Last updated on March 12th, 2012
I WONDER…is there anything you won’t permit in your garden? Something, perhaps, which makes your blood boil when you see it in the yards of others? Here are a few of my “Garden Taboos” (dyed mulch, pictured above, is one), followed, I hope, by yours:
1. Dyed Mulch. How I cringe when I see this unnaturally-colored stuff. Mulch is meant to keep weeds down, and to help reduce moisture loss. It is not, I feel, intended for “decoration.” You might have a different opinion.
2. Japanese Beetle Traps. These contain a sex pheromone as a lure. But guess what? Studies have shown the traps attract more beetles than they actually catch. Hang one in your yard, and your yard will become an all-you-can-eat buffet.
3. A Weed-Free Lawn. I let weeds grow in my lawn, and for good reason. The weeds — especially clover — are enjoyed by woodchucks and rabbits that in turn leave my roses and other ornamental plants alone.
So what’s taboo for you? Spill your thoughts in the comments thread below.
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Amanda says
I have kids, so a couple cutesy ornaments are fine. But I can’t stand when the ornaments outnumber the plants! Also, statues of someone bending over showing their bloomers make me shake my head.
meri says
Absolutely agree about the red mulch ! Solar lamps that glow like florescent office lights and plastic lattice drives me nuts too. But I really dislike “fast food” flowers like pink and purple petunias and marigolds that they adorn Taco Bell,ect with ( along with the red mulch ) Yuk !
Stephanie Ross says
I REALLY dislike gardens where mulch outnumbers plants especially when the mulch is loaded with herbicides. The plants look so sad and lonely.
amy says
chemicals. i don’t use chemicals
Sandy Hutchison says
Artificial flowers in real gardens!
Julie Fredericksen says
Small rocks for mulch, plastic lattice, potentilla, plastic garden sheds, cutesy garden ornaments, including, yes, those ladies showing their bloomers.
I actually bought some oxalis/clover herbicide last summer but did not get around to applying it. Now I am glad I didn’t, if it makes all those bunnies in my yard leave my flowers alone. Thanks.
mada says
green plastic fences, where do birds build their nests or hide?? ….. plastic gazebos instead of trees to make a shadow corner ….. they are bocoming “both” a status symbol of ……people I do not like to share my time with
Cindy Pack says
Butchered crepe myrtles, lopped off about chest high with ugly stubby nubs. Down here in SC we call that “crepe murder” !
Pam S says
I agree with most of these comments, but I would like you to think about this next time you see one of these things that you so detest. A lot of people don’t have the money or the know how or the energy to do anything other than what they are doing. They are doing the best they can to try and cutesy up their property. If all these things offend you, please stop by and offer YOUR time, money and energy to get the things done you would like done in other peoples yards or property. Stop being property snobs, we all do the best we can with what we have. There are people dying out there every day, this should be the least of our worries.
Sandy Winfield says
There are many commercial chicken farms around where I live and the waste gets dumped on the fields in the area. I won’t allow it on my land, it’s too full of chemicals, antibiotics etc. from what the poor packed in chickens are fed.
No chemicals of any kind are allowed either. I don’t like garden ornaments and don’t have any, could never see the point. Aren’t the plants ornamental enough!
Bill C, says
I let nature take care of the lawn. Just shredded leaves for mulch, a couple of wind chimes and
some solar lights.
Crystal says
I love the natural look in everything so prefer it to plastics. I avoid chemicals and leave wild spaces for butterflies and birds.
Deborah Philippi says
I have to admit to being fairly compulsive about keeping weeds out of the flowerbeds…am constantly digging them out. Even have a few garden tools tucked away in an old mailbox (next to mulch area) so I can grab them easily.
I have friends who incorporate decorative objects in their yard, and while I admire them, just can’t see myself using them. Maybe one day??
I’m so excited about being able to “play” with the gardens soon! (and yes, I’ve dug a few weeds already)
MarteyC says
My pet peeve; taking that lovely red mulch and turning trees into ‘mulch volcanoes’. It’s a waste of money and it hurts the trees. Don’t pile mulch up against tree trunks!
