LOL! I may have to shoot for the explanation that the delicate yellow flowers of the 3' tall dandelion-like relative and the pink fireweed and herb Robert are indeed intended color elements of my mixed borders. Not sure I can explain away the rampant over growth one has to hack through to walk and the hidiously defoliated roses quite so easily.

I've started cutting down the hedgelike rose border here because, even though it has been a fragrant, mostly carefree feature with little foliage disease, the bindweed is all through it now. Will probably just keep Rosa nutkana 'Plena' (R. californica 'Plena' hort.) because it makes a good specimen plant, probably just shouldn't be discarded anyway. The others I can live without.

"I've used our untidy gardens to some effect on tours this summer by telling gardeners "what not to do." "

How about do it yourself garden seminars ... let your clients pay you to clean up your yard ??

Good Day ...

I did a bad, bad thing. You see, I host two plant swaps each year and after the one held this past spring I encouraged folks to swing by and check out some of the other swappers gardens. These folks have nice yards and they are on the main road leading away from the park where the swap is held. These folks were innnocent victims who had rushed home after the swap to pick up some overlooked seedlings, that had no idea their yard was about to be swarmed upon by the entire group of rabid gardeners. In a few months we will have the fall swap. So I have a little time to clean up my act because something tells me I better plan on giving a tour...

It's hot and dry July and now that I'm working only 40 hrs. a week, I finally have time for my garden. Needing to plant several freebies, throwaways, discounted items and propagated plants, I now begin to hack away at the hard clay and try to enlarge the beds. I outline the clay with the edger, then go at it with a pick.

So far, so good, the last couple days. Today, using my biggest shovel, I am trying to dig a hole for a fuchsia and get the shovel stuck in a big root. Of course I am standing with both feet on the shovel to get extra downward drive when I get stuck. I couldn't keep my balance, and fell over backward--onto another shovel, a rake, a watering can, and probably the kayak and windsurfer. Not sure what all I came in contact with. My back hurts, my neck hurts, both elbows kind of bruised and scratched. Can't for the life of me figure out how I scratched the front of my knee.

July and August are no time for us to be doing major work in our yards. But what ya gonna do--get your breath back and get back to work:)

I'd die if anybody I work with were to see my back yard. I sort of keep the front presentable, but the back is always a major work in progress. The customers always say "I bet you have a beautiful yard." Not.......

Next year, I will make time in spring.....

Berming with topsoil would be alot easier.