Don't worry, you've hit on the three things that everyone here hates! ('specially Bradford Pears :-)

Resin

You might want to check out this thread if you haven't already.

Two of your items touch on one of my peeves - people planting the same things that everyone else plants (ornamental pears, leyland cypress). There are so many choices, why do we need to all look like each other?

Branch out into new plants, research seldom used things, spend a little time thinking about this!!

Lots of people planting yards and other places who aren't gardeners, in a mass consumption culture. Home Depot is the industry leader.

The alternative is no planting at all, except where required by municipalities and other public entities. To get better planting done, you have to interest more people in doing it.

Yep. I agree about bradford pears. A lot of neighbors have them. I feel sorry for them (and future homeowners). One day they'd finally get the shade from hot afternoon sun during the summer only to find out they fall apart few minutes later during violent storm.

I saw one mature bradford split in half in older subdivision down the street when I drove around to see what survived from that very violent thunderstorm (supposedly at least 60 MPH). The same storm took out hundreds of mature oak trees at a golf course when it hit 100 mph according to a friend.

Instead of calling up the companies that mass produce these undesireably species and giving them a few reasons to grow something better, we sit here and chat about it online.
And the wheels spin round and round.

Lots of people read comments posted here. They pop up at the front of Google search results. Those of us who actually register and post are in a tiny minority. I've had a buyer for a local multi-million dollar independent garden center ask me if I was so-and-so, because they had seen something I had said on this site.

Nobody in the industry cares in the long term - people are basically herd animals and will do whatever the big companies tell them. Buy lots of Bradford Pears since they are foul-smelling, short-lived, dangerous, and invasive. Then, we can sell the sheeple replacement Bradfords years later or some other junk.

There's a subdivision of early McMansions where a friend of mine lives where I think half the trees on the lots are Bradfords. Naturally, at about 15 years of age, they are all starting to fail at the same time. A total waste - they could have planted something useful, but no...

Once in a while (very rarely)I see a display of yard figures that is actually well-done. In general, they annoy me, though. Of course, I also hate all the new decorating trends at Halloween and Christmas, with the entire yard covered in gaudy inflatable eyesores. What ever happened to tasteful decorations? As for plantings, you really have to search to find stuff other than what the big box stores offer, at least here in FL. You'd think in the tropics people would have a little more imagination....

I really, really dislike Bradford pears, since I see them everywhere, since I see them snapped over and split in every storm, and since the smell in the spring just about knocks me down.

However, the fact remains that people like them, and they plant things they like. There is nothing wrong with that. Most of them probably care nothing about gardening, care even less about researching on the web about gardening, and they buy what they see at HD or garden center. They plant it, it grows quickly and provides shade, and they are content and go on about their business.

I deeply, deeply wish my next-door neighbors would let me help them develop at least a minimal landscaping plan, since it would help all of our property values if they had a teeny bit more curb appeal (it is a mess right now) but it is not important to them, and they'd rather do their web research and spend all of their extra money on their massive vegetable garden in back.

They only grow massive vegetables, like cauliflower?

There's a relationship between planting what is "liked" and what is offered at Home Depot. The casually interested plant what they are offered at Home Depot, if they were offered more than 5 kinds of trees at a time they might plant a bigger range.

The rows of evergreens are what irritate me. In Pennsylvania there are thousands of houses with rows of blue spruces at the side or front perimeter of the yard. I cringe when I see them. It is so trite. There is a valid place for a graceful row of trees, but this use completely misses the mark.

Rosefolly

Let's see....tree 'topping' might have to be first on my list. But that bright red or orange mulch would be a close second.

I very much disagree with radagast's comment regarding 'nobody in the industry cares in the long run'. The nursery industry is blessed with amazing, dedicated, and determined plantsmen and plantswomen. These are the people that are seeking out, developing, experimenting with, growing, and offering to the public exceptional plants.

If it's not the volcano mulches, it's seeing evergreens & trees placed 5 feet apart, in front of these local McMansion entrances!

