To be proud of my 'scruffy' garden?

[Uriahsnose]

Due to a mixture of being unmotivated and lazy and having no time (and better things to do when I did have time!) AND the fact that nothing I have planted has grown, my garden has 'grown itself'. The buddleia in my front garden has gone huge, about 18 feet tall. I've got lots and lots of blackberry bushes, a huge tea rose bush, and a lot of random plants and flowers.

Everything is bushy and a bit overgrown, I have done some gardening don't get me wrong, but not a lot and nature has reclaimed a lot of space.

To some my Mum it might look a mess and it definitely isn't coiffured/prettily arranged and full of flowers and veg that I have planted like last year, but I have lots of lovely blackberries and it is teaming with insects, birds, bees, butterflies.

And I like the look of it, It's like a mini nature reserve.

I wont' stop making an effort in the future, I have just had bad luck with the things I've planted this year. But I am also going to continue to let a lot of it 'do its own thing' too.

Well it’s your house and you can do what you want yada yada but I find it quite selfish when somebody lets the appearance of their house and garden go to rack and ruin and spoil the road.

I suspect my neighbour feels the same as you....personally I am sick of fighting the brambles and ivy which are constantly growing through and into my garden as well as the fact that her trees are now pushing my fence over.

I bet your neighbours are impressed.

Nobody can see into my back garden thankfully (my next door neighbour and I can chat over the fence but we have to stand on something!) so that's not a problem. Nothing's going into anyone else's space

I think we need a picture to comment properly.

Wow I hope you’re not my neighbour! I just can’t understand this way of thinking. Sounds great OP. My garden looks shit this year, I’ve had other things going on. If that meant my neighbours thought I was selfish, I’d be disappointed that their superficial attitudes spoiled the community I live in.

Oh good grief.

You do you OP.

You said it was your front garden?

People can see into my front garden but again, nothing is encroaching on anyone else's. The front garden isn't as full of nature as the back and is walled so nothing can 'grow through' to anyone else's.

I guess my pride came from seeing so many insects and nature doing its own thing when I know how insect life has declined so much, and human activity has got rid of so much plant life and wildlife.

Your garden sounds lovely. Your mum sounds like mine! She visited recently and kept going on about how "wild" our front garden is. We have lots of grasses, wildflowers, lupins and buddleias. She only seems to think little flowers 10cm from the ground are acceptable. I love our garden.

And before anyone asks, my neighbours gardens are just concrete slabs and wheelie bins.

I would advise to get rid of the blackberries at least because they take over and kill other plants, especially hedges. I took over our garden 8 years ago, planted a lot of perennials and now only need to spend about 1-2 hours a week during the growing season to make it look lovely; people who walk past as well as delivery drivers always comment on it. But I get that it's not for everyone.

Can you show us a picture? I think it sounds lovely

I don't know what you want us to say. You seem happy with it 🤷‍♂️

I planted lots of sunflowers (as I always do, had loads last year!) and NONE have grown. Either been eaten by slugs or just not managed to grow. I planted a lot of bedding plants and they just didn't last long, planted some veg in the raised bed, same. But yes, I'll cut down the blackberries,thank you. No idea where they came from. Gone over now, but I had a HUGE lupin grow too, didn't plant that! And realise they're not native

I'll try to take some photos (working currently).