Would it be high maintenance to complain about the garden at the holiday rental?

[Ouiouimerci]

We are staying at a holiday rental for 2 weeks and the plants in the plant boxes around the terrace are completely dead - there is also one large dead tree branch jutting out that looks quite hazardous.

The terrace is where you spend all your time, family bbqs etc so it just feels quite dreary and apocalyptic.

The owner lives on site and there are a number of other houses on the property and they have extensive gardens (with non dead plants!) so they are set up to support and garden.

Would I be unreasonable to (1) offer to do a bit of light terrace gardening and remove the dead plants myself (empty plant boxes would be preferable) or (2) kick up slightly more fuss and ask if a gardener is planned and what is happening with the hazardous dead branch?

We have paid €4500 euro for the two weeks so not a budget stay, and the place is definitely billed as a luxe rural accommodation.

Not sure if I’m being OTT though and don’t want to annoy her and seem crazy.

Please let me know wise MN!

I don't know if you've noticed but there is a drought and heat wave throughout Europe....so the owners probably have thought better of wasting water.

YABU

There are plants that tolerate heat and drought and I’d expect in a holiday rental for that to be considered. So yes say something and if they don’t act I’d mention it in the review. Like pp I would expect the outside area to be maintained like the inside in a summer holiday rental; and I’d expect the garden to be pleasant and aligned with the photos when I booked. I don’t think that’s unreasonable!

I would contact and say Im concerned about the branch and add that the planters need some attention as well.

Obviously! And due to this I would completely understand if the planters were simply empty due to not having the water to maintain them. But the heatwaves are no reason to leave the dead plants in situ! In fact, with BBQs etc around, the heatwave is even more reason to remove dead plants.

Regardless, the area we are in is not experiencing a drought, there was actually a storm last week with massive rainfall and 130km winds (hence my concern about the dead tree branch over then main path) and it rained last night and the night before.

Update for anyone interested: I emailed the owner this morning thanking her for the stay so far and outlining branch concerns and offering to remove the dead plants. She has responded saying I am right re: branch hazard and that the groundskeeper will trim asap and agreed that the plants look terrible so she will be heading out today to replant, which she says had been her plan anyway.

So sounds like all will be resolved with no need to resort to bad reviews or suffer in silence.

It sounds like hopefully it will get sorted, which is the best outcome!

Posters saying it may be due to the drought are missing this bit in the OP: "The owner lives on site and there are a number of other houses on the property and they have extensive gardens (with non dead plants!) so they are set up to support and garden."

Contact the owner & ask do they mind if you tidy up the planters as they're all dead & look depressing. Let them know you'd be happy to plant new flowers/plants if they drop some off for you. Mention the dead tree branch too saying it's a bit dangerous if anyone gets caught on it & could they please come & remove it for safety reasons.

“Suffer in silence”

The poor owner. Imagine being this overbearing when we’re in the middle of a heatwave!!!

Did you miss the part where OP explained there is no heatwave where she is and that it would be easy to tven remove the dead plants as they would be a hazard if there was a heatwave.

Suffer in silence over a garden?

Can’t understand why anyone would accept such a low standard if you gave paid a fortune to stay somewhere for two weeks and it looks like shit. It’s extremely easy to remove dead plants before guests arrive.

Let Them: Stop trying to fix, change, or micro-manage other people's actions, drama, or opinions.
Let Me: Shift your focus and energy back to your own choices, boundaries, happiness, and goals. 1, 2]

Personally it depends on the season.

We’ve been in a heatwave for two months now. Everything is dead, we’ve got hosepipe bans and it’s expected. If it had rained for three weeks straight and everything else was green, I’d be less understanding.

Did you miss the fact that it’s been a heatwave across all of Europe?

I wouldn't complain personally because of the multiple heatwaves we have had this year. If the previous occupants stayed for even one week and didn't water the plants then that could easily let them die in this heat. Would you want the owner to stop by the property daily to water the plants or would you want it to be part of your rental contract that you tend to the garden while you are there?
I get your point and it's probably worth mentioning it if you are giving feedback after the stay, but I can't see what the owner can really do other than put fake plants in or intrude on your holiday regularly to water new plants. Even my hardy plants (lavender, shrubs, etc) have been suffering in this weather and without daily watering I could have lost a lot of my garden sadly.

Totally agree with this, I think in the UK and Europe we are so accepting of crap service and poor standards. We pay a fortune for accommodation. Everything is so expensive these days. If outside space is part of the deal the OP should rightly expect it to be pleasant and well maintained. It’s not a race to the bottom, as it so often appears to be on MN.

We camp at the same campsite every year and it has over 100 pitches I think and there are only 5 toilets. I can’t understand why people think this is acceptable in this day and age. I only agree to go because the DC love it and we only stay for 2 nights. But I find it quite shocking that this is just the norm for campsites apparently.

Why would the heatwave stop the owners from removing dead plants from pots, in their €4500 euro luxe rural accommodation.

I mean, even the owner agreed in the end.