Burned Out

897tgigvib

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it might be an opportunity for another GOOPP garden. Maybe a small one for things like Dahlias, or other nice looking plants...

I think Mary has the right starter.
 

digitS'

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Ha! There I am with my spading fork at her front gate. "Excuse me, I've got references. Can I have a garden in your front yard this year? You can have it back anytime you want."

@marshallsmyth , I was just going through your seeds! You have plenty to fill her yard. You'd better get up here and do that!

Steve
 

digitS'

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I thought I'd update this ...The house is vacant and a for sale sign showed up in front about a month ago.

Just before the sign went out, the sprinklers ran for a good long time and someone showed up and pulled all the waist-high weeds out of exactly one half the yard.

A month later, the sprinklers must have been on again. Someone pulled half the weeds in the other half of the yard. Remember, there is no grass. I saw the guy there later but haven't seen the lady in months.

I guess this sale was the reason for the work in miserable conditions last year, or that work prompted the sale. I can imagine the lady telling the guy, "okay, you've got it. I'm gone!"

Sometimes, I get a little discouraged by the condition of the flower beds in the front yard. It doesn't take me more than 30 minutes to mow and run the weedeater in the front. If the flowering plants were replaced by grass or bark ... shoot.

Steve
 

ninnymary

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Steve, I hope that house soon has new neighbors and that they turn out to be gardeners. I know that's asking for a lot but you never know. Maybe you will have a nice friendly relationship with them.

Mary
 

digitS'

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We just need to think how to enjoy our yards and gardens.

Don't look on them as arduous work areas. You aren't likely to be successful. Where people enjoy growing things, you can see the joy!

Gravel, bark, one species landscaping ... it'll be fine! Leave it at low maintenance if you can't have fun with it otherwise. Aaand, stay in the shade during the heat of the day :).

Steve
 

thistlebloom

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I had an appointment early this morning before work with my dental hygienist. She's a friendly talkative gal, and we have a to-be-continued type of conversation going every time I see her about landscaping and general gardening.

She and her dh bought a new house in a new development 18 months ago. She asked me about landscaping and "no maintenance plants" :rolleyes:. I hope I gave her some good advice in between her having her fingers in my mouth.

Today she told me they finished the yard. Yaay!
Then she said they put down landscape fabric (ack!!) and bark.
I distinctly remembering advising against that at the time the question came up. I know, she said, but it's working. Well, except for a few weeds that are growing in spite of it. (Told you so!) But they removed the cedar bark and replaced it with -shudder- recycled shredded rubber! Double triple ACK!! :sick

I've dealt with that stuff, it may look good for the first 6 months but then it starts getting full of debris and bits of ugly, and then what do you do? Pick it out? You can't rake it up and expect to compost it anywhere....So, you put money and labor into this stuff that's supposed to relieve you of labor and you end up fussing with it and spending more time and labor than if you had gone without it in the first place. Ugh. But time will be the thing that shows her what I was talking about way back when.

...Oh, sorry Steve. I guess I got on a bit of a tangent there.
It may have been triggered by "arduous work areas".

Fact is, there is no such thing as a no maintenance yard. Even if it were all paved it would still need a good sweeping now and then.
 

digitS'

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Apartments and condominiums.

My first job, beyond working for the neighbors, was blowing up balloons ... no kidding!

After the anniversary sale was over, I went out of the basement work area, helium tank storage, to sweep the parking lot ... it wasn't a large lot. Parking lots were kinda unusual for downtown department stores in those days, even those with 5 floors, hardware, and groceries.

Broom and coal shovel ... did you know that they now have robotic vacuum cleaners with onboard security cameras??

:) Steve
 

Nyboy

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Do people really use that rubber mulch in flower beds? I assumed it was for childerns play areas like under swing sets and monkey bars to help pad if they fall.
 

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