Yes, it does. My neighbor is a teacher and does not have time to garden until school is out. As things start turning green she always says, "it's almost time!" She also brings her mother over to see things in front and then they peek over the fence.
How nice that you will give the by flowers for his mother. Better supply him with a note so she will know he did not swipe them. lol.

I'm always surprised when people complement my garden, all I seem to see is what I haven't got done. I don't know if others are like me but after I've been away for a day or so my garden always looks much better to me and I think hey, it ain't that bad LOL.

Annette

I make a point of when I see someone working hard in the yard or planting flowers, I tell them they are doing a great job and how nice it looks. I hope it gives them a boost and shows them people notice when you make improvements to your yard. It's like a random act of kindness that feels good for both of you!

How nice that your neighbors acknowledge how much joy you bring to them. Keep spreading the garden love, Kay!

My gardens here at the Cottage aren't quite up to that type of admiration yet. I did get some compliments on the photos I took of the main bed last year though, which did make me feel very good! My grandparents used to get people stopping to take photos of their house in spring, it was surrounded by rhododendrun and azalea they had planted in the 60's, so they had grown as tall as the roof on the porch and garage. It was quite striking. I wonder now and then if the new owners kept them or not-I do know they were divorced a few years after buying the house and he lives there now (gotta love facebook, lol).

There is one house I have always admired the garden at near our old house. It's not a big garden, just a nice bed around the front of the house/walkway, but it blooms from spring to fall and always looks so perfect. I've seen an older woman tending it sometimes, usually dead heading or cleaning out weeds, but never had a chance to stop (it's on a very busy road with no shoulder) to tell her how lovely it is. I even google streetviewed the house when doing the original gardens here hoping for inspiration-too bad the streetview image was from WINTER. I know she has daffodils, tulips and daisies, but I can't recall what else I've id'd while passing at the moment....

Kind of you to share your flowers with others Kay! I know it gives one a good feeling to do so. Last year when I made many changes in my garden I told many people I had plants to share and was able to give away many, many plants. Probably made me as happy to give as they were to receive!

I still remember the nice comments my neighbors made 42 years ago about the new garden I had created at the first house we had built. I was very much a novice gardener but their friendly comments were very much appreciated.

Like Annette I'm always surprised at garden compliments now as I am quite critical of my own garden and often only see what I'd like to change. Others see it quite differently tho I've found and several people have walked slowly around my garden exclaiming over things I take for granted.

"Better supply him with a note so she will know he did not swipe them. lol."

Hah, this made me chuckle. When I was a kid and my brother was about 4 or 5 years old, somehow he must have wandered away from my mother in front of our townhouse. He quickly reappeared, presenting her with a fistfull of beautiful tulips that were definitely not from our own yard!

Mom had to explain that although it was very sweet of him to want to give her flowers, it was wrong to pick them from