Eric says
A local school does just what MarteyC described. Drives me crazy. And they must pay a landscaping pro to do this! Of course all eyes are drawn to the red mulch, not the trees.
Terry says
I don’t permit my husband and his brother because they have been known to destroy things I wanted!
Pamdemonium says
I agree with the other Pam.
Gladys says
Synthetic mulch…..they now make mulch now out of recycled tires. Toxic and not microbe friendly!!
Amanda says
Meatball shrubs 🙂
Beth says
I enjoy the diversity amongst people’s yards:) I might not find a certain style appealing but can appreciate folks expressing themselves in whatever way they like. It would be boring if we all had cookie- cutter yards. I don’t like to see “crape murder” or weeds taking over a bed someone originally cared for…and yards that are too perfect to live in.
Janet says
Go Pam S. I could not have said it any better!
Carole says
Cypress Mulch. Why kill a tree to grow a flower?
Crepe Murder. The trunk of a mature crepe myrtle is a beautiful sculpture unless it is butchered, then it is painful to view.
Kelly says
What is taboo in the garden for me? – Oh it just has to be Red Devil Mulch. That stuff is so repulsive, it makes me cringe every time I see it.
A close second has to be gardens with too many ornaments (like someone earlier said – more ornaments than there are plants = yuck)
Beverly says
In my gardens, I refuse to allow mosquito-ridden standing water, monocultures, landscape fabric, bark mulch, political candidate signs, bug zapping lights (don’t get me started on how harmful these are against beneficials), toxic chemicals, leaf blowers, exterminators, lawn services, cigarettes, vehicles parked on the lawn, Japanese beetle traps, sidewalk salt and trees with their heads cut off.
In the naturally harmonious atmosphere that ensues, I am privileged to witness a completely new insect every year.
Stacey says
Chemicals. Also weed-free golf course lawns. Both of these seem to require a small army of landscapers who block our small road with their truck and whose equipment is all gas-powered noise machines. And leaf blowers. Just rake the blasted things, or do what I do- mow them up as they fall! These guys use leaf blowers for everything. My crazy next-door neighbor even used his to blow-dry his car….. Oh. can you guess who the only person on the street WITHOUT a lawn service contract is? You better believe it.
Kelly says
Yes, red mulch is an abomination. We live during the week on the North Shore of Boston, so we deal with this regularly. But even worse is vulgar garden ornaments (e.g., elves, ornamental cats, rabbits).
mike says
neem oil will keep beetles from feeding on your plants
Reference
http://www.garden.org/pestlibrary/bugs.php?q=show&id=1621
Cindy says
Garden Solar lights – I bring them in at night or during storms, reduces electric bills. What drives me nuts is to see thousands of homes with ALL ornamentals, no food planted! If disaster ever struck they’d be hard put to eat for more than week out of cupboards, but have Weeping cherries and Non-fruit bearing decorative pear trees to look at while they starve I suppose. Every year, I add a new berry bush as well. I never use chemicals on the grasses – contaminates the soil and the water through run off. People that are afraid of chickens becaue of disease, yet let their kids play on chemically treated lawns…just crack me up.
Donna B. says
… A wheelbarrow with a busted hinge! Hahahah!
My taboo is laziness… but about the wheelbarrow – It’s a rescue, one of the “arms” isn’t connected to the basin anymore… I could fix it… but meh. So instead I lugged around 20lbs buckets of mulch [free! are you proud of me? :D] this weekend to create my new sitting area… [I only have 3 buckets, and took two trips… my back is KILLING me!]
But everyone’s taboo’s are pretty much on my list… ESPECIALLY dyed mulch.
Shirley says
Thank you, Pam S. 🙂
badger gardener says
Similar to the southern crepe-murder , we have lopped-off forsythia here in the north, leaving a bunch of branches w/ that thin layer of flowers, usually only one one side. I love the look of forsythia in the Spring when it looks as if people have vases of cuttings coming up from the ground.
