Nancy, it is too early to tell what is there...it sounds like there are seasonal blooms somewhere in there, but yeah, lots of room anyway. Still, some bare spaces have alternate needs.

The 3 bare spots in the grass make me think something seasonal comes up there and shades those spots.

That is a good thought, Tiffany.
I was thinking fungal infection. Lets hope it is yours.

I don't see much else in the pic that should require maintenance, just doing something with the containers, as said.

Looked like an awful lot of grass...
Just about need to run sheep... or figure out a way to turn it all into a wildflower meadow.

But it's the type of grass that only needs mowing maybe 4-5/year per the landscaper who had come out. I would think anyone could manage that pretty easily.

Kat, are those photos that Rachel sent to you also? The bare grass patches could be due to the how wet everything gets during storms, maybe the ground stays more wet in those areas? You can see the water in those photos, almost looks like a little stream flowing.

True.
But the first picture shows the entire lawn is raised up, and those 3 bare patches are right next to a downhill slope. I would have imagined the rain to flow right down into the ditch, at least for that single area. Possible the ground is clay so very water absorbent?

But I would agree with the other photos. That is some scary looking "river" right outside the home. But I assume that is why the wooden "bridge" walkway is there?

Murky, that is MY front yard, chuckl, showing how sometimes yards hide secrets.
Hey, NO ONE has asked Rachel what her art form is, and really, her stuff trumps what was left behind. Welding? maybe?

Hello everyone~ with the storms here I have horrible internet service so with the 20 minutes I had this afternoon Murky was so kind to post the top portion of my property. Thank you Murky!! Found a plug on Amazon so maybe I'll get it soon and can move the photos over to my computer so you can see more. Those of you who would like to know what my art is I have a few photos on the computer so I will show you now. I make flags for families of fallen service members that want to display their uniforms in a positive piece of art, and I try to give each one respect and different from any other flag I have made. I feel this is something I can give back for their loved ones sacrifice for my freedom today. My main art is taking driftwood and other objects and turning them into waterfalls with epoxy resin. Everything I make I give as gifts I do not sell anything. With this huge Magnolia tree on my property and when it flowers I will play around with it and see if I can somehow resin them. Not seen it bloom but by what google tells me they are big flowers so I will have lots of them to experiment with.

Rachel, those are beautiful! And you'll fall in love with the Magnolia flowers when you see the tree full of them, you'll have tons to work with and experiment on.

Rachel1010 said:

Little fairy cottage gardens!
Can you imagine having some dawn flowers (Stylisma villosa) planted next to one of those?

Or since they're likely inside decorations... Maybe african violets or something?

Rachel, wow, I'm a huge fan of your work!! Thank you for sharing the pics with us. The flags are wonderful tributes. What a beautiful thing to do!

I also thought of mini gardening, like Stone did, when I saw the waterfalls. They look fun to make, so adorable!! There is a mini gardening forum on here, if you have an interest in that direction. Some people do fairies, some do gnomes, trains, animals, on various scales, inside & out.

Stone~ Oh you know I'm headed to that forum to check it out.

fresh flowers will rot in epoxy, too much moisture and epoxy does heat up. I hear the fresh flowers can be dried in silicates...but never played with these things myself. My youngest brother is making tables with epoxy pours now he is close to retirement. You have true works of art there.

I'm a little late to the party and I haven't read all the responses. But I'm not sure I understand why you can't cut anything you like. The first thing we did on our property was to cut/murder/hack) slash all of the insides like burning bush, callary pear, etc. Then we set about the realigning to suit us. We were told by busybody passersby that we couldn't do it. There were no laws or ordinances preventing this. It was simply people who don't like change and think their acceptance should be taken into consideration on other people's property. The funny part is, as the years have passed, I've given seeds, cuttings, and plants to several of them.

The garden is our sanctuary. We decide what best suits our needs and what we enjoy. What helps us is the production of flowers over the long period and the reappearance of birds, butterflies, and bees. People stop, view, take pictures, and chat. We give away a lot of seeds and plant material. If someone expresses an interest, they never go away empty-handed.

ditto and Amen to that. Sounds like my journey.

If you were going to kill everything that needs maintenance, a Townhouse or Condo that included lawncare would have been a good idea. That being said, it's your property. Do with it what you want. My Dad has a place in Arizona. People's yards are artificial turf and rocks. No maintenance required. Try that.

Rubi said: If you were going to kill everything that needs maintenance, a Townhouse or Condo that included lawncare would have been a good idea. That being said, it's your property. Do with it what you want. My Dad has a place in Arizona. People's yards are artificial turf and rocks. No maintenance required. Try that.

It's not always a matter of not wanting to do maintenance. Somethimes a plant just isn't to your liking, and if you'll be happier with a replacement, even if the maintenance is threefold, you'll be happy to do it because you love that new tree.

Rubi said: If you were going to kill everything that needs maintenance, a Townhouse or Condo that included lawncare would have been a good idea. That being said, it's your property. Do with it what you want. My Dad has a place in Arizona. People's yards are artificial turf and rocks. No maintenance required. Try that.

Not everyone can just move to Arizona if they don't want to do yard work. Some people have family, college, military, or job obligations that determine where they live.

Rubi, I have to agree with Arico.
I have gotten rid of so much of the prior owners stuff. They had a lot of pastels which I loathe. I need bright contrasting colors that burn out your retinas. The prior garden was like living in an old-folks home. New plants are released from growers every year so after a few decades gardens just look tired and old fashioned. It is normal to tear them apart for fresh new stuff whenever a new owner takes over. Pretty standard procedure for hundreds of years.

I expect the same when I sell up, or die. I am not so vain I expect an outdoor shrine to myself in perpetuity. Gardens are supposed to reflect the people who live there, not the ones that left.