I concur with most of the above but the worst trend I'm seeing is the move away from proper scale in the plantings of all these giant houses that are sprouting all over. What I'm referring to is a lack of tall-at-maturity trees being planted. These houses are tall, and the main structural elements of the landscape, beyond the structure itself, should be tall trees. The fact that so many of these subdivisions are full of things like Brad. Pear bears this out.

Because a landscape drawing in plan view (viewed from above) shows tree crowns as circles, and because these circles are large for large-growing trees, I think many designers or their clients are scared away from using such trees. This is a mistake, as at ground level, where people live, there would ultimately only be a trunk, with the trees crown acting as the "ceiling" to this part of the yard. At the same time, a smaller-growing plant like the pear or fl. crab matures right at our level, making the whole thing take up space on the ground. I'm not saying I don't like smaller, ornamental trees. I just think big tall buildings need big tall trees to frame them.

+oM

Boy, do I agree with the last post. What you get is a large house with no vertical interest, no effective shade to cool the house in summer, and an uncomfortable sense of dinky, dinky, dinky most people can't put their finger on when they look at their landscapes.

I live in a very large, very old two story house with acres of ground around it. A house like this screams for balance only stately trees can provide.......otherwise it would look like a big lump on the landscape, and many McMansions do.

Ditto do I ever detest dyed mulches, or seas of any type of mulch. They just look like the badge of an A/R owner. The same owner who later comes calling to ask what to do about artillery fungus pocks on their siding, termites in their floors, and mice eaten trees.

Ditto the allees of trees in a military line down the periphery of the property. The privacy effect could be achieved by staggering the planting and mixing the stock to make it look more natural. But, it usually isn't.

I also disagree with the comment nobody in the industry cares. Sure we do. We definitely aren't in it to get rich, just make a living doing something we love and believe in. When customers show up in "real" nurseries.........most proprietors do make an attempt to guide them to making good choices. Trees are a big investment in both time and money. But, the specimens flying out of box stores make up a large part of the dollars spent and the farther you get from the professionals, the more likely the only thing you'll be exposed to is a bar code.

Fortunately my neighborhood is pretty clean from garden kitsch except for one guy gone crazy with those awful plastic solar lights. He must have 50 or more of them lined up 2 feet apart along his driveway then along the sidewalk to the front door and bordering the flower beds. It's dreadful in the daylight and sickening at night LOL.
Well no accounting for taste I guess.
At least back in the day all those gnomes, Snow Whites, dwarves, little critters were made of cement and hand painted, now they're cheap plastic resin falling off the shelves of WM

Calliope: I apologize for the comment that "nobody in the industry cares." I was refering to the Big Box stores and the whole "bottom line is all that matters" mindset of the day. I've met people who do care, but they are almost always at real nurseries and garden stores, not the "garden section" of a Big Box store. Best of luck to all the real gardeners and nursery-people out there since you're the last hope of the more informed gardeners and landscapers.

Much of the problem can be attributed to the lack of education about gardening and landscaping that leads the average consumer to the box stores thinking they are at a nursery and getting some consideration for selection and plant quality when all they are getting is a cheap price. It's the same thing as shopping for a new car and making the choice between quality German engineering and some cheesy little Korean import. Unfortunately the average US consumer puts a whole lot more weight and time and effort into car shopping than they do to selecting or developing their landscape - it's just not a priority item to them nor do they see the value.

You can also blame this lack of education on the way most landscapes are developed, with those rows of evergreens providing either privacy screening or property line delineation. It's fast and easy and they don't know or haven't explored the alternatives. Hire a designer? Heaven forbid!! Why waste the money when it's only plants and anyone can dig a hole and stick in a tree?

And you can blame the lack of scale of plantings with the McMansions to the real estate developers, cramming as many megahouses as they can in the smallest amount of area to maximize their return. It's not the scale of the plantings that's off - it is the scale of the structure to the size of the property. It's hard to plan the placement and plant a 40' shade tree when the available yard area is barely more than just the required setbacks. But everyone wants the biggest and newest house they can manage and if that means a 4000sf behemoth on an average 6000sf lot, then you do the math to figure out how much "garden" space they have to work with.