I am in the camp w/ all of you defending our right to express ourselves freely as long as it is not utter neglect of property. I love hanging out laundry on the clothes line in the Summer breezes and have friends who are not allowed to do that in thier neighborhood. Geeze.
M Rose says
I don’t like grass. Not one little bit. Especially grass that looks like astro-turf. But I sure do love this website – I am awfully happy my friend recommended your posting about vinegar and weeds. Can’t wait to try that!
sarah says
Any overuse of woodchips as mulch….there are many gardens that I refer to as “wood chip gardens” when going for walks with my friends….they usually have a few plants drowning in woodchips in poor soil. Many people would rather spend moeny on huge bags of woodchips than a bag of sheep manure, resulting in miserable looking gardens.
Scott says
Funny thing about 2 of the most common “weeds” (dandelion and red clover) both are known powerful detoxifying herbs. Another fact about dandelion, by weight it contains as much calcium as milk.
Chris says
The three main things I won’t allow in my garden are red mulch, rocks that are painted white as a driveway border and my husband when he starts up a old, beat up backhoe he bought a few years ago. Last summer when he felt like being “creative” he did more damage than a swarm of japanese beetles! 🙂
Lynda says
I’m with Scott and the others when it comes to weeds in the lawn. Dandelion, clover, dollarweed, and others I let grow in abundance for their flowering properties… I have a hive, and my bees need to eat! These keep them looking closer to home in early spring, and then later they visit my vegetable garden and help to keep it pollinated too!
Hate? Planting of invasive species. Examples: Mimosa, Flame bush, Flowering pear, Chinese privet, Japanese honeysuckle, and others. These plants are pretty, but you need to know how happy they are going to get in your environment BEFORE you unleash them to invade the countryside. It is a real problem here in the south.
Jan Wilcox says
I use a leaf blower to blow the mulberries off my driveway where we walk to get in the garage as walking thru them stains the garage and the floor in the house. It has been a blessing since my son-in – law gave it to me. I do not use it for leaves. We live at the edge of town on 10 acres and we had a “burn pile ” of branches that is a wild bunny haven as it does not get burnt but the bunnies have tunnels etc. in it and they do not eat my garden produce. The birds have snipped off small plants in the past but we feed them and enjoy them and the squirrels we feed. We like to watch the squirrels trying to get the birdseed and suet from the feeders.
erica says
I agree with all of you really, lots of things I’d rather not see, but only one thing bristles me. Plastic edging. blech! The plain black stuff that heaves out of the ground after winter is awful. And the stuff that is molded to look like victorian wrought iron or or teeny little wood fences or heaven help us, pier pilings? Honey, it may have a different shape, but it’s still plast-ICK. Just carve out a little trench if you absolutely need an edge. Last I checked, that was free!
Betsy Naselli says
my husband with a weedeater
Heather Schlerf says
RED MULCH !!! UGH !!!!
Melissa says
Plastic or landscape fabric. It really won’t stop weeds for long. Nature continually builds soil on top of it and then weeds are even harder to pull out because they are tangled in the fabric. Stone mulch is also a problem – nature fills all the voids with soil and it becomes a weedbed. Plain old shredded bark or cedar does the trick, and it is good for the soil.
Judy Pennington says
I too hate the bloomer people, but when it comes to the “plastic’ lattice I’m going to have to disagree. I had the wooden lattice on the bottom of my deck for several years and all the neighbor hood cats and dogs tore it up trying to get at each other. So as soon as I can afford it, I’m getting the plastic and just dare the little devils to try and get through it.
@ badger re their comment about hanging out clothes on the line. Years ago when my kids were small, we lived out in the boonies near the river and an old grain mill that had been closed for years but was now a tourist site with picnic areas and a swimming hole. I was pregnant with my youngest and the next oldest two were playing in the yard while I hung out clothes. I heard a car stop out in front of our place and saw a large, long car, either a Caddy or a Lincoln, and this woman dressed to the nines come tripping across our yard, (mole hills and all) LOL and she asked if she could TAKE A PICTURE OF ME!!! Poor thing, she had NEVER seen someone hang up laundry. When I heard her say she was from New York City, I understood why. Made my day and hers too! :o)
Renee says
I detest grass. I know that is a strong statement, but it’s just true. Aside from those varieties that actually provide something in exchange for their upkeep, I find the entire species to be useless, high maintanence and a total pain in the…garden. As a ground cover, it is absolutely lacking in every aspect I value. It requires constant care, encourages chemical use and drinks like a sailor, while offering nothing of value. Give me clover, plantains, dandelion, etc… They require nothing from me and provide so much.
