Thursday, May 6, 2010

Foundation Plantings are Ridiculous

Why a stupid row of evergreen meatballs when you, below, can have this? Why give away your real estate? Foundation plantings are a tired concept.
One espaliered shrub adds a lushness legions of sheared green meatballs will never approach.
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In your mind, at this moment, take away your foundation plantings. Good, have fun destroying a landscape and creating your garden. One matching your interiors, architecture, intellect & spirit.
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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Pics taken when I was in England. Got rid of my foundation plantings over 15 years ago, la-ti-da.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Go Baby Go! I have the great Crown Princess Margaretta Rose growing on the front of my house along with a hydrangea, topiary and a Chinese Magnolia tree among my few evergreen shrubs, some potted. And I love to dot my landscape in front of my house with potted roses as well. I think it brings in more of a 'cozy' feeling to our home.

riolicious said...

combining plants and garden statues and ornaments is the best way to create a lovely garden design. these pictures are great!

La Petite Gallery said...

Hello wild Gardner,
It's me Yvonne, Wish Lilacs would grow down south. I bought 4 bushes fir my Mom in Houston Nothing grew same in Florida. So I run Rampant becoming a wild Kleptomanic down
back roads cutting Lilac's on the streets.

yvonne

Christine B. said...

We are so behind the times up here that foundation plantings are almost unheard of. Not to say there are beautiful gardens instead. Nope, it's just grass all the way up to the house. I have a (very) low maintenance gravel garden around the perimeter of the house that I find more satisfying than "meatballs" of the botanical variety. I don't know why people settle for the monotony of foundation plantings or plain grass. Ugh.

Christine in Alaska, espalier-less as of yet

Brenda Pruitt said...

I still have the damned things in front. But I'm not to that point in my landscaping endeavors yet. It's boring out there. Grass. Grass is boring.
Brenda

Sheila Atchley said...

Four words for you: Ab. Sol. Utely. Love. ;-)

Absolutelylove your blog. I live in the southeastern US, and also hate meatballs. I have a species of mountain laurel growing right in front of my home, along with a wild rose, dogwood, and man-made fish pond. No meatballs - we ripped our meatballs out years ago as well.


Thank you for your blog - I have learned a great deal from it, please don't stop!

Desert Dweller said...

Well-said. I appreciate your edgy comments on this topic.

I live in the Desert SW, and where I am, one is not considered a "native" unless their family goes back >300 years. Talk about tired ideas that need to be updated! But the worst ideas have been in the last 70 years...

Foundation plants included!

Vava (aka Virginia) said...

Well, Houstonians need to read you! Every home in the 'burbs is surrounded by meatballs! I now want to rip mine out! Oh how I love this blog of yours...

Like the others: I am learning SO much!!! Better than ANY gardening book; other than yours, of course.