Yesterday, while at my parents' house for the traditional ham dinner of spring, my bro and I got to talking about our plans for the yard over there. Bro has worked landscaping and construction the last several years to help pay for his college, so he had some ideas to fix things up. I thought that this was a great idea until he started talking. He wants vast stretches of river rock punctuated by spirea. I thought that look was reserved for gas stations and parking lots! He also spent quite a bit of time telling me what I had done incorrectly. I appreciate him trying to be helpful, but it made me feel about 2" tall.
Now I am wondering if I should just step aside and let him do what he wants. I will keep my flowers and vegetables, of course, but if he wants to handle the rest of it I guess I will let him. It will motivate me to work even harder towards getting my own yard to putter in. Besides, now I will have more time for the important things (like weeding).
Since purchasing my pressure canner, I have been totally re-vamping my list of veggies to plant this year. Knowing that I will be able to store everything I grow has opened up a whole world of opportunities. Of course, my big plans usually get much smaller by the time I actually get around to doing it (usually about the time I have to pay for my big plan--- they always seem to have big price tags, too), but I enjoy the planning just as much.
3 comments:
Bah, landscape design is like fashion. What's "right" changes over time, and what looks good today will look dated in five or ten years. Yew gets replaced with boxwood, marigolds with impatiens, lilac with serviceberry...
I think your gas station comment touched on something too - do you want your landscape to look like everyplace else you go?
Bottom line, whatever makes you happiest is the right answer. Maybe that's letting your brother do his thing and then personalizing it later. Maybe that's doing it all yourself and experimenting on your own. Maybe that's planting all native species, or all edible species, or lots of dead tree trunks and giant boulders with moss growing on them. :)
You might enjoy a book called "Second Nature" by Michael Pollan...
Oh, and welcome back!
Oops, I just realized you weren't talking about your own yard. Where's the teacher with the red pen to subtract reading comprehension points? :)
Thanks, E4! I like the dead tree trunk idea. It sounds very artistic *smile*. I will definitely check out that book.
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