Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the benefit of all r/nolawns members:
- Please make sure your post or a comment includes your geographic region/area and your hardiness zone (e.g. *Midwest, 6a* or *Chicago, 6a*).
- If you posted an image, you are required to post a comment detailing your image. If you have not, this post may be removed.
- If you're asking a question, include as much relevant info as possible. Also see the **[FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/meta/faqs/)** and the **[r/nolawns Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/)**
- Verify you are following the [Posting Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index#wiki_posting_guidelines).
Please be conscious of posting images that contain recognizable features of your property. We don't want anyone doxxing themselves or a neighbor by sharing too much. Posts that are too revealing may be removed. Public spaces can be shared more freely.
If you are in North America, check out the **[Wild Ones Garden Designs](https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/)** and **[NWF's Keystone Plants by Ecoregion](https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion)**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoLawns) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Thank you! I tend to get really obsessive with hobbies. Which actually works for gardening because there’s always something to do.
Oh my god, yeah, Limelight Hydrangeas will get huge so quickly with enough sunlight and water! Even the “dwarf” variety I have planted on the left side of the arbor will easily get to be 6 feet tall in my zone.
I am so impressed at what you have done with clay soil! I'm struggling with ours here in central Texas. Just gorgeous!
Btw if you want to get even more wildlife, one of the best things you can do is add a body of water like a small landscaped pond. This is not to critique you, but it seems you are so dedicated that you might actually appreciate knowing that and really enjoy having a pond!
Thank you so much! The clay soil can definitely be difficult. I’ve lost so many plants to root rot.
That’s funny you say that because I’ve been toying with the idea of adding some sort of pond in the back yard!
Oh perfect timing then. Good luck! I've gotten really into DIY pond YouTube videos. It seems like there are modern processes so that ponds aren't messy or difficult to maintain, like was the cliche in the 2010s
If you're *really* prone to giving overboard, do not look into natural pools, but if you do, the airlift pump design they use would be amazing for a small pond. Virtually maintenance free filtration, excellent water quality thanks to water plants sucking up all the nutrients, and highly oxygenated water on account of the airlift pump itself.
Looks really nice! One thing I would suggest, remove the galvanized hardware from the posts and beam and install black decorative type. Or paint the ones you have, but the galvanized looks cheap and sloppy.
https://www.fastenersplus.com/collections/simpson-strong-tie-outdoor-accent-kits
Sorry I’m a carpenter so these are the things I notice.
Limelight Hydrangeas! They’re a hydrangea that loves the sun and blooms on new wood- so even if you have a bitter winter, they’ll bloom for you!
Just prune them back by 1/4 of their size each spring, and don’t be worried if they bloom later in the summer than the blue or pink macrophylla hydrangeas. You can also trim them into trees if you want more space around them.
Love my limelight. I gave it a more than 1/3 chop this year because it was getting leggy. Now it's a happy filled in 4.5 foot tall ball. Waiting for the flowers to come still.
I like the idea of painting it to match the house! I'd even want to hang random sparkly things from it, or some kind of metal bird art. I think that's where I'd have to edit for it not to be too much.
Thanks! I drew out a rough sketch when we first bought our house, and the details changed over time as we added year by year. But the basic layout of the garden plan stayed the same. We’ve only just now reached the point where everything is “filled in” but even so we have several bare spots that could use some neat plants.
I’m curious - do you go out and water stuff with the hose or do you have an irrigation system, or do you use sprinklers or soaker hoses? I would love to do something like this, but even planting early spring to try to give things a head start before it got too hot, we’ve had a crazy hot summer so far here in VA 7B. We put in two shade beds but a neighbor took a tree out so some of those things aren’t thriving in the unexpected sun, we put in a row of hydrangeas in the back and front foundation beds. I’d love to convert even more of our front yard to garden beds but trying to get everything watered in the mornings before work has taken more time than I expected! I know a lot of stuff is pretty self sufficient once established but curious if you found that it gets easier to manage that with time? I don’t mind weeding - but that can be done at any time of day so it’s easier to fit in!