Rebecca says
I have been told that the dye used on the colored mulch has toxins in it.
One thing that drives me nuts is to see grass clippings and leaves being continuously removed, leaving a “clean” garden bed border around a lawn, with the bare clay exposed. That’s the quickest way to turn soil into hard tack. No mulching. But if you are “mowing and blowing” and you try to blow mulch it goes everywhere. Bare soil may be “neater” but its not healthier, at all. Mulch! Mulch! Mulch! It’s a rallying cry.
As far as Pam S. wrote, about this being the least of our worries and not being to harsh or judgmental of others:
I would remind her that if we wanted to talk about people dying to put things into perspective we could just turn on any 24 hour news station and hear about it non stop. We come to sites like this to get educated about topics we are interested in. It doesn’t mean we oblivious to the physical, time or financial constraints of others, or persnickety snobs about their taste in garden adornments. The fact is colored mulch is treated with chemicals that are toxic. Now you know. At least you can choose to use it being well informed about what you are doing.
Michael says
I happen to agree with most of the comments posted here. As an employee for a local garden center I have to carry a wide range of products for our customers which include some mentioned by other comments on this subject. Although I agree with Pam S. on a few key things such as affordability, I have to say that there are more attractive and natural looking items one can place in their gardens. Plastic to me not only looks unnatural but I don’t think the wildlife care for it either and it may be my imagination but I feel plastics leach a residue into the soil. I try to use materials that are as natural as possible as not to interrupt the beauty that already exists 🙂
Annette says
Plastic gnomes (shudder). My in-laws found them charming, began populating their own yard, and then hinted I might receive one for a gift. I dared not hold my tongue, and I quietly but firmly informed them I would dig a hole and bury the horrid thing if they gave one to me.
To each his own, but don’t you dare give me plastic ornaments, of any kind!
Io says
Lawn “decorations” – for example last Saturday I saw some ceramic pandas, deers and other malformed, painted creatures in local gardening store. Creepy and awful!
Mess. Mess of any kind. The garden should be wild, but not messy.
I also think, that a “garden” that contains of nothing but short grass and some feeble bushes separated from the grass by mulch looks sad, synthetic and is nothing the garden should be.
E.g: This is garden http://www.ogrody.snk.pl/img/w1.jpg
This is something that makes me wince: http://images01.olx.pl/ui/2/34/09/33492509_1.jpg
I know that it is the matter of aesthetics, but… no. Just, no.
Oriane says
Here in Arizona, it is very concerning to see people plant lawns – temperatures in the low desert reach 115 in the summer, lawns simply can’t survive the climate, they are water thirsty and require so much fertilizer because our natural “soil” is sand that is as hard as concrete.
This is our the rainy season and we have had less than an inch of rain, our next chance are rain will be in July, we can’t afford to waste water.
We are fortunate to live close to Mexico where we have found artisans who make exquisite metal art and beautiful pottery.
I am not a fan of petroleum based plastic ornaments made in China.
I do the best I can in my corner of the world so my gardens are pleasing to the eye, friendly to our desert critters and hopefully an inspiration to neighbors to join me in beautifying the neighborhhood.
The best compliment given to me by a stranger stopping by to look at my garden, asking me:” who is your gardener?” Made my day:)
Carol Emmert says
Living in our neighborhood (which some of my 4-Hers refer to as ‘the hood’) what I detest seeing is unkept yards. If the neighbors would simply mow their yards, I would be happy. As for my own yard, we put as many veggies & edible flowers in as we can fit in out little 72×97′ plot (besides the house and garage.) Since having our daughters I have been trying to avoid anything that is poisonous when eaten. Now that they are older (Jr High age) it is a little easier. I do NOT like concrete lawn ornaments, but alas, Grandma painted a couple for the girls. Thankfully the ground cover has almost covered them over in the little corner where they live.
