First the ” mess”

Now the positive.

Boneset a couple weeks in it’s new home

Tiny sedums already happy after only a few days

More happy squirrel prunings !

The nursery with more Boneset and sedums

I am glad I can share these photos and please share your plant successes from what appeared to be a failure. c

Can't share photos, but my back yard was turnd into a haven for bees, butterflies, frogs & toad, newt & efts, by Mother Nature over the past two years. Also due to my neglect at keeping ahead of it all (my age is against my attempted accomplishments, sadly). Plants are mainly wind-sown goldenrod - several different types, native asters (ditto), a dreadful fern that is far too happy and crowds out much of the desired plants (daylilies, daffodils, lady's mantle & other former cared-for things)...

At this point, I am content with the natural aspect back there and happy with the increase of insects & critters.

Of course, as far as actual gardening goes, therein lies my problem. Thinking of renting a herd of goats to deal with it (carefully fenced , lol).

But this is all my own property -- your situation is very different! I like what you are doing. Keep up the good work! -)

Hmmm, I am sorry your neighbors are not gardeners. Would they notice if you cleaned it up a bit? My entire yard (only 1/2 acre) is a bit of a mess. I really need to get out and do some trimming where good native plants have grown with great enthusiasm and a couple of not good invasive things have grown, also with enthusiasm For the first time ever, I have porcelain berry coming up...everywhere. It is a nightmare and it smothers everything it can, rather like kudzu. Ugh. My granddaughter is quite happy to help me prune and plant new things. She does not have any desire to weed, but perhaps the promise of replacing those with new plants will encourage her. If not, I find weedingto be like meditation focusing on the now. Very Zen.

I will try to grab some photos in a bit. Not feeling all that energetic today, but the weather is perfect for gardening-not too hot and not cold. And the procelain berry is twining its nasty tendrils as far as it can while I sit here. I think it would happily cover my house in no time at all. Sigh.

ETA: yay for you for saving those wee transplants. They do look happy! I am at the point that I would toss them-just lazy and I have started planting native plugs out front in place of lawn. With luck and regular rain, it should look nice in the spring and summer next year.

I don't know whether it's squirrels or crows, but something likes to pull up divots from the lawn and strew them all over my driveway and sidewalk. The lawn belongs to the HOA, but the strewn divots are my responsibility to sweep up and discard.

I like that you are rehoming squirrel-dug contributions.

@cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA) I have tended about a 3 ft strip on their side of the fence for years. I don’t ask I just do it. Weed eating, cardboard with mulch on top , Brush Killer. One neighbor is glad I do it the other ( huge red brick mansion) isn’t on speaking terms anymore but fortunately no one likes him so none of us regret that he doesn’t speak to us 😂.

I have planted Tall Joe Pye which is very happy back there and 6 ft tall and Cup Flowers. I let everything set seed! Hopefully they will take over in time.

At almost 76 I can keep up pretty well.I am fortunate that heavy lifting and sweating are things I love to do. ❤️🤞

LOL, c. I am almost 75 and can lift semi-heavy things like bags of compost from a local group that produces it. Two replaced knees doing well. I do however look around before I get up from sitting when I weed just to make sure no neighbors are watching before I get back up. Not such a pretty sight.

I love my Joe Pye. I let everything reseed, but may have to start culling some this coming year. Maybe not, can't decide.

Sounds like that messy spot may get better if the natives can drive them otut. Fingers crossed for you. You know that here in Virginia you can petition to take that 3 ft. strip you have been tending through Adverse Possession after 15 years of caring for that land. :-)

Out of lemons you’re making some pretty nice lemonade, C. At our ages (I turned 78 last month) every day i can do what I do in the garden is a blessing. My knees (2 ACL replacements, one now with arthritis, a broken trochanter with a rod in my femur, and various other aches, I can still out-lift most of the younger ones I work out with. They are jealous of my upper back and shoulders.

All that being said, today I hired some guys to remove 3 hydrangeas, 5 other shrubs i no longer loved, and a dead one, plus mulched all the beds around the house, which I never got around to before the heat hit us this year. It was worth it. While they worked, DH took down 2 medium sized sweet gums off to the side of our driveway and cut them for the burn pile. There is another large one and a 3rd medium one he will take down tomorrow. He’s 80.

This is my new blank slate where there were 3 Endless Summer hydrangeas. I havent decided what to plant here next. The main part of the bed is in part shade due to a japanese maple to the immediate right, and the porch wall you’re looking at. I am taking the photo facing east. The daylilies do great because they get a lot of afternoon sun.

@cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA) I have heard that about claiming it lol. DH says we have enough already lol.

@OutsidePlaying you go girl! I saw your gym picture last year 👍. I have my Mom’s arms, shoulders and back and so does DD and now DGD. A good thing to have when ” shouldering the load ”. ❤️

@Fun2BHere its often skunks, but racoons will do it too. They are looking for grubs. We get them when I haven’t asjusted the sprinkler settings around this time of year.

I would have called the city long ago. Fences and ordinances make good neighbors of those who don’t come by it naturally.

Trail, those sedum are going to be so lovely when they grow up!

Outside, I love a blank slate. I enjoy researching perennials and shrubs--hope to see updates of your space.

Roxanna, in the past couple of years, I've planted white Calamintha and Anise Hyssop, and they both have attracted more bees than I've seen in a long time. I think it's wonderful that your "neglect" is benefitting so much in nature.

Regarding neighbors, mine and I mostly coexist peacefully. The family who lives kitty-corner behind me has large outdoor gatherings about once a month that are loud, but they follow the city's noise ordinances and everything shuts down at the appropriate time. They have young kids who love to play outside after school--I have a fence and cannot see them, but I can hear their laughter and singing. It's heartwarming.

The only problem I've experienced is one neighbor has a firepit, and I'm downwind of it. An evening fire is no problem. I'll shut my windows. But I reached the end of my limit this year when I arrived home one afternoon after running a few errands, and my house smelled like smoke. It was a lovely day, I had had my windows open. I called the police to report an illegal burn (our city has strict burn regulations). It happened once more a few weeks later, and I again called to report it. The homeowners haven't burned since. I reported it anonymously to the police because I just didn't want to confront the homeowners myself.

@1929Spanish-GW, Thanks for the info. Maybe I'll ask the HOA to treat for grubs, but I hate to upset the ecosystem.

@Kswl that’s what DH has said I should do for YEARS !

@Feathers11 if it was noxious odors I would have been on it a long time ago.

Y’all are sharing great posts. Thank you.

My Purple Asters and Purple Hyssop and Purple Dwarf Plumbago are full of so many pollinators. My DGS 1 says ” Dammie you love purple don’t you?”.

I do!

Fall Crocus ( not true Crocus ) are beautiful right now but not nearly as many as past years. I think our extended drought has had an effect on lots of things including varmint digging and late blooming .

One other beautiful thing today was our drive to a nearby town . The Fall colors are going to be early and SPECTACULAR if today was an example. DH said dryly ” please stay on the road!!!!”.

I am a leaf gawker. 😊