Changing face of the garden

[Tim Ingram]

Our front garden has changed a lot over the years and the recent emphasis has been on alpines and smaller dry loving perennials and shrubs. Slowly it is changing character to reflect these plants more, and as you do one thing it has an influence on what is around it. This patch was taken over by Ballota and a small rose and seeding euphorbias and seemed ripe for a lot more interesting plants. I have already had a comment on the NARGS Forum that the grass paths are likely to disappear in time - I would like this but a degree of persuasion will be needed! The idea of the planting has come from the sand beds and berms that growers in America use to grow dryland plants and alpines. This is the entrance to the garden and the aim is make it as exciting and 'different' as possible with many plants not generally seen, and of course a lot of alpines. It is nice to have a blank canvas to work on between the general maintainance of the garden!

[Maggi Young]

We have had no grass in our front garden for decades and I lifted the last grass in the back garden after my Cocker Spaniel, Max, died in 1974.  We had kept a grass path around a central raised bed because he liked to chase a football round it!
I was distraught at his death and needed a physical task to divert my my grief... grass lifting proved suitable, though it may not have been the best idea in the July heat.
So, now we have no grass at all, lawn ot paths , in our garden. No-one who has seen the photos (bear in mind these are shown regularly on the internet as well as in talks), or from the visitors to the garden has ever even remarked on the lack of grass, let alone bemoaned that lack.

Yes, a lawn can be lovely, grass paths can be charming but there are many situations where keeping grass is simply not necessary to the overall beauty and pleasure of a garden.

As Ian has remarked about our garden, a huge amount of both time and effort was expended  on the maintainence of the most boring plant in the garden!   I think in our case, he was correct. I know that I would never have enough time for the work I do here, for the IRG etc  if I were still keeping the grass in good order!

[peter hood]

Maggi,

I am always amazed that the phrase "Low maintenance Garden" is used by Estate Agents and Housing Officers to mean "Lots of Grass". Admittedly, you don't have to think much to cut the grass. But one of my homes had such a garden where it took at least three hours to cut all the grass - which I rarely had at one time - all too often some of it got neglected and it took all year to get it back. I haven't eliminated all grass from my current garden (yet) but it is definitely getting less.

[Mike Ireland]

Hope this is the place to show the latest change to my garden.
Newly aquired tufa (half ton) now installed to its final resting place.
Planting has started.

[Maggi Young]

Have you built in a watering system, Mike ?

[Mike Ireland]

Maggi
The watering system is at the bottom of the picture, the green thing!!!!!
Will run rainwater off the small greenhouse roof into the sand between the wall & the tufa.
Other watering for the time being will be done by hand.

[Maggi Young]

Ah yes, the manual solution!

[Tim Ingram]

It's going to be huge fun planting that Mike! I'm very envious.

[kindredspiritkevin]

We've no grass at all in our front and back gardens!

[angie]

There is only one word I can use to describe those pictures

WOW

Angie 

[Maggi Young]

Lovely gardens, Kevin  -so neat and colourful, you don't miss the grass at all.

[Anthony Darby]

I can see grass.

[Paul T]

Stunning, Kevin.  How old is the garden?

Anthony,

I'm assuming you're talking about across the road on the other side of the hedgy thing?   Or are you talking about the various plants which are "technically" grasses within the garden?  The Palm for example? 

[Brian Ellis]

Great example of a lawnless garden Kevin, very attractive and some lovely 'borrowed landscape' too!

[kindredspiritkevin]

Thank you, Angie and Maggie. Do you want to help with weeding?     

I can see grass.

      Ah, Ha! Anthony, you've spotted Cortaderia Richardii, Carex Pendula, Bamboo and loads of others. Don't mow those, though.     

  How old is the garden?

Hi Paul,
I dug out the pond at the end of 2008 and started planting at the beginning of 2009. The first bad winter in January 2010 wiped out many of my plants. I replaced them and then the bad winter in December 2010 destroyed all the replacements.       So I had to change my ideas slightly.

I started the front garden in the summer of 2009 and started planting there in the summer of the following year, 2010.

It's been a voyage of discovery as I didn't know anything much about plants when I started. One section of the garden has now been converted to an Arid area since and all around the patio and house has now been surrounded by troughs of Alpines. 37 in total. 

Great example of a lawnless garden Kevin, very attractive and some lovely 'borrowed landscape' too!

Brian, the hill behind, is where we get our local water supply and also our broadband from. 

I absolutely HATE cutting grass. Mindnumbingly boring.