I agree that funds can be hard to come by, but it really doesn’t take much to mow your grass and plant some zinnias. Thankfully my Mom’s yard needs thinned of perennials and bulbs frequently, we call it the annual spring dig! I try to do the same by sharing anything that multiplies well with my local friends.
I am not a fan of colored mulch, but have seen it done tastefully-once.
I love when random people walking down the street stop and compliment our gardens. It gives me the encouragement to keep going!
Now, to go plan what vining things to plant in front of the fence my hubby helped me install today to keep the neighbor teens from walking thru our garden. 🙂
Debbie says
I really hate the red mulch too!! So not real looking in the gardens! Clashes with most flower colors!
Lela says
I always hated pine straw…then I moved to the deep south and gone to the dark side…it’s just so easy and cheap.
Rachel says
I don’t like things that look completely unnatural in a garden setting: red mulch and black mulch being a couple. Also re the black tire mulch, not only is in not biodegradable, but it smells terrible on hot days.
Plastic figurines in the yard and fake flowers in garden beds… Yikes. I have a neighbor who has a big plastic swan planter in the front yard… Not exactly my taste, but whatever. My biggest issue with it is that it’s covered in and algae-looking green substance. At least if they kept it clean… And recently they added an oversized bright blue plastic boot planter. Oh yes, and they added a nice-looking street lamp in their front lawn… And then put a blue lightbulb in it. Oh geez. And some other neighbors have fake flowers planted around their mailbox. You’re not tricking anybody.
I have pet ducks and a pig that roam my yard freely (as well as wildlife like rabbits, birds, bats, etc). I don’t use any chemicals or plants that are toxic that they will eat (they tend to know what to stay away from). Unfortunately as far as edible for me plants, I have to only have fruit trees and strawberries in hanging baskets, grapes on the arbor, etc to keep those goodies out of the animals’ reach. Also I have to frequently scan the yard for the pokeberry weed… I actually think it’s quite a pretty weed and let it grow freely into a big tree before getting a pig. It is apparently especially toxic to porcine…
The free roaming pig and ducks make for an unbelievably well-fertilized garden 😉
anita says
I agree with Pam S. Live and let live.
This is off-topic, but I feel the same about paint-by-numbers. I wouldn’t do it, but if it gives someone pleasure and fun and a sense of accomplishment, what’s the harm?
Denise says
I read somewhere that if you have chickens and hang up one of those Japanese beetle traps *without the bag* (bait only), the chickens will stand underneath and snap up the beetles as they come around. Can’t personally vouch for effectiveness, but it sounded like a good idea.
Marilyn Cellucci says
I have just read about how you turned your woods and hill into beautiful gardens. They are quite lovely. Thank you for sharing.
My own woodland is overgrown by gout weed brought in with a tree over 30 years ago. Of course, back then, I didn’t know what I was facing and it has been a struggle ever since. I just try to keep it from encroaching into my perennial beds now. Any suggestions?
Gail says
What I really hate is invasive plants. Especially when landscapers install them and garden centers sell them! I am especially saddened when I see the way they’re taking over the woods when I’m on a hike. It’s up to each of us: it’s easy to learn what they are in your area by Googling your state and “invasive plants.” Pull them out whenever you can. Complain to your garden center’s manager! When I first moved here, my landscaper put in invasives like burning bush that I have since destroyed–he knew better, he just didn’t care. I have an ongoing battle against goutweed and garlic mustard in my yard, and so do my neighbors. We’re doing our best to put in native plants loved by birds, animals, and beneficial insects. On hikes, we can see invasives like Japanese barberry, phragmites, and purple loosestrife are crowding out the native plants that the local wildlife depend on for food. That’s my (huge) pet peeve.
