They are driving by thinking "who are these people who are so creative and dare to do what we do not have the courage to do" or "who are these people thinking about waterwise gardening in ways we have not?".
I have an entire front yard garden on one side of my house and on the other side we have a front yard vegetable gardens. The driveway and fence area are rock gardens.
People slow down, drive by and wave. Daily people stop to tell me they purposely drive or walk by to see the progression of the garden each year - to see how their favorite plants are growing, what has changed. On weekends it is a constant stream of people asking me about plants, for cuttings, for seeds.
I work in a nursery around the corner. People come in looking for specific plants from my garden.
These are admiring people, people who have been given drive to do something green for this earth, to think outside the grassy yard. It's just taken someone else to do it first to give them "permission" to think differently.
What an effect you can have on your community! It will be slow. Some sticks in the mud won't like it, but it is not their yard!!
Keep doing what you are doing. If you don't like it, change it! Give it some time to fill in and fill out.
A few years ago I designed a front yard rock garden for a client who had a spot where nothing else will work. Besides, they had wanted a rock garden. There were no rules in the community - they were free to do as they pleased.

GGG

GGG -- would love to see some pix of your rock gardens near your driveway and fence area. Might give me some inspiration!

Thanks for the good words...they are all true. Just sometimes hard to be the "rebel" out there. Luckily, we do not have any homeowners-association-type rules for front yards in our neighborhood either, or we might not have been able to start this project in the first place.

I have put some of the mailbox-area rock garden plants in quite close together (probably too close), but my thinking was that it was the area with all the smallish stuff and eventually small shrubs will fill in and crowd in on the perennials (which have to be divided eventually anyway) and so it would look more lush, more quickly. We'll see anyway.

I think as long as you keep fresh mulch to give it a consistent look throughout the bed, it should be fine as a work in progress.

A couple down the street moved in during the drought but wanted to change some of the landscaping. They removed a huge group of overgrown Bradford pears on either side of the driveway then mounded up dirt, added 3-4 boulders on each side and one tall specimen crape myrtle on each side. Then the whole area got fresh pine straw. It looks fine and is obviously a work in progress but it is not an eyesore at all.

I think some people will be impressed that you have less lawn to mow and that you are planning something special (and being different ... I always appreciate that). And the ones that think you should have all lawn or boring run-of-the-mill shrubs ... well, who really cares what THEY think? ;)

Like GGG said, be an inspiration, make people notice that you planted something different ... maybe they will want something different too as a result.

Don't try to duplicate a design for an Alpine Rockgarden, as you aren't going to have one in this hot, humid climate!
I am a longtime member of the North American Rock Garden Society and I look at Alpine gardens in every issue of the Quarterly Bulletin. Some ideas can be adapted for the South, but the plants are usually going to be entirely different.
My small Rockgarden is near the street, I have a corner property also, and slopes toward the street. I have no conifers and certainly no Crape Myrtles(despise them!)in there, mostly succulents, sedum, small bulbous plants, Hosta and small shrubs. The above ground rocks are mostly exposed and the entire garden is covered with gravel.
It has a Western exposure and receives sun from about 2PM onward.
Pay no attention to passerbys, as 99% are clueless when it comes to gardening! But, be wary of those that slow or stop to gawk, since they may return later to steal your plants.
I have lost dozens of them, some in pots at planting locations near the road, left unguarded for only a few minutes and others that were yanked right out of the ground! Anything with an attractive bloom is fair game for plant thieves!
Good luck with your Rockgarden!
Rb

Ah yes, the fresh mulch. Well, see...that's another issue. It's a BIG area and originally, when I planned the bed, I killed the weeds, amended the soil, then covered that with landscape fabric, and then planted through the fabric. Then, I laid out a fairly thick layer of pinestraw. (As my plants fill in, I plan to remove more and more of the fabric, to let the ground covers do just that...cover.) Over the winter, the mulch moved and landscape fabric shows and I am now wondering if the fabric was such a good idea. It is SO completely tacky to have the fabric show, but I could literally be out there every day from now 'til time ends, replacing/adding pinestraw.

