Great thread! I wish you gardeners were my neighbors!! The consensus is that a vast expanse of perfectly clipped green lawn is boring & wasteful, along with the same-old/ same-old perimeter of plants lined up perfectly like soldiers amongst the hideous red mulch ~ yep, the red mulch syndrome. How about the grey curved cinderblock stacked edging & walls?

Some see my garden & say "looks like a lot of work", although I have received a lot of positive comments on how beautiful it is. It is a bit on the cottage-y, kinda wild side. No rigid formality, no 'rule of 3' plantings, just what I like. If it doesn't work, I deal with it. If someone happens to see something amiss, they'll point that out too (as if I don't already know). I wish I had nothing other to do than tend the garden. It's a total learning/morphing process, with a heck of a lot of gratification.

I guess my biggest pet peeves are the "burial mounds" of (usually red) mulch piled high up against the trunks on trees ~ young & old. Very unnatural looking & a lethal practice that should be put to an end.

The other issue I have is with inaccurate plant labels ~ Again, it's all a learning experience. Forunately there are wonderful resources like Garden web to discuss & share in the gardening issues, questions, challenges, & joys we all face. Cheers!