Gardening - What is Your Style?

 Howdy-ho my friends.  Hoping you and your families are good.

It is a sunny, cooler, beautiful morning here.  Going to be a dry day again, so a good day to be outside.  I have been out and fed everyone and have the windows open, and just enjoying the quiet of the morning.

Boy is this true!  Just walk and look.  Keep those eyes open.  There are critters, buggers, and things growing.  It is all part of a circle that takes care of something else.  Pretty darn miraculous.  I just love walking and listening and looking.

Today I want to ask - what is your gardening style? 

For me, the food garden and the flower gardens are very different.  I keep the veggie garden nice and neat and spaced and weed free.  It has order.

My flower gardens are what I guess some now call CHAOS gardening!  I just call it natural.  I let the flowers grow and thrive where they chose!  Yep!

Everything in the ground is perennial and just decides where it wants to be.  I do not believe I have ever dug a plant and thrown it out.  I have shared - yes.

Now do I have the variety that others have? - not always.  I do have variety and color, but it just happens naturally, no real order.

I will show examples.

Years ago, this was the front garden on the right side of the walk going up to the porch.  Orderly and neat, lots of bark - clean.  It has changed many times over the years - with flowers hanging from the heart, and stumps gone and use of tables, chairs, etc.

NOW!  The area to the left was actually where the wheelchair ramp was for many, many years.  It covered the entire way from my drive (where I am standing taking pic) to the other end of the porch.  Now you see all those flowers?  I didn't plant a one of them.  The lamb's ear started years ago on the other side and now there is none on the right.  There is lots of lemon balm - also used to be on the right, and now very little there.  Spider wart and echinacea is on both sides - used to be just on right.  Things have grown under the walk, and things have been replanted by birds.  Some would not like it - but I LOVE it!  It is just natural and that is what I want.  I get a lot of compliments.

Years ago, when the backyard bed was first made and planted.  Lots of individual plants - annuals and perennials.  Even had room for odds and ends.

It has changed drastically now.  Lots of poppies and lilies and there is N.E. aster, coreopsis, phlox and echinacea.  But it all grows where it wants and has filled the entire bed, in some places you almost do not see the border.  The only weeding that truly gets done there, is pulling out poison ivy, which grows prolifically around here.  I can't really use any weed killer without harming plants.

A version of now.  It does its thing!!  I always have color from something, and the hardiest have survived.

The only annuals I have now, are in pots and baskets here and there.  It does save money.  I used to buy a ton of plants - boy, even back in the day it was expensive.

Like I said, my veggie garden is different.  It has order.  I have leaf mulch in the garden and I have a weed fabric down in my rows.  But in between rows is just leaf mulch. 

I saw a meme the other day that was appropriate for veggie gardens.

Even if the rows are crooked - you get veggies.  Even if you have some weeds - you get veggies.  Don't be super OCD about it.  

I guess my style has changed a lot over the years.  From orderly and neat - to natural and survival of the fittest!  Survival for me as well - I guess I like it so much, as I get older, because I sure do dislike weeding.

I have always admired natural flower gardens and wildflowers and just the way God has let it grow.

I mean there is no real order in the woods and it is beautiful - so why not my flowers.

Now I am crazy about mowing and trimming - I do not like weeds in the fence rows and long grass - but love the variety of flowers.

What do you do, if you have flowers?  Do you just let your garden grow or are you an orderly person?

Kind of curious to hear other viewpoints.

Have a lovely day and take some time to enjoy all nature has to offer.