Gail says
Marilyn, about goutweed (a/k/a bishop’s weed), I’m just digging and pulling. They put out runners that can be several feet deep, so don’t give up after a few inches! I share your pain. A local small farmer is having a “weed mat” of it simply dug up and burned–it’s a deep chunk of land riddled with roots so dense they hold the ground together, terrible! Our nearby botanical garden, ordinarily mostly organic, is so alarmed by goutweed they do this: nuke the area with some kind of weed killer, cover it with impermeable black plastic for two full growing seasons, and only then do they re-use that land. I just wasn’t willing to do that (it involved killing trees!) so the fight goes on.
Nicole says
I used to have a house with an ex and his mother enjoyed “landscaping” her yards (and, when we tried to sell our house, helped by doing ours). Well the thing I hated which she loved was her signature mulch islands she’d put in the front yards. Our yard was small and she covered up half the grass with mulch… no additional flowers or anything, JUST mulch. I’d already moved out of the house by then, but it really made me shake my head. I never did see what it “added” to the yard.
Cybalia says
I share many the philosophical objections already stated… lawn chemicals, plastics, etc.; but on a completely subjective level, I hate Dusty Miller. I don’t like the color, shape, texture or use of it as”filler”. This is just a matter of personal taste, no offense meant to any Dusty Miller lovers.
Ronda says
What I hate is seeing my hubby in my back yard with a weed eater…Something is about to get chopped and die… Other than that, I do not let what others do bother me. I do it my way and they can do it theirs…
Joy says
I’m a rookie gardener and work incredibly hard to make make yard and gardens look nice and I love every minute of it. I enjoy visiting this site to learn and be inspired — until this visit. Thank you Pam S. for sticking up for us who obviously are not part of the elite gardeners who can criticize others hard work and personal taste. So glad everyone else can’t drive by my home and hate my gardens that I’ve put my heart and soul in and happen to love.
Carrie says
I have a big Rottie that plays with bowling balls in my yard (2 acres), so I need strong garden edging that keeps the balls out. I use a lot of thick tree branches that have been trimmed (thanks to all the hurricanes and stuff). They do eventually fall apart and need to be replaced. I lay down heavy cardboard as weed barrier and cover with mulch for the more open areas that I use to walk through and take care of the garden. It doesn’t work well around spreading perennials like all my iris and phlox though. I am currently seeking some kind of short fencing to keep the dog out too. He likes to dig a comfy spot and then lays right on top of my flowers. A simple fence lets him know to stay out, even if he can easily step over it. Currently have ugly green knee-high chicken wire stuff. Thinking about 3×5 landscape timbers as posts and 3 or 4 levels of “rails” made with a natural looking rope. Should be a “clean” look and still leave a nice view of what’s in the gardens. What are your thoughts on how that will look? Any other suggestions?
And then I’m gonna load it up with plastic decorations and bright red mulch. hehe j/k
Peter says
What a bunch of REALLY opinionated people. I won’t use chemicals, I hate grass, red mulch is unnatural, chicken sh*t has hormones in it, garden lights, garden ornaments, plastic…
People complaining about the unnatural-ness of other people’s gardening habits should look at this: Having a garden (not to mention a lawn, a house, a driveway) is totally unnatural. Given that it is so, do whatever you want. If you want more figurines in your garden than plants – go for it. If you don’t? Shut up about it.
And OMG – the person who complained about people growing ornamentals instead of fruit-producing trees. If a disaster strikes that will have all of us living off of what is growing in our gardens, there will be bigger worries than whether my ornamental crab-apples taste good or not. Please don’t be concerned about me…if that disaster truly strikes, I will think nothing of pilfering what I need for my family from your garden…or whatever garden is handy.
I always thought that gardeners tended to be more mellow than the average member of our population. I guess that’s not necessarily true.
Aubrey says
This is one of the most OPINIATED AND SNOBBY group of people I have ever encountered on a web site. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.
Michelle says
I hate super green turf yards. I don’t know how to better describe them. They’re sodded, over-manicured golf-course looking yards. It’s so unnatural.
Michelle says
I might add that I’m referring to what I like and dislike for MY yard. I really pay little mind to what others do or don’t do.
