Wow, Christopher, So neat! You must show us again when it's in bloom!!!!

I’m so lackadaisical these days I almost didn’t respond to say it looks good.

tj

Lol tj! Ditto to that...

Lush & Languid & Lackadaisical...Lovely

Love it. I bet "mother nature" loves it too -- so good for beneficial insects, pollinators, birds.

My birds are so loud and diverse this is a place you could do an audio recording for posterity before they all disappear.

It looks so lush!

I call it the Lush. And I am headed out there before it rains again.

Yes it is Lush. This is the west coast native Darmera peltata.

Really, if you look at it closely it has great bones and that is making a huge difference in effect.

@prairiemoon2 z6b MA Thank you for noticing my good bones. A reality of what I have done and keep tweaking is planting a garden directly into the existing meadow matrix. I watch over the planted until they are big enough to rise among the meadow on their own and edit the meadows for flowers as I wander.

This is a different view from today of the same bed in the first picture in the post.

Well, I’m a big fan of meadows, remembering some of my youth that were a far cry from any space I see today. Tinged by memories I’m sure, but the gentle clouds of bugs and the distinct fragrance floating in the air at night…ahhh!

What appeals to me in your photos…the presence of the trees in the background and the way the branches drape down. The tree in the second photo, light against the darker background and great lines to it. The tree branches in photo three might have been painted deliberately from an artist’s eye. Then the glimpse of your house over the tops of your plantings, has some architectural interest.

Looks like a very comfortable and happy garden to spend time in.

"the gentle clouds of bugs and the distinct fragrance floating in the air". So true.

How many years have you been enjoying your property?

I have been here 14 years now. I consider the gardens to be 10 since they did not begin in earnest until my little house was finished being built. The first 4 years while building the forest trees were thinned a bit and a smothering carpet of Clematis virginiana was weeded out.

I love the term lackadaisical garden! That is what I have and it looks pretty good to me. Yours looks stunning. Well done. Now have a seat, enjoy your favorite chilled beverage, and drink in the beauty.

The reason I ask is that I started out like that in my orchard, but after 40yrs. it becomes a chore to keep the chaos managed. There is a fine line and takes a good eye and vigilance. Yours is beautiful.

Chaos is also a very appropriate word. In an orchard situation a flowering lawn may be a better option than the tall flower meadow I have going on.

Meadow plantings are constantly changing and moving. Being lackadaisical, it's not much of a problem for me. I have had big questions about the maintenance of them as the style got popular knowing full well the original planting and design of such gardens would morph. Perennial flower beds will do the same, a bit slower, but they often need to be dug and replanted depending on their makeup.

It's best I not start another post about the roadside vegetable garden on lackadaisical. Here it is. It is where the main flower action is happening at the moment (July).

Last year's unpulled parsnips with verbena on a stick. Have some black beans growing for Sister #2.

It is the only planting space on this entire mountain that is mulched and weeded somewhat.

This is so gorgeous. Thanks for sharing the photos. I didn't get the gene that allows me to create this, but I got the one that allows me to appreciate it.

Love that post and rain fence and the plantings along it and the background trees, again - so dark and great lines!

Christpher, that is an engaging view you’ve created. The split rail fence looks like a scene out of Cold Mountain.

The actual Cold Mountain is just on the other side of the county from me. Part of my reasoning/excuses for the lackadaisical approach is that in this rural setting in the middle of nowhere, to come upon a typical suburban landscape would look entirely out of place. I wanted my garden to blend in to the natural surroundings I live in.

Christopher -- just exactly when did you sneak in and photo MY back gardens??

Lackadaisical has become my default style, due to pandemic and increasing age progression. It's growing on me (LOL).

Lackadaisical gardening - I love it and I practice it. I just don't end up with the beauty that you have here :) Your area is beautifully lush and natural. I plant where I can get the soil to cooperate. Will water diligently the first year. After that, the plant is on its own. I love my plants and after a year of being cooped up, I am loving watching them in bloom this year. I'm appreciating not so much the work I put in to plant, but the absolute genius and creativity of nature. There is something awesome about being at one with nature and your pictures say that loud and clear.

Now is this a Lackadaisical Garden or what?

Love that! I could sit there and look at that often!

How do you keep the gravel weed free?

I just finished raking my gravel path and wonder.

Marie

Luck, Marie, is maybe the only logical answer. I have been shocked by how few weeds do come up in my rain forest climate. I just spray or pull the few that do depending on the pull factor.

It is a six inch deep layer of 3/4 gravel, so super well draining and it bakes in the afternoon sun. I think my basement patio is hostile to seed germination. As you can tell from the picture my seed supply would qualify as abundant.

First time here, passing through. So nice, reminds me of scenes from my youth, but strikes a nerve for me: no way for me today., as where I live in NE the invasive vines are taking over and seem out of control - bittersweet and trumpet vine especially. What you have is just a memory for me.

Bittersweet is a tough foe and I am glad not to have it on my mountain. I do have to deal with it in other gardens I tend. English Ivy is the other main problem vine in these parts. The thuggish vine I had to remove in these gardens was the native Clematis virginiana.

I'm dealing with English Ivy, but it's my own fault for planting it 40yrs. ago. Have always been able to keep it in check in beds, etc. but especially this Spring it grew like it was on steroids. Perhaps because of so much rain.

Now it's becoming a major problem in my ancient privet hedge. I pull, but can only do so much at a time and then by the time I get back to where I stopped, where I began is covered again. lol (actually not funny)

Lackadaisical on Chicory on a rain day house cleaning (ugh) kind of day.

Well, it really is like stepping back in time when you could go past areas that looked like this, but it's been a long time since I've seen anything like it. Really soothing.

Come ride The Rattler. It is a designated NC Scenic Byway with lots of this. I am however aiming for the best of scenic ribbon. I have some strong competition down the road. I went out for a walk today and found someone had stopped to take pictures of all the flowers.

Christopher it's all so lovely. How much property do you have? I had another question for you and all day have been trying to remember what it is lol. Decided to finally ask about the size of the property before I forgot that question too!

:)

Dee

The family land is 11 and 1/2 acres total. My neighbor across the byway owns about 6000 acres, from here to the top of Crabtree Bald. You need a crow to get there. Good neighbor to have.

This picture is fun.

What a truly gorgeous space. I wouldn't really call myself lackadaisical so much as 'idle slacker with short attention span' but it doesn't roll off the tongue so easily. Plus, I am bedevilled by drought, urban craziness, horrible neighbours and various snotty council officials because my plot is an allotment (2 actually) in the dry eastern UK. Nonetheless, we have to try. Have been working the plot for 20 years but it is never going to be in any sort of finished state. Currently coming up against the latest rule - no burning of prunings and arisings. With many wild roses, trees and fruit bushes, this is a hard, hard problem to overcome.

Every so often, I have an allotment holiday, avoiding the out of control chaos and sitting in my tiny home garden, drooling over tiny precious bulbs. Makes me feel I am back in control (ha) for a while.