My Grandparents built their house in Glendale in 1947 and spent the next 60 years cultivating the garden. A mix of drought tolerant plants and tropical greens, my grandmother was a smart gardener with tons of practical tips and natural remedies up her sleeve. I have incredible memories of helping her in the garden, watering the plants, learning to weed and how to properly cut a rose bush or a citrus tree. It is what I think of when I think of summertime; a great place to take a deep breath and just enjoy being outside. Jump below to see what I'm talking about:
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Looking at these posts and photos of gardens and backyards is really stressing me out. They are a constant reminder of the fact that I have the worst - not bottom 50 percent, but dead last place - exterior in my neighborhood, with six feet weeds in my front and back yards. I may submit my backyard as a "Good Question" post for suggestions.
view david's profile
Your grandma does amazing work! So lovely.
view foodiegirl's profile
david! don't worry, you're so not alone. It's hard to maintain a garden let alone start from scratch. Please submit a picture and we'll put our heads together to help you let yourself off the hook and maybe even make some improvements.
The most important is to not see it as a giant thing you have to tackle over the weekend. It helps to break things down into manageable goals and do them a bit at a time. It will probably also help to ask others to help you or hire some extra man power to get the clearing out phase over with faster!
view laure's profile
Thats really nice.
Grandparents have the best gardens.
My grandmothers yard has roses planted by my great grandfather as well as several hearty bushes and trees.
Thanks for sharing those pix!
view polychrome1's profile
What I love about the garden in the photos is that it looks so "natural" and "organic." I'm a blatant mid-century modernist (some say minimalist) in my interior space; but the backyard in these photos is what I would like to one day achieve in my own.
view david's profile
What paradise!
view Pixie's profile
Paradise, indeed! I love the natural lushness of it. 60 years of evolving into its beauty. Thanks for the photos and inspiration!
view junklover's profile
What an amazing garden! Does anyone know what the first plant/flower is in the first picture... two pots, on the bench in the middle, big green rose like leaves or petals? It looks too short to be a rose plant.
view sarahbellum's profile
Sarabellum - it's a succulent. A kind of Echeveria, I think!
view LilyC's profile
What kind of tree is that in the 6th picture? It looks prime for climbing...
view AnnickaJ's profile