Well, not a "garden envy" story really, but just an amusing one... we've dug out our whole front lawn to replace with perennials. I was planting ornamental grasses out there one day, when a lady walked by and asked incredulously why was I planting grass when we just dug it all out!!! LOL!

Just today one of my neighbors asked me not to get my garden looking too nice. He said that he was having trouble keeping up.

Another neighbor keeps telling me that I am doing things wrong. She then turns around and asks why my rhubarb starts growing so early and why it gets so big. A couple of years ago I gave her some fresh rhubarb chutney before her rhubarb got big enough to use.
Ian

Though my neighbors aren't really gardeners beyond some annual flowers, I think they have a nice yard with cedar deck, arbor/pegola above the deck, fire pit, etc. It's a smaller yard but half of it must be covered with decking. Their front yard does have shrubs and trees. They are good neighbors.

One day they had company over for a BBQ. They can see over the fence into my yard. Wouldn't you know, one of the ladies that was visiting was my former dental hygienist. She was a bit of a gardener so asked if she could come over to my yard for a tour. I felt kind of awkward and embarassed because it was planting time, and the yard was really in disarray. Empty plant pots, shovels and plant stakes left on the lawn, blankets sitting on the deck (from covering up for frost), planters ready to be planted, empty boxes I was about to throw in the garbage, pile of mud, etc. I was unshaven, old clothes and mud on my hands to boot. Despite feeling awkward it was nice to discuss plants with them.

My neighbor joked that she was happy that I was now putting my focus on the backyard. She joked that she could not compete so the least I could do was let her have the better front yard. Actually, that's sort of my motto. To have the front yard looking okay, but the backyard is where I can sit in (somewhat) privacy and really enjoy my plants. My neighbor also mentioned she liked my small pond, and can enjoy the sound of the waterfall from her deck without having to have a pond.

Every spring my yard seems to be in a transition phase, until the stuff gets planted and the lawn furniture gets put on the deck. The neighbors never say anything, but sometimes they must wonder "when is he going to clean up that clutter". By summer, however, things fall into place and the yard looks good.

Glen

I used to have a neighbor that was very jealous and kept telling the other neighbors that it was "Too much, just way too much garden!" LOL! As if there could possibly be such a thing! She kept telling me that she wants a garden like mine and kept trying to make one. She'd dig a couple of shovels full of yard and give up and sit down for a smoke. Making a garden is work and she didn't want to do any. We went through this all summer for a few years. I shared a lot of plants with her and encouraged her, but she just didn't want to do any actual work to achieve anything. I didn't bother trying to explain lasagna gardening to her. Her attitude got so bad that we barely spoke the last year that I lived there.

Wow, it's really fun reading everyone's stories here. I'll add in something that happened with one of my neighbours.

We are in a new development so as you can imagine, everyone is starting from scratch. I am surrounded by people who love seas of lawn. Wherever you look, people are laying down sod with the one lonely tree in the middle of it all. It's either that or a yard full of rocks/gravel.

My whole front yard consists of shrubs and perennials. And because I'm in a new development and they have just been planted within the past year, it looks rather bare and not all too attractive.

My husband had made me some raised beds for the vegetable garden. A neighbour asked what I was planning to plant in there and when I told her that I wanted to plant some veggies, she said to me, "why would you do that? Isn't that what Superstore is for?"

SUPERSTORE??? People actually consider that stuff edible? Nothing beats the taste of freshly-picked veggies.

I have a compost pile in a corner. My neighbor leaned over the fence,asked me to stop putting corncobs in my compost. His dog comes over and eats them and it makes him sick. The dog,that is. I couldn't think of a quick comeback.

You could nicely ask him to keep his dog out of your compost. ha-ha

I am in my first house and have my first garden ever. My neighbor down the street has a perfect garden. She is always walking her dog and sticking her nose in my garden, telling me what I am doing wrong. She feels free to reach down and yank out things she thinks are weeds or extra grass or whatever. She tells me I am doing everything wrong. Meanwhile, the garden looks very pretty and I get a lot of compliments on it. There is one large hanging plant in particular. The neighbor focuses on it all the time TELLING me that I don't water it enough.
We went away for a 3 day weekend and this particular neighbor offered to water my garden. We came home today and my flowers are dried out and I think some are really dead with dead leaves and all. The weather was in the 90s. I called my neighbor and she said she didn't have to water the garden because it rained!!!! The hanging plants are under the roof and don't get rain. Anyway, I want to bet she watered her own plants. It rained only ONE HOUR on Saturday. We didn't get home until Monday. I am really mad and I think she did it because she is JEALOUS.

We get compliments from neighbours, but snide remarks, too.

I was working away in the garden one day, next door neighbour remarked from his deck "You work all day, I sit and relax and enjoy my yard". I replied "This isn't work it's fun". A couple of days later he was out front pulling weeds between the cracks of the sidewalk, a miserable job. Couldn't help it said to him "Relaxing and enjoying your yard?"

The neighbour next to him and his 12 year old son stopped by one day when I was working in the garden. The Dad (a really frugal guy) and I had some idle chit chat about my garden, the son chimes in "It's a big waste of money isn't it Dad?" (I wonder where he got that idea from?) Anyway, I bit my tongue and didn't reply "Ya so are kids", instead because he was eating an ice cream cone I said "So's ice cream", he got the idea.

Hello, I am here visiting your forum for the first time today.

I just have to say that these nasty little people you have had the misfortune of knowing seriously need to brush up on thier basic etiquette. Has our world gotten so rude that now even gardens are reasons to disrespect one another?

I reccomend not wasting even one once of precious energy, but instead simply giving an "I beg your pardon" look to the offensive person and getting on with the things that matter.

Ah the sweet sounds of liberation!

With my grunt work and my wife's fine touch our herb bed was a focal point of our town. Masses of lavender blossoms, bee balm, germander and rue foliage, little leafed thyme and globe thistle were the ingredients for a very impressive herb bed.

Naturally, my wife deserved all of the credit since each March/April she which would be out there on her hands and knees with scissors in hand trimming the lavender to encourage vigor, liming and then fertilizing the bed. Come summer the bed was magnificent thanks to her efforts.

However, a sweet smelliing, neat and finely coifed neighbor lady would complain about my wife being out there "working like a man"! Talk about envy in 1996!! (Naturally, my wife was also better looking too.)

I will probably have garden envy next year.
We have decided to move from our home of 13 years, and I planned to take a lot of the garden with me.
Unfortunately, we still haven't found a house that we both like (well, we offered on one but lost out, sigh).
Now I am afraid that I will end up losing everything, because it is now getting so late in the season, and by the time we close on a house, it will probably be end of October. I have beautiful huge ferns all across the front of my yard. It's amazing the people that stop and look at them. I really don't want to lose my roses, the lilies I can replace from the garden at the cottage, and what about the rhubarb and hostas? So, I will probably be bugging all of you begging for seeds etc.. for next spring.
I am actually going to go ask a couple of neighbours if I can plant my roses in their gardens now until next spring.