Gardens with nothing in them?

[BigDahliaFan]

Would you not at least put a low maintenance shrub in? I mean not everyone wants full on Monty Don....but something?

Some of my reasons are, lack of time due to long working hours, what little free time I have is used for other things. Lack of money, things don’t grow well in my garden, garden is regularly flooded and becomes a quagmire during autumn and winter, are just a few. Also, we have extremely poor soil condition due to how the garden was created when the house was built, this unfortunately also contributes to the flooding. We’ve had things planted in the past but they don’t do well due to poor conditions.

People can judge me however they want to, I have other priorities in life and it’s my choice what we do in the garden. I don’t get time to spend on my garden so wouldn’t have the chance to enjoy either the work needed nor get chance to enjoy time in the garden itself. The garden isn’t a mess and doesn’t cause issues for the neighbours.

There seems to be an assumption through this thread that people own their homes and are free to do what avid gardeners tell them to they like. Even if I wanted a lawn or shrubs out the back, even if I could get the pebbles ripped out for 3 metres of lawn or a garden bed, I am not allowed to. And I'm sure my situation is far from unique.

Of course- in your situation the lawn and borders with maintenance sounds like a good idea anyway.

People in rented properties are less likely to put much effort and certainly expense into their gardens, but otoh they're probably not allowed to rip out what's there and concrete it either - so that aspect of it likely is restricted to homeowners.

The slugs/snails certainly ate all my daffodils this year but it’s been a particularly crap spring for slugs. But my irises were gorgeous so I’ll plant more for next year. This is what I mean by getting someone a bit knowledgeable to advise - ideally neighbours growing with similar conditions.

Yes, I don't see tenants concreting a place!

We're stuck with the "standard" imposed as most suitable by the company that owns the place. One of my neighbours has artificial lawn out the back, which looks a lot better than the pebbles and is probably safer to walk on and does a better job of keeping weeds out of sight. It also means no trying to get a lawn trimmer through her tiny apartment!

ETA my mum was a happy gardener most of her life, and we always rented. Had to pay for someone to do the mowing, though.

I absolutely love flowers and plants so I can't relate to anyone having a bare garden. I know gardens are a lot of work but you can buy a few plants, already in pots, and dot them around the garden. We get so much rain that you don't even need to water them much!

You could try growing shrubs as standards (like miniature trees) so no rat hiding places at the base, have a couple of large pots on the patio. And maybe some flowers that are ‘stand-alone’ rather than clumping, e.g. Dutch irises, gladioli, sunflowers (the latter two would need staking).
I hope this doesn’t come across as me saying you ought to be trying harder. I just love plants and thinking what I’d put where in any space that isn’t already filled with them!

When I first moved into my house...there was a broken patio and a square of lawn. Pretty small garden and north facing. Where would I have even put a plant or bush? I presume I'd have had to cut out some lawn to make flower beds? That doesn't sound easy. I presume I'd have to buy tools...the soil underneath is clay and full of stones. The whole thing sounds difficult and expensive already. Tools to cut out the lawn I'm guessing would be needed. Somewhere to dispose of this. I imagine I'd have to buy some compost? All sounds really back breaking and difficult to be honest

I read some research - which I now can't find again - about a controlled experiment giving some people a simple planted-up pot to go by their front door which they had to look after (I think in a situation where they didn't already have an actual garden). There was a measurable improvement in reported wellbeing just from that.

For me, having green space and trees in the neighbourhood and growing plants myself are things that would make me very unhappy not to have.

I can totally see, though, how irritating it could be to have gardening enthusiasts saying you could 'just' do x or y, how easy it is, how they themselves work full time, have four children and are paraplegic, and still have a beautiful garden so surely you can find the time...! It makes me imagine someone looking sternly around my flat and telling me that surely I can find the time to keep it tidy, what's my excuse?

Equally @LifeofBrienne it’s very irritating when non gardeners aggressively claim we don’t live in the real world when many of us have exactly, if not more challenging lives than they do. It cuts both ways.

Oh and mocking people who talk about their own experiences of disability
“have four children and are paraplegic”
is alos incredibly ableist @LifeofBrienne

@Comedycook You don't need to reduce your lawn, create borders or anything remotely expensive or back breaking.
You could buy a cheap pot at a supermarket, small bag of compost and 2 or 3 plants and you'd have instant colour, interest and hardly any work. Then put a few bulbs in in the autumn to cheer up early spring. You could even buy a ready planted pot. All you need to do is give it some water.
Pots are the way to go for an instant garden upgrade.