I am planning another big run of straw (and I know this is temporary, because when the plants fill in, there will be less and less need for the straw), but it is pretty expensive doing this so much. But, as you say, it does make it look better while the garden is growing. And, I'm just trying to chalk it up to "overhead." :)

RB...are you SERIOUS? That's horrible! So far, that hasn't happened to us; although, right now, all of our containers are a lot closer to the house. But, that's definitely food for thought. Y'know, people who would STEAL a plant...I mean...I just don't even really comprehend it.

As far as alpine plants (and I may be wrong about the classification of these), I have three Dwarf Mugo Pines and three Miniature Moss False Cypress. Several local nurseries carry them, so I am hoping they are OK for the area. But, again, I think they are alpine plants. Other than that, I'm trying not to get too "out there," because, as you say, a lot of the more traditional alpine varieties would not survive our humidity. Sorry you hate crape myrtles...actually, my husband does too! :) But, he has adapted because I love them so much and, after all, they are pretty hard to kill. I needed some height, so... The blue point juniper is the only conifer so far.

I do have some Dwarf Sunsation Japanese Barberry shrubs (5 of them) also (not alpines of course...just examples of other shrubs). I love them.

My garden faces Northeast. Still pretty hot and dry out there by the street though.

Your garden sounds beautiful! But, I am just blown away that people would steal a plant. Now, THAT is scandalous! :(

I don't have a rock garden. I do have some island beds, two of which are 50 feet from the centerline of the highway in front of our house, just at the right of way. These beds have native limestone boulders as 'spines' and feature, yes, Crape Myrtles -- Lilacina, a very old crape. My preference is for islands surrounded by grass. When the paths and lawn are mowed, it looks fairly neat even when I can't keep up with the maintenance of the flower beds.

I don't worry a lot about what people passing by think. I did appreciate the two ladies who stopped, visited, asked for cuttings and left with seeds and cuttings and sprouts.

The longest Rock Bed has its very own blog, with the story from beginning to end, about four pages. I'm a Seed Scatterer, not a Rock Gardener, but maybe you can get some ideas about what to do to keep a succession of blossoms and foliage until your REAL garden grows in.

Here is a link that might be useful: Island Bed

Landscape fabric is probably a bad idea, especially if you have any kind of slope. The mulch is just going to slide off.

I prefer pine bark chips to pine straw. It lasts a lot longer. You can't use it on a steep incline, but for flat beds, it works very well.

I'm always out in the yard and have 70+ rose bushes. When they bloom in the spring, people drive by and stop and stare. Most people appreciate others who work in their yards and like to walk by and look and maybe get ideas.

foxesearth -- great pix on your blog. Very useful, seeing how the garden started from scratch and has grown!

buford -- Well, the pinestraw was cheaper here...yadda, yadda, yadda...I'm sort of stuck with it at least for now. But, you are right...it slides...a lot. :( I am hoping to be able to get rid of the fabric as soon as things get more established, but I'm afraid it will be awhile. Meanwhile, I'll probably have to keep putting out straw.

Everyone -- Thanks for all of the words of encouragement today. I really needed it. I should not let this situation ruin my love of gardening, but it has been frustrating lately. Someone over in the Rock Garden forum suggested that I keep an extra shovel out there for the people that drive by slowly and stare! LOL I will try to take some pix this weekend or next week (after the rain) and let you see the mess...er...I mean garden-in-training! :)

I agree with GGG -- you're neighbors are just curious -- and impressed. We bought our house five years ago, a late '50s ranch house. We complete redid the interior, incl. floors, cabinets (we built them), bathroom, ourselves with some help from parents. We also had a bedroom and a second full bath added. Two years ago I could finally start on the outside. I built a stone retaining wall enclosing a garden area in front of the house and path through it. In the almost two years I've been out front digging and moving stones, I've probably met half the folks in my neighborhood. They all seem real appreciative. They may think I'm a nut for working so hard on stuff I don't get paid for, but they seem to wish they could do it, too. Or that I would do it for them.