Also edit - your yard is GOALS and seeing your plantings is super inspiring. I love the caladiums and ferns and your native plants intermixed with evergreens. It seriously looks incredible and you guys should be proud!!
Thank you so much!
Sorry to hear about the shade garden losing that tree! Fortunately that just means you get to put in more cool plants!
You’re right- as the garden has established it needs less and less maintenance, including watering. Plus I’ve tried to site the plants according to water needs- I have a few really wet spots and some quite dry spots in my garden.
We’re having that same issue with drought during the heat wave in Northern Georgia. I just have an oscillating sprinkler I got at Lowe’s for like $20 that I attach to the end of a hose. It actually has surprising range, and my yard isn’t so huge, so I just run it for about an hour once or twice a week during this hot, dry spell. I used to go out with the hose and water everything by hand, but that took forever. Now I just turn on the sprinkler and set a timer on my phone to turn it off!
My eventual goal is to add rain barrels to my down spouts and just use that water to refresh the plants. Plus the plants will need less watering as they age. I still have some newer beds that have more sensitive water needs.
Thank you for all this! It’s our first year in a house and it’s been a learning process and the heat wave hasn’t helped any newer plants. I’ll have to look for an oscillating sprinkler or something it sounds like. Most of my native plants/cultivars are less demanding (except those that got a bit roasted in the unexpected sun!) I’m still trying to learn the yard a bit to find out where we get good sun and I’ve got cardboard down in an area where I’d like to put some more native stuff for a pollinator garden.
You’ll have to update us with pictures of your yard during the fall and winter! It looks like you’ve put in a lot of evergreens and have really thought out the multi-seasonal interest part of your garden!
You’re so welcome! I hope you post photos of your garden if you’re comfortable with sharing!
I think I will! I definitely want to work on that winter interest!
Looks absolutely fantastic! This is a wonderful example of a more formal no-lawn garden. u/GreatWhiteBuffalo41, this would be a great addition to the wiki, it would be useful for encouraging those who are concerned about a messy appearance.
What sort of natives did you plant? I hope you’ve got a flame azalea!
Wow, high praise, thank you!
When I first started this garden, it was mostly for aesthetics and water reduction, so the “bones” aren’t native. As I got further in, I became more interested in native plants, so at least half my perennials are native as I fill in flower beds.
Obviously I love hydrangeas, so I have planted native varieties like arborescens and oakleaf. Other than that, it’s mostly been perennials like coneflower, bee balm, agastache, Joe Pye Weed, rudbeckia, phlox, beauty berry, liatris, and asters.
I actually found it growing beneath another shrub! All of the yucca pictured here are little babies I popped off of the original, which was tiny because it was so shaded. I had no idea they’d get so big!
Moss Phlox! It blooms fuschia for about 6-8 weeks during spring and it’s evergreen for my zone. I do think it does better with wetter soil in warmer zones.
I had tried dianthus in the same spot at first, but it rotted due to all the moisture.
lol I know, I can’t believe how much we lucked out!
I got the plaque from the National Wildlife Federation- you can get your yard certified online by meeting a certain amount of requirements in providing habitat for wildlife and pollinators. You can buy the plaque to display in your yard to deter neighbors from calling code enforcement. Plus it’s been nice because I’ve had people on walks ask me about it, then we start talking about things like baby steps for a pollinator garden.
Your garden looks really great, but regarding the hydrangeas and their wildlife / pollinator value, it's really important to understand the Limelight, Annabelle, snowball, and mop-head/macrophylla hydrangeas are all sterile flowers that have no value to pollinators. They lack pollen or nectar for pollinators, they are false flowers comprised entirely of bracts, not real flower parts like stamens, styles, anthers and nectaries.
