Vox Humana wrote:
"John R Cambron" * wrote in message
...
I find it hard to tell from the picture. I can't tell if the vegetation is
weeds or a groundcover. Also, there is no context. I see similar yards in


Here's some context:
http://cpacker.org/a3.jpg
I enjoy sophisticated gardens of the
"natural landscaping" type. My wife and
I like to visit the National Arboretum,
about 15 minutes away. I'm a fan of their
"American Garden," or whatever they call it.

However, I'd rather spend my outdoor leisure
time hiking or roaming the city (looking at
other people's houses and gardens). So when
I bought this property, my first house, I
decided to manage whatever was there using
minumum effort. My wife, who came into my
life several years after the house did, has
an amazing knowledge of flowers for somebody
who grew up on the mean streets of D.C. She
has more conventional gardening biases, but
I told her she could do whatever she wanted
and I would foot the bill for materials as
long as she did the work. Turns out she has
an inordinate sensitivity to mosquito bites
that's apparently gotten worse over the years,
to the point that our next place of residence
will be somewhere in the US where there are
no mosquitoes. This and other health issues
have limited her will as much as her ability
to carry out any gardening plans. (And she
hates DEET.)

In the meantime, I noticed that the mix of
vegetation on my lot was evolving in interesting
ways, and I've tried to favor certain stuff by
removing other stuff. For example, I've come
to realize the extreme awkwardness of the site,
perched up above that high retaining wall.
So I've tried to arrange for the vines to cascade
off the top and literally take the edge off, visually.
I cut off the tops of the trees that had been
growing from the alley and supporting the vines
and bundled the vines with cord held down with
stakes. As another example, the oak tree at the
front corner is going to have to go, since
it's started to separate the retaining wall,
so I'll cut it down next winter -- when its
branches will be bare and it'll be easier to
get used to its absence...

--
(Charles Packer)
ungoogled: mailboxATSIGNcpacker.org
http://cpacker.org/whatnews