- Mike

Here's my two cents: My front yard is 2/3 garden 1/3 grass. It took me about 3 years to get it planted. Some people like the cottagy look of it, and a few don't. The ones who don't are unpleasant people anyways.

I agree, no landscape fabric, I used newspaper under mulch in places with bad weeds or grass that I wanted gone. also you can get truckloads of free mulch from tree companies, just make some calls. It's great exercise wheelbarrowing it out there, spread it thick and it will keep the weeds down and improve the soil.

I can't wait to see pictures, it sounds like you have a great mix of trees, shrubs, perennials and hardscape.
Your garden will come together, it takes patience. who knows, you may inspire more creativity in your neighborhood!

Harriet

mkrkmr -- Thanks...you may be right. I do kind of get the feeling they think I'm crazy for doing all the work. I sort of also think...because they don't see spectacular results just yet...that I'm moving the same rocks around over and over! LOL (Which I will admit, I have done that to a few of them 'til I got them in the right place...I think.) :) Wow...a REAL ranch (your late 50's model)...I'll bet that is one cool looking house! Ours is just one of those regular late 70's ones. Y'know...where they built a ranch, then made a gable over the driveway for "style?" I think "country ranch" was just a nice euphemism given to those of us who own these very typical-looking things, so that we can feel like we have an actual architectural name and feel special. LOL

lzygrdner -- I am really starting to come around to the newspaper idea. Several people have mentioned it and it seems like a great way to kill a BUNCH of birds with one stone (mulch that breaks down over time, recycling the newspaper, supression of weeds, etc, etc). I will definitely be doing it in any new beds I create. (Trust me, there are plenty of them to be done. I haven't even THOUGHT about the side yards or huge backyard yet.) Does the newspaper keep the mulch from sliding off better than the landscape fabric?

I was going to take some pix today, but it is raining. Maybe this afternoon...definitely Sunday.

MK87, Sorry to say, the mulch did slide over and expose the paper, but it wasn't uncontrollable.

Here is a link to some photos I took today. Please overlook: 1) the exposed landscape fabric (we have covered that topic), 2) the weeds in the St. Augustine (I'm on it with some atrazine, but dang that stuff is taking its own sweet time about working), 3) the lack of shutters and trim on the house (again...another support group! hahaha), and 4) any weeds in the beds...they are persistent little things aren't they? @@

Hopefully, this will give you some idea of the situation.

And, P.S. : Thanks to everyone who has posted with encouragement and ideas...it has given me some new enthusiasm for getting back on this project!

Here is a link that might be useful: Rock Garden Photo Album

My lazy-woman-on-a-tight-budget method of mulching: for weeks I ask to have my groceries bagged in paper, not plastic bags. When I'm ready to mulch I lay down layers of newspaper, then over the newspaper I put down a layer of brown paper grocery bags cut open and laid flat (so the print doesn't show).

On top of that I put a layer of pine bark or pine straw. The reason I use the brown grocery bags is because if my layer of mulch gets a little thin or shifts a little, the brown paper bag layer blends in with the mulch so it doesn't look bad.

It looks nice, keeps a long time, and everything eventually degrades nicely in the bed.

Holy Shmoly! That looks awesome. I can totally see where you're going, and I'd have to think your neighbors would appreciate the care and effort you're taking. It looks great with the "rural" setting as well.

I'm a big fan of newspaper. Whenever I have it available, I also use the brown craft paper that Pike's gives you to put down in the trunk of your car so you don't make a mess. Same reason as daisyinga - it blends when the mulch shifts.

Do you have a 'look' for this garden in mind? Better yet, do you have photos of some gardens that have the look?

Here's a 'Rock Garden' from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden with plants that I suspect most grow in our climate. I recommend sisyrichium, a native iris-like little plant with tiny blue flowers, blooming now. I also recommend Bath's Pinks.