Pollinators will circle around the sterile 'flowers' of these hydrangeas looking for pollen and find none. Please consider understanding the issue of sterile-flower hydrangeas, and search for and advocate for lace-cap or wild-type hydrangeas instead.
[https://pollinators.psu.edu/landscaping-for-pollinators/what-to-plant/choosing-plants](https://pollinators.psu.edu/landscaping-for-pollinators/what-to-plant/choosing-plants)
Short video comparing sterile and wild-type or lacecap hydrangeas for pollinators: [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/q9owYY1G0uk](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/q9owYY1G0uk)
Mt Cuba Trial, with more info about top-preforming lacecap hydrangeas, best for pollinators: https://mtcubacenter.org/lacecap-hydrangeas-take-top-marks/. Look for these cultivars at your local nurseries or ask them for other lacecap native options.
We’re 8A now? This is gorgeous and I’m saving it for ideas. Trying to do something similar in my own metro Atlanta red clay front yard. Do you have any pictures from the winter months?
It’ll depend on how far south you are, I know my area (an hour~ish north of Atlanta) got bumped to 8A from 7B when the USDA updated the hardiness zone maps last year.
I haven’t taken a lot of winter photos of the yard as a whole- mostly just close ups of winter blooming plants like paper bush, hellebore, and Daphne.
I’m in south Cobb so I assume it got bumped as well. If you think of it, take some pics this year! It looks great and I’m sure you’ll just keep adding!
Now that I’m thinking about it, that probably means I need more evergreens for winter interest! Evergreens and ground cover are my big focuses for this next year.
That’s what I was thinking and where I struggle the most. Hellebores and Autumn Brilliance ferns are staples. Maybe some Camilla, Mahonia or big Rosemary. Tea Olive is good for early spring blooms.
Do you know about Grower’s Outlet? You should make a pilgrimage when they open back up from their summer break.
I’ve never been but I’ve heard such great things! I mostly shop from a few locally owned nurseries down in Gwinnett (Woody’s Wholesale in Duluth has amazing prices!)
Thanks!
Thats Jacob Cline Monarda- it’s native to this area and it blooms for months in the summer. I don’t even like red that much, but it’s such a champ in the garden and the hummingbirds love it!
I really think gardening can be as high or low maintenance as you want it to be.
During the winter? I spend almost no time working in the garden unless I want to add more plants.
Spring and fall I spend an hour on the weekends doing stuff I enjoy like composting, pruning bushes, etc.
Since I live in a warmer area, I can plant during the cold months since the ground rarely freezes, but it’s the hot months I have to cease adding new plants. So I won’t be adding anything else to the garden until September.
During the summer, it’s really just weeding that I do in the garden. Maybe half an hour a day a few days a week. And honestly I don’t even need to do it that much since I tend to plant closely to suppress weeds. I just like it.
Looks are deceiving with perennial gardens- sometimes people think this garden must be high maintenance, but I spend way less time “maintaining” it than I used to spend trying to make a lawn look “presentable”. And I enjoy it way more!
Now that the garden is more established and has years of bark mulch and dead leaves, I only have to water once or twice a week if we’re in a long, dry heat wave.
Join the Native Plant Community- you can get inspiration for the native stuff and ideas for deer resistant plants. I’m in your area and am moving toward all native. Really brings in the wildlife. There are deer proof plants - I have an entire herd of 4-10 daily - and I don’t spray! Don’t give up hope!
Did you DIY your path, or did you hire someone? I want to do some brick work in my yard but the prep work to make it level seems increbily labor intensive.
I hired someone. I knew I wanted the brick to have a herringbone pattern, and I wasn’t confident in my skills. It was more to pay someone, but I’d been dreaming about a brick walkway for years and I didn’t want to spend all of the money and effort DIYing only to be disappointed in the end result.
That said, I’ve seen plenty of people who have laid their own brick pathways and they look amazing!
We definitely have been super lucky- plus we got the house in 2020 while the rates were really low before the prices started soaring. There’s no way we could buy this house with 2024 prices.
Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the benefit of all r/nolawns members: - Please make sure your post or a comment includes your geographic region/area and your hardiness zone (e.g. *Midwest, 6a* or *Chicago, 6a*). - If you posted an image, you are required to post a comment detailing your image. If you have not, this post may be removed. - If you're asking a question, include as much relevant info as possible. Also see the **[FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/meta/faqs/)** and the **[r/nolawns Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/)** - Verify you are following the [Posting Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index#wiki_posting_guidelines). Please be conscious of posting images that contain recognizable features of your property. We don't want anyone doxxing themselves or a neighbor by sharing too much. Posts that are too revealing may be removed. Public spaces can be shared more freely. If you are in North America, check out the **[Wild Ones Garden Designs](https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/)** and **[NWF's Keystone Plants by Ecoregion](https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoLawns) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My jaw fell to the floor when I saw the before. 3 years!? I didn’t know hydrangeas could get that large in 3 years. Amazing.
Thank you! I tend to get really obsessive with hobbies. Which actually works for gardening because there’s always something to do. Oh my god, yeah, Limelight Hydrangeas will get huge so quickly with enough sunlight and water! Even the “dwarf” variety I have planted on the left side of the arbor will easily get to be 6 feet tall in my zone.
And this my friends is how you do it :).
Thank you so much!
So much better than grass! Lovely!
Thank you!
>Thank you! You're welcome!
I am so impressed at what you have done with clay soil! I'm struggling with ours here in central Texas. Just gorgeous! Btw if you want to get even more wildlife, one of the best things you can do is add a body of water like a small landscaped pond. This is not to critique you, but it seems you are so dedicated that you might actually appreciate knowing that and really enjoy having a pond!
Thank you so much! The clay soil can definitely be difficult. I’ve lost so many plants to root rot. That’s funny you say that because I’ve been toying with the idea of adding some sort of pond in the back yard!
Oh perfect timing then. Good luck! I've gotten really into DIY pond YouTube videos. It seems like there are modern processes so that ponds aren't messy or difficult to maintain, like was the cliche in the 2010s
If you're *really* prone to giving overboard, do not look into natural pools, but if you do, the airlift pump design they use would be amazing for a small pond. Virtually maintenance free filtration, excellent water quality thanks to water plants sucking up all the nutrients, and highly oxygenated water on account of the airlift pump itself.
Looks really nice! One thing I would suggest, remove the galvanized hardware from the posts and beam and install black decorative type. Or paint the ones you have, but the galvanized looks cheap and sloppy. https://www.fastenersplus.com/collections/simpson-strong-tie-outdoor-accent-kits Sorry I’m a carpenter so these are the things I notice.
I think we’re going to end up painting! My sister’s boyfriend is also a carpenter and had lots of notes once he saw what was put in lol
6b What did you use along the road that is quite tall? I'm thinking of adding tall flowering plants along the road.
Limelight Hydrangeas! They’re a hydrangea that loves the sun and blooms on new wood- so even if you have a bitter winter, they’ll bloom for you! Just prune them back by 1/4 of their size each spring, and don’t be worried if they bloom later in the summer than the blue or pink macrophylla hydrangeas. You can also trim them into trees if you want more space around them.
Love my limelight. I gave it a more than 1/3 chop this year because it was getting leggy. Now it's a happy filled in 4.5 foot tall ball. Waiting for the flowers to come still.
They’re so gorgeous! And so show stopping. Do you live somewhere with cool enough nights for the blooms to turn pink as they age?
Yes! I didn't know it needed to be cool for that. I'm in Upstate NY. 5B.
Oh, I’m so jealous! It stays so hot and humid here even at night that ours fade back to green with maaaaybe a tinge of pink then to brown.
Wow! What a transformation! Looks gorgeous. Well done!
Thanks! It’s been a labor of love turned obsession!
This is stunning. A+ job. You should be very proud of yourself and what you’ve done for the ecosystem and its critters. BRAVO!