Sharlene says
I am a new Gardner and I try very hard to make my yard what I have in visioned for it. I believe it should be up to what a person likes. I went to a garden center one spring not to long ago. I asked a person who worked there about a certain plant and asked her if they had this plant. So I followed her and she abruptly stopped and turned around and told me to stop following her! I wasn’t stalking her I just thought she was showing me were my plant was at. That’s when I learned that not all gardners are easy going people. I am disappointed at some of the responses on this site. This is the first time I have been on this site and I have plastic lattice, gazing ball, and concrete birdbath.
April says
The thing I dislike most in other people’s yards/gardens, is neglect. I love to see any garden where someone has shown their love, attention and care in it….(not so much the professionally “loved” lawns).
That being said, I have been blessed with a rather large yard, even for living in a little rural town like I do. I built my first raised beds for the first time in my life last year. This year I moved them around a bit, and put a red mulch pathway between them and connected them all together with a brick edging I had foraged from a building that had been torn down here in town. I look out my back door and I love the way the mulch pulls my eyes down the whole length of my garden. I have black mulch around my flowerbeds in my front yard where I have purple raised flower boxes built and they are filled largely with purple flowers. I love the contrast of the black and the purples and bright splashes of other colors. I am proud of my gardens, I try to not use harmful chemicals on them (I say that because the chemist in me will not let me just say chemicals, even water is a chemical) I know the colored mulches can leak chemicals, but it is a measured risk in my opinion. My main thing in my garden, is that -I- and my family like it. Everyone else can remember what their mamma’s should have taught them, “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”
melody says
Thanks Pam. I am one of those with big dreams and current small pocket. My big dream right now is simply manifesting the $ to make a couple of raised beds. ; )
All that aside—thank you to all who leave as many weeds as you can. The BEES are very grateful. Sometimes the weeds are the only blooms they have to work with in the early spring and fall, Let some of your herbs and veggies flower for them too. They will repay you with abundant crops.
richard says
people that rake up leaves then fertilize their yards
Youth Gardener says
I don’t think I have ever seen a rant like this on a garden blog…I applaud Pam S, who has it right.
I like Diane Ackerman’s take on weeds in her book, Cultivating Delight: “Gardeners may create order briefly out of chaos, but nature always gets the last word, and what it says is usually untidy by human standards. But I find all states of nature beautiful, and because I want to delight in my garden, not rule it, I just accept my yen to tame the chaos on one day and let the Japanese beetles run riot on the next. I don’t require perfection from my garden or me.”
http://www.harpercollins.com/author/authorExtra.aspx?authorID=20266&isbn13=9780060505363&displayType=bookinterview
Deanna says
I have moved into my new home. red mulch and stone everywhere. little by little I am digging up and throwing away. will take me time as I am not as strong as I once was. will look bare till I can afford to plant but better than looking at it all. am hoping to fill in with affordable & unique plants that can handle Wisconsin weather. I do like solar lights but understand some people’s yards look like a runway.
Nancy Fopeano from Schenectady says
Where I come fro originally in suburban western NY, it is popular to take old tire – and sometimes wheels, too – and plants flowers in them. Usually, they’re painted in some gaudy color and scattering on the lawns with untrimmed grass around them. Totally tacky! No offense to catholics, but I’m not crazy about bathtub madonnas either…
Sheri Rice says
I live in Wisconsin and in the huge country yards, it’s not uncommon to see all of the above. I guess if you have a whole acre on top of a herd of cows to keep happy, you might resort to some mulch piles and half-exposed wagon wheels. I’m laughing out loud because I suppose it does sound super snobby to say you dislike gnomes and over-chemicaled laws but hey, you asked, we answered…
DH (darling husband) and I have a game when we drive out in the country where assign points to garden atrocities: painted animal cut-outs; animal statues including immobile statues of deer; bathtub madonnas; kissing dutch people in blue garb; half exposed wagon wheels serving as pseudo fencing; signs in yards that usually say something creative like “Kathy’s Garden,” garden globes; huge colorful but usually tattered garden flags; … feel free to add to our list. Making it into a game made it quite fun.