In my mind there is a difference between gardens which are bare because people physically can't/aren't interested/don't have time to do it and those which are covered in fake grass. I don't judge the former, I get it, gardening is not for everyone and low maintenance is key. Grass or gravel at least allow runoff and ground insects and bugs to survive whereas gardens which are entirely plastic grass and paving as is the modern trend cause problems for everyone both locally (water run off flooding adjacent properties) and nationally (biodiversity, urban climate change and air pollution). I understand that people don't always consider those factors when they use fake grass and therefore I'd love for plastic grass to be banned, then it wouldn't be a problem.

I get that sinking feeling when a landscaping company pops up on Facebook with 'another great landscaping job finished!' and it's all grey paving and gravel...

2 big formal semi detached houses just up from me have taken out their front gardens (which were nothing special but had trees and grass) for parking. There's loads of parking on the road, there's never a problem finding a space...

Mine has nothing but grass and one tree
It's maintained by a management company who will mow over everything so can't do borders/plants, even pots get rammed with the mower

My trashed grass. They will not mow it if I ask but won't reduce the frequency or management fee cost
It's fine to sit out in but yeah, can't have plants

Gaaah, I hate hate HATE gardens! I don't understand the point of it, what's the point of 'sitting' in them? To read a book? I much prefer to do that on my cozy comfy soft sofa or a bed. To dry clothes? I tumble dry everything, can't be arsed with the faff of get them out- bring back in.

I like cities, being out and about, going to gigs, theatre, visiting museums, galleries, traveling, doing activities and do that in my free time. Not just sit in the garden, that's boring and a waste of good free time.

Gardening is an absolute drudgery and having to maintain all that green shit constantly is a pain in the arse. I'm still in a rental atm, house with the garden and i loathe having to pay for people to mow it all the time. Shrubs/flowers? Not a chance in hell. I'm moving into a city centre in a few months, buying a large central 3 bed flat, tall ceilings, cornices, fireplaces and the like. NO GARDEN. Bliss. No more having to bother about the shitty lawns.

If I'd have to move to a house with a garden, my own, not a rental, I'd 100% astroturf the fuck out of it, or pave it, or gravel it completely. Neighbours can think whatever they want, not their business.

Gardens with nothing in them are sad and boring.

But that’s their choice, cars are also more secure on a driveway. I would much rather park my car on a drive than on the street as I’m guaranteed a space close to the front door. Some of our neighbours have expanded their driveways into the front garden as they need more room due to their kids owning cars too.

You are allowed to visit galleries, travel and enjoy sitting in a garden 😂

I have an interest in this I realise I'm biased - but how can you hate gardens? That's like saying you hate interior design. Not wanting to maintain is one thing, but I don't understand not liking gardens, at all.

You say you'd rather be in bed, but then also say not doing paid activities is a waste of time?

I see having (even just a vague interest) in nature and animals as part of being a well rounded person.

@Ciri, I'm with you - sharing spare plants and cuttings is one of the pleasures of gardening. Over the last couple of weeks I have taken trays of small lettuces, spare cucumber, squash, courgette, and purple sprouting brocoli to work to share out. I've passed pineapple lillies (eucomis) to other gardeners locally, and often pass on perenials I'm splitting to my neighbour because I know that they grow well in my garden.

I'm afraid I'm probably one of those people who make gardening look like hard work because I'm out there so often, but it's my release from work, and I potter and change things for the love of growing! But in our area I am increasingly seeing the plastic grass, and gravel chipping 'monoculture' making way for something better. One tiny garden locally just has two billowing beds of ox-eye daisies (native wildflowers) either side of the path to the front door, and it is glorious.

Yeah it's not an either/or - I like gardening and cities...

Next time, set a beer trap! I contrived one recently out of a small ceramic pot, 3/4 buried, and some weird sounding beer that had been lurking in a cupboard for ages. Within a couple of days, a hefty ‘crop’ of revolting drowned corpses! Refilled it, 2nd half of bottle, same again.

I have to wage war on slugs, otherwise they will strip my petunias and tomato plants overnight, and do their damnedest with verbenas, too.

Do weeds count as plants? There is a fair amount of nettles and ferns in my north facing garden but the bees and butterflies seem to love it so I don't feel too guilty...