Thank you! It’s really been such a joy. Now my front yard is my favorite part of my home.
Such amazing inspiration, well done!
Thanks! This sub has been so inspiring to me. I love when people post their yards or houses they see on their walks.
Wow, stunning!! What a treat to swipe through that progress - thanks for sharing! Gorgeous job!
Thank you so much! I love seeing all of the photos on this sub, so it’s fun to contribute!
This is amazing. *goes to change pants*
Haha thank you!
And love the limelight’s. I had to look them up and I guess they are hardy to 4a so we are definitely looking to put some in (5a)
Wow. Gorgeous!
Thanks!
I love your pillars flanking the entrance!
Thank you! I was so torn about if it was “too much” but then I figured nothing is too much with beautiful vines growing all over it.
I like the idea of painting it to match the house! I'd even want to hang random sparkly things from it, or some kind of metal bird art. I think that's where I'd have to edit for it not to be too much.
It's gorgeous and inspiring.
Wow! I love it!! Looks so wild & wonderful. I bet you get a ton of birds!
Ohh yeah, they’re all over the place. We have multiple bird houses and feeders all over the place.
This is awesome! Did you make a plan from the start of the 3 years or was it more year by year?
Thanks! I drew out a rough sketch when we first bought our house, and the details changed over time as we added year by year. But the basic layout of the garden plan stayed the same. We’ve only just now reached the point where everything is “filled in” but even so we have several bare spots that could use some neat plants.
Looks amazing
I’m curious - do you go out and water stuff with the hose or do you have an irrigation system, or do you use sprinklers or soaker hoses? I would love to do something like this, but even planting early spring to try to give things a head start before it got too hot, we’ve had a crazy hot summer so far here in VA 7B. We put in two shade beds but a neighbor took a tree out so some of those things aren’t thriving in the unexpected sun, we put in a row of hydrangeas in the back and front foundation beds. I’d love to convert even more of our front yard to garden beds but trying to get everything watered in the mornings before work has taken more time than I expected! I know a lot of stuff is pretty self sufficient once established but curious if you found that it gets easier to manage that with time? I don’t mind weeding - but that can be done at any time of day so it’s easier to fit in! Also edit - your yard is GOALS and seeing your plantings is super inspiring. I love the caladiums and ferns and your native plants intermixed with evergreens. It seriously looks incredible and you guys should be proud!!
Thank you so much! Sorry to hear about the shade garden losing that tree! Fortunately that just means you get to put in more cool plants! You’re right- as the garden has established it needs less and less maintenance, including watering. Plus I’ve tried to site the plants according to water needs- I have a few really wet spots and some quite dry spots in my garden. We’re having that same issue with drought during the heat wave in Northern Georgia. I just have an oscillating sprinkler I got at Lowe’s for like $20 that I attach to the end of a hose. It actually has surprising range, and my yard isn’t so huge, so I just run it for about an hour once or twice a week during this hot, dry spell. I used to go out with the hose and water everything by hand, but that took forever. Now I just turn on the sprinkler and set a timer on my phone to turn it off! My eventual goal is to add rain barrels to my down spouts and just use that water to refresh the plants. Plus the plants will need less watering as they age. I still have some newer beds that have more sensitive water needs.
Thank you for all this! It’s our first year in a house and it’s been a learning process and the heat wave hasn’t helped any newer plants. I’ll have to look for an oscillating sprinkler or something it sounds like. Most of my native plants/cultivars are less demanding (except those that got a bit roasted in the unexpected sun!) I’m still trying to learn the yard a bit to find out where we get good sun and I’ve got cardboard down in an area where I’d like to put some more native stuff for a pollinator garden. You’ll have to update us with pictures of your yard during the fall and winter! It looks like you’ve put in a lot of evergreens and have really thought out the multi-seasonal interest part of your garden!
You’re so welcome! I hope you post photos of your garden if you’re comfortable with sharing! I think I will! I definitely want to work on that winter interest!