Very good and valid points, Gardengal. The thing is, in Europe one finds a more concise delineation between urban and country. Although there is sprawl around large cities, farm trusts have been an effective way to keep farms.......well.......farms. That means property is limited around many homes even more so than in McMansion developments in America. Just go to England for awhile and see how they do it. The gardens knock your socks off. There are ways to work height into postage stamp gardens, through the use of fastigtate or columnar trees for example.

There is no way you can really call a sales lot at a box store a nursery. Often the goods are decent if you can get them right off the truck coming in, but real nurseries actually grow material, and bring it along. They can't pass the losses along to the vendor by only paying for what is scanned and sold.

I went to a local box this month to just scope out their "nursery". What did I find? Tomato plants in tiny cups for $2.49 cents. Good grief, I'm talking eight to ten inches high. I don't call that cheap and suspect any independent greenhouse or nursery left in the town could beat that price.

You are also correct in the statement that many consumers do not see the value in good landscaping. I was reading a marketing article just a couple days ago about the changing demographics of the nursery consumer. But, how are you going to pass along information if the consumer doesn't make it past the convenience of one stop shopping where they can get their cars lubed, print their photos, buy balogna and get their eyes examined all under one roof. LOL.

Radagast, no offense was taken at all. I pretty much lump horticulturists with professions like law enforcement and teaching. You don't expect to ever get the pay you are worth for the years invested, but you can't envision yourself in any other lifestyle. Myself, I am active in giving gardening programs, opening my property for class field trips for discussion of pests and diseases and gardening philosophies and I mentor when I can to other growers who are trying to get established. Most of us do those things.

Calliope: Growing a tree farm sounds like something that would be fun, knowing how much shade and how many happy memories one could create for so many people by selling a nice, healthy selection of many different trees. If money were no object, that would be on my list of "fun" careers. But like you said, "you don't expect to ever get the pay you are worth for the years invested..."

Kudos to the folks who do as they desire, even if the pay isn't that great! At least the internet helps the "little guy" get their voice out there and make people aware of options other than Wal-Mart for trees (sad laugh!)

Good point about prices: the local nurseries and garden centers always are able to compete very well with the Big Box stores. There's rarely from what I've seen any reason to buy from the Big Box stores unless it is something very generic (basic potting soil for houseplants, for example) and you're already there. Even if you pay a bit more at the nurseries, the selection and plant health is so much better that it is worth the extra money. But like you said, getting people away from the "buy everything under one roof" idea is hard, and most folks don't know or understand why a Bradford Pear is not a good idea... and many won't listen to you even if you are willing to explain it to them for free!

I'm tired of all this big box bashing. Frequently the plants there are twice as big and half the price of what's at the nurseries. I shop all places and look for the healthiest plants at the best prices. If you choose to support the nurseries because it promotes the small guy, that's fine but don't knock the big ones just because they don't water the plants!

And, the big boxes do have a nice variety of perennials and shrubs.
I can find more echinaceas there than I do at the wonderful nurseries.
I looked for a long time (casually for years) for a magnolia stellata "Waterlily".
Do you know where I found one? Wal Mart. Of course, the mislabeling chances are high...but for the price I'll take a chance.

You are certainly entitled to your own choices of where to shop. I just stated I have seen some prices increasing, as they gain the market shares and suggest that people not make the assumption that just because it's a box that plant material is always cheaper. It isn't always cheaper. But tell you when it is and that is when the seasons change. A "real" nursery overwinters their nursery stock and box stores don't have that option so they "give it away". I don't blame people for looking for those kinds of bargains, if they're experienced enough to know how to evaluate what they are getting. I have an industry bias, because I have read articles suggesting floriculture producers should sometimes sell their plants at a loss just to get some payback for benchspace on which they spend overhead. I'm sorry, before boxes nobody would ever suggest it's good business to set out to sell something at a loss intentionally. It just puts me in mind of the fate of the independent chicken farmers.

hee hee hee.... I'm still laughing at pkguy's comments "one guy gone crazy with those awful plastic solar lights. He must have 50 or more of them lined up 2 feet apart along his driveway then along the sidewalk to the front door and bordering the flower beds. It's dreadful in the daylight and sickening at night". I can just see it - maybe it's a landing strip for aliens! Does his house glow green at night??!
hee hee hee...sorry...will go back to my wine bottle...

