Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Controlled Chaos?

I used to think that I liked my flowerbeds to be controlled-chaos--is there really such a thing? I liked it when plants grew into each other, and still do to a certain point. I also treated the plants like I do my spoiled kitties--let them do what they wanted! That lead the plants to be more chaos than controlled, and I am paying the price. Most of my yard is in chaos, and I can't get control of it. With our summer heat, it is difficult to get out into the yard any length of time so I can get it back in shape, but I keep working at it. These pictures show one flower bed that I got control over last May and have kept it looking nice.
Sometimes I am oblivious to the obvious, and have had some really, "Well, Duh!" moments; it's just the way I am! I was visiting a special friend of mine, who has been working on her small yard for 10 years, and has gotten it to the point of gorgeousness. Every day she goes out and prunes back anything that is getting a little too energetic, so it looks beautiful and well groomed all the time. It is the most tranquil garden I have ever been in, and I am trying to imitate her methods--that's how this bed has stayed so nice! This flower bed has lantana (plus, a Gala apple tree), which grows vigorously. I used to prune the lantana back once and expect it to stay in place. My husband would complain when the lantana covered our pool decking nearly to the edge of the pool! I would finally get it pruned back, if he was lucky, and then it would get out of control, again. Now, I get it! I will do a post of her yard in a week or two, so you can see what I mean about it being so well groomed!

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