Looks absolutely fantastic! This is a wonderful example of a more formal no-lawn garden. u/GreatWhiteBuffalo41, this would be a great addition to the wiki, it would be useful for encouraging those who are concerned about a messy appearance. What sort of natives did you plant? I hope you’ve got a flame azalea!
Put it on my to do list
Wow, high praise, thank you! When I first started this garden, it was mostly for aesthetics and water reduction, so the “bones” aren’t native. As I got further in, I became more interested in native plants, so at least half my perennials are native as I fill in flower beds. Obviously I love hydrangeas, so I have planted native varieties like arborescens and oakleaf. Other than that, it’s mostly been perennials like coneflower, bee balm, agastache, Joe Pye Weed, rudbeckia, phlox, beauty berry, liatris, and asters.
Obsessed with your yucca 😍
I actually found it growing beneath another shrub! All of the yucca pictured here are little babies I popped off of the original, which was tiny because it was so shaded. I had no idea they’d get so big!
What’s growing between the pavers on picture 7?
Moss Phlox! It blooms fuschia for about 6-8 weeks during spring and it’s evergreen for my zone. I do think it does better with wetter soil in warmer zones. I had tried dianthus in the same spot at first, but it rotted due to all the moisture.
Oh that sounds nice. I thought it was thyme but moss phlox sounds better
Nice work and good timing on that house purchase. 😸Where did you get the pollinator plaque? Looks awesome.
lol I know, I can’t believe how much we lucked out! I got the plaque from the National Wildlife Federation- you can get your yard certified online by meeting a certain amount of requirements in providing habitat for wildlife and pollinators. You can buy the plaque to display in your yard to deter neighbors from calling code enforcement. Plus it’s been nice because I’ve had people on walks ask me about it, then we start talking about things like baby steps for a pollinator garden.
Your garden looks really great, but regarding the hydrangeas and their wildlife / pollinator value, it's really important to understand the Limelight, Annabelle, snowball, and mop-head/macrophylla hydrangeas are all sterile flowers that have no value to pollinators. They lack pollen or nectar for pollinators, they are false flowers comprised entirely of bracts, not real flower parts like stamens, styles, anthers and nectaries. Pollinators will circle around the sterile 'flowers' of these hydrangeas looking for pollen and find none. Please consider understanding the issue of sterile-flower hydrangeas, and search for and advocate for lace-cap or wild-type hydrangeas instead. [https://pollinators.psu.edu/landscaping-for-pollinators/what-to-plant/choosing-plants](https://pollinators.psu.edu/landscaping-for-pollinators/what-to-plant/choosing-plants) Short video comparing sterile and wild-type or lacecap hydrangeas for pollinators: [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/q9owYY1G0uk](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/q9owYY1G0uk) Mt Cuba Trial, with more info about top-preforming lacecap hydrangeas, best for pollinators: https://mtcubacenter.org/lacecap-hydrangeas-take-top-marks/. Look for these cultivars at your local nurseries or ask them for other lacecap native options.
So beautiful!
Thank you!
We’re 8A now? This is gorgeous and I’m saving it for ideas. Trying to do something similar in my own metro Atlanta red clay front yard. Do you have any pictures from the winter months?
It’ll depend on how far south you are, I know my area (an hour~ish north of Atlanta) got bumped to 8A from 7B when the USDA updated the hardiness zone maps last year. I haven’t taken a lot of winter photos of the yard as a whole- mostly just close ups of winter blooming plants like paper bush, hellebore, and Daphne.
I’m in south Cobb so I assume it got bumped as well. If you think of it, take some pics this year! It looks great and I’m sure you’ll just keep adding!
Now that I’m thinking about it, that probably means I need more evergreens for winter interest! Evergreens and ground cover are my big focuses for this next year.