I also know full well I’ve had plenty of neighbors who were no doubt horrified by my gardens. I don’t spray for weeds and I usually have at least one neighbor with a surreal green yard with those perfect lawn mowing stripes…. sigh.
Sheri Rice says
PS for my own garden, I refuse to use that plastic “weed mat” that only succeeds in strengthening their resolve
Sheri Rice says
And double PS, I do appreciate the effort and love and care that goes into all the gardens I see, gnomes and all. I just don’t necessarily share their taste in garden attire.
cara says
Chemicals and anything that is not natural. Where else better to celebrate nature than in a lovely garden. I enjoy the squirrels and find the bugs and spiders a learning experience for the kids. If some get out of hand one can find a natural solution without putting any additional lives in jeopardy. Red Mulch, just what is in that dye? And finally any substance that does not have a welcoming aroma….without first mitigating the scent so I will still feel welcome.
Janice in Black Creek, BC says
HMMM What should I plant in the new toilet that a tenant left behind? The cardboard box has rotted away in the winter rains and there it sits, pristine white porcelain. Shall It be petunas? no, I think I would like some nasturtiums in it.
Now, where shall I put this wonder of the garden? In the middle of the septic field? Can’t do that, That is where my stone circle sits. I think perhaps by the woodshed. Or maybe by the stable?
The sump pump drainage area will be planted–I hope–with Blue flowers–from spring bulbs to forgetmenots. Just to discourage traffic there. The ground gets soft.
If we can afford to rent a woodchipper (oh I lust for a woodchipper) I will make my own mulch to spread between the alders so I can discourage the thimble berries and salmonberries and especially the BRAMBLES (locally called “trip vines’) and plant Rhododendrons. The “lawn” has plaintain and sorrel for the deer , And invasive daisies because I can’t succeed in getting rid of them. Anything that grows, ends up in my garden. Not too fond of the buttercups that grow in the damp areas. It takes over.
Kate says
Someone once wrote a letter to our local paper complaining about how the street I lived on didn’t look as nice as it did when they lived there years before. My yard was neglected. I had two aging and ill parents that lived 350 miles away, and I drove there every other weekend to help with their care. Other time was spent on my 2 small children and our small business that consumed about 80 hours a week. The yard was the least of my problems. My neighbor was a recent widow. Her yard was the last thing on her mind. The gentleman up the street had had a stroke. Many neighbors were aging and couldn’t keep up their yards themselves and their fixed incomes didn’t allow for extras like landscapers. People are too quick to criticize. If you don’t like our yards, find another route.
I plant petunias and marigolds for the beneficial insects they attract and the properties they have that keep away certain harmful insects. They aren’t my favorite flowers to look at, but they are a must in my garden.
antarctica weather says
In this literal interpretation of the Bible, we are looking at the earth in terms of
Africa, Europe, Asia, North and South America, Australia the Arctic and Antarctic.
Global warming causes ice sheets to melt,
increasing sea level, and prompting penguins to move farther south in search
of new habitats. However, with the long nights through part of the year, a bar
tab could still be rather expensive.
Marlyn says
I don’t like dyed mulch in any color, but white rock for mulch, gets me too! I’m also not into so many decorations in the garden, when that’s what you see first instead of the plant material. I do have a few copper and glass butterflies on a stake, but that’s it.
I have a hate relationship with dandelions & thistle. I’ve tried most ways of getting rid of them, from vinegar (which didn’t work) to digging and Weed-B-Gone. I don’t like spraying, but have done it in the past, as well as spot spraying which is better than just spray the whole yard – which so many people seem to do. Last week I took two days and used a long bladed knife to cut the dandelion root way below the grass surface, hoping it will take longer to come back or maybe kill it for good. It’s hard to have no dandelions, when all neighbors around you don’t seem to care if they have weeds.
I could say I’d prefer if the deer and rabbits would stay away, but don’t think that will happen. I was quite discouraged to see many of my Hosta already chewed off down to the soil, when I toured my backyard yesterday. Looks like I need to get out a dozen eggs.