Here is a link that might be useful: BBG Rock Garden

daisyinga -- Paper bags! Duh...why didn't I think of that? That makes SO much sense! I am so glad I posted about this. I will DEFINITELY try that suggestion. Not to mention I still have a few rolls of that contractor-grade brown paper (y'know, the stuff they put down to walk on in your house, while they're doing finish work, so they don't scratch your floors) leftover from the renovation. That would be good too, it sounds like; and so easy to roll out!

jmzms -- Thanks! :) I hope they do. Since I posted this and have gotten so many responses, I am starting to wonder if maybe the neighbors are, indeed, more "curious" than "disapproving" when they are doing the drive-bys.

foxesearth -- I don't want it to be a big pile of rock...and I don't want it to be a southwest garden...I guess I don't really have any pictures (except in my mind) of how I want it to look. I guess I sort of jumped into it, when hubby and I finally decided that's what we wanted out there. At first, we just wanted something to not make the culvert look so...culvert-y...and also to keep the soil from eroding down into it. The rock garden idea sort of evolved from there. BTW, the pix I posted show more of the flagstone in the actual culvert part, and some of those are being removed in favor of more Tennessee Field Stone (the rock used throughout). There will probably still be some of the flag stone left (because it matches the path I'm building down through my foundation plantings), but it will be only in just the bottom of the culvert.

mk - The neighbors are looking because they are ENVIOUS. Nice start. Keep going!

I agree that passersby are mostly curious, much the way they watch a building going up, or a playground being built. Their opinions do not matter unless they're willing to make a contribution, either money or manpower.

It's a start if you know what you DON'T want. I like to find pictures that I like, for inspiration.

Here's a link to a fantastic garden that gave me many ideas. It's British, so you have to imagine what plants will substitute for those that do not thrive here, but the overall concept translates well.

Click on each little red dot for marvelous scenes.

Nell

Here is a link that might be useful: Allan Bloom's Gardens

"(and BTW, this rock garden area is about 140 feet long and .....)"

Generally, less is more. A 140ft rock garden sounds like an eyesore.

mk87, I looked the pictures and yes, it is a very big space which can be overwhelming in the execution of it (unless you have a big trailer full of plants and a team of laborers standing by!).

I think it looks promising and the circle of grass between it and the beds by the house sets it off nicely. While you have nice detail plants by the mailbox for close viewing, I would think that as you move away from the mailbox, increase the size of the plants (shrubs and trees only). You won't need perennials there and it will be less maintenance in the long run.

I think you've already started that approach, I just wanted to encourage you to stay with it. You can also use some of the native trees at the very end and perhaps eventually just have it blend into the woods? Maples, oaks, serviceberry, redbud - these types of things.

alex 7b -- Yes, you're right...it certainly COULD be...hopefully tweaking my approach a little will help. :)

foxesearth -- WOW. Those are beautiful gardens! Good ideas!

esh -- Exactly! That is exactly what I want to do. (I'm glad it sort of looks like that's what I'm working toward, by the way.) Because a bunch of little bitty stuff over there by the electrical box and the woods, would be lost. And, yes, I did want it to blend into the woods originally...and I sort of still will; however, we do plan a fence there. But, the types of trees/shrubs I plan for in front of the fence would still be woodland types...yes, definitely more maples, serviceberry, etc.

Thanks for the validation! :)

Really, EVERYBODY...thanks for ALL of your help and ideas and suggestions. Every single one of your posts has been helpful.

After looking at your photos, I thought I'd suggest something like Pink Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris.) It would help bring in some different texture and height, like esh was suggesting. It's drought tolerant, a native, and it has magnificent pink plumes in late summer/fall. your garden is looking great so far. About the gawkers...I slow down to look at people's gardens to get ideas for my own. Good luck, and keep enjoying yourself.

Uh oh... pam_3 just brought up a good point...

I've done that too. I've...uh...slowed down in front of people's houses when they were out working in the yard to look at what they were doing too. I never thought about that. And, of course, when I do it, I'm admiring what they are doing...and curious. But, I have been assuming the neighbors where I live have been doing it in a negative way. (Isn't it awful to just assume the worst in people all the time? I really need to work on that!)

pam_3 -- The grass is a good idea too. Could be good to put some large grasses over on the electrical box side. (I already use some Mexican feather grass on the mailbox side.)