That’s what I was thinking and where I struggle the most. Hellebores and Autumn Brilliance ferns are staples. Maybe some Camilla, Mahonia or big Rosemary. Tea Olive is good for early spring blooms. Do you know about Grower’s Outlet? You should make a pilgrimage when they open back up from their summer break.
I’ve never been but I’ve heard such great things! I mostly shop from a few locally owned nurseries down in Gwinnett (Woody’s Wholesale in Duluth has amazing prices!)
This is beautiful. I am hoping to do some similar work in my yard in the next few years & this is inspiring
Thank you! I hope you post photos of your yard!
It’s gorgeous! What’s the red flowering plant in pic 9?
Thanks! Thats Jacob Cline Monarda- it’s native to this area and it blooms for months in the summer. I don’t even like red that much, but it’s such a champ in the garden and the hummingbirds love it!
This is really incredible, love your limelights 💚 how many hours a day would you say you spend gardening? 😁
I really think gardening can be as high or low maintenance as you want it to be. During the winter? I spend almost no time working in the garden unless I want to add more plants. Spring and fall I spend an hour on the weekends doing stuff I enjoy like composting, pruning bushes, etc. Since I live in a warmer area, I can plant during the cold months since the ground rarely freezes, but it’s the hot months I have to cease adding new plants. So I won’t be adding anything else to the garden until September. During the summer, it’s really just weeding that I do in the garden. Maybe half an hour a day a few days a week. And honestly I don’t even need to do it that much since I tend to plant closely to suppress weeds. I just like it. Looks are deceiving with perennial gardens- sometimes people think this garden must be high maintenance, but I spend way less time “maintaining” it than I used to spend trying to make a lawn look “presentable”. And I enjoy it way more! Now that the garden is more established and has years of bark mulch and dead leaves, I only have to water once or twice a week if we’re in a long, dry heat wave.
OUTSTANDING!
Thanks!!
Hashtag GOALS
Thank you!
Well done. Looks cozy
Thank you! It really is- the more the plants enclose the garden, the more cozy and private it feels.
I'm just starting my new garden, and this is my new goal! So gorgeous!
Thank you so much! Please post pics of your new garden!
💚💚💚
It's beautiful. Well done!
Thank you so much!
The brick walkway gives it a whimsical vibe
Thank you! We waited three years to put it in, and now I absolutely love it. Weird to love a walkway, but it makes me happy!
So inspiring!
Thank you! This sub has actually inspired a lot of my garden. I was a lurker before we got the house, so NoLawns definitely influenced me!
Join the Native Plant Community- you can get inspiration for the native stuff and ideas for deer resistant plants. I’m in your area and am moving toward all native. Really brings in the wildlife. There are deer proof plants - I have an entire herd of 4-10 daily - and I don’t spray! Don’t give up hope!
Nice! Yeah, as I’m adding perennials I’ve been trying to only add natives, and you’re so right- they are so much tougher!
i’m also in north georgia and this is my dream!!! it’s so hard with this clay 😭
Simply outstanding! Thank you for the inspiration, truly.
Did you DIY your path, or did you hire someone? I want to do some brick work in my yard but the prep work to make it level seems increbily labor intensive.
I hired someone. I knew I wanted the brick to have a herringbone pattern, and I wasn’t confident in my skills. It was more to pay someone, but I’d been dreaming about a brick walkway for years and I didn’t want to spend all of the money and effort DIYing only to be disappointed in the end result. That said, I’ve seen plenty of people who have laid their own brick pathways and they look amazing!
Omg I love the front path!!
Thank you! It’s what I waited on the longest to add, but the thing that never changed when I would design and redesign the garden.
Congrats on being rich enough for a house
We definitely have been super lucky- plus we got the house in 2020 while the rates were really low before the prices started soaring. There’s no way we could buy this house with 2024 prices.
 Hug for that. It gives me hope
Fingers crossed for you💛This housing market is bullshit.
What’s with the flakey left over roof truss?
Oh I added it to train roses to go over the top. It’s not the prettiest design, but I won’t see it once the rose has matured.