I would have to say that my pet peeve is the tendency to use every last drop of house trim paint on anything and everything in the yard - mailbox, rocks, shed, fence, etc.

Ooh, finally a chance to let it all out. ; ) Besides the above mentioned tree-topping and dyed mulch (eek); IÂve got to agree with the poster about the solar lights. I was almost interested in placing a couple of them in the yard; but quickly got a hold of myself after noticing these lights popping up in *everyoneÂs* yard  itÂs an epidemic!

IÂm sure when planes fly over head at night, they must see million of tiny lighted dots all over my town  it must render radar systems useless. The store shelves are teaming with these lights, and canÂt keep enough in stock by the look of it. I guess I would have to say that I like to be individual, and create my own unique space by not following the crowds.

"IÂm sure when planes fly over head at night, they must see million of tiny lighted dots all over my town  it must render radar systems useless"

It'll be fun when some 747 pilot mistakes them for runway lights . . . hope not!!

Resin

Here's my 'other' most annoying garden trend! Large and/or loud wind chimes. How on EARTH can anyone tolerate that incessant clanging and banging 24/7? I shudder to think what I would do if a neighbor of mine developed a sudden love for wind chimes.

I have some neighbors who have holiday costumes for their plastic geese. Sigh.

Another trend I wish would fade: the plague of honey locust as THE tree for municipal planting. I know they're native and sturdy and put up with urban abuse but let's stop the madness.

I must say that I have purchased the vast majority of my plants/shrubs/trees from the big box stores. If you keep your eyes open you can snag some interesting things. If I was limited to my local nurseries I would never be able to afford to do what I do - there is much good in that.

I am a fan of maroon plantings to complement the predominant green of most yards, and especially since my shutters are maroon, but I must say if I never see another sand cherry it will be too soon.

If landscapers are supposedly the "experts" at what to plant where and how to take care of it, then why are they the ones most guilty of the massive mulch volcanoes? Around here I rarely see "novice" home gardeners doing this, only the professionals.

"If landscapers are supposedly the "experts" at what to plant where and how to take care of it, then why are they the ones most guilty of the massive mulch volcanoes?"

At a guess, because they apply the mulch by machine, and don't take the time and care to spread it out afterward. They'll probably even say there's some Health & Safety rule that says they shouldn't spread it out (risk of back strain, risk of aspergillosis infection, . . . oh, the excuses they'll find to avoid work!!).

Resin

Thanks to this post I am reminded once again that I hate that red mulch. I had almost convinced myself to use it when we get around to redoing the fromt yard--simply because the house we bought is GRAY STUCCO (yuk) all the way across the front. Brick on the sides and back but stucco on the front. Why don't they put the ugly stucco across the back? Anyway, I thought the red mulch might take away the blandness. Now that I have vented, does anyone have any good suggestions on the best mulch? I want leaves around my flowerbeds in the back yard so I'll have thrashers and other birds mulling around in that but I thought the front needed something "dressier". Thanks!

My guess is when you see mulch volcanoes, and you use the term professional, that it is being used with a lot of liberties. Most of the seas of mulch a foot deep I see in my area are the brainchildren of the mow and blow crews. Definition of mow and blow? Those guys/gals you get to mow your lawns whom since they are there anyway you also get to do the rest of your lawn care. Their credentials usually boil down to owning a pick'em up truck and a mower.

There are precious few companies in that expanse between the landscape architects and the mowing guy who deal with garden maitenance as a primary service. So, by default the lawn mower man ends up being your "professional".

I counted 30 bradford pears in my subdivision and it was a small subdivision... Easily the most planted of all trees. I just emailed HOA about it and told them to come up with a rule to ban the planting bradford pears and let the homeowners know what will happen in 5-15 years and that they should think about replacing it ASAP. They are relatively young, no earlier than 2003. It's pathetic here. No mulch for 99% of trees. I see damages on the trunk by weedeater. One house used rocks as mulch around the tree! Just so many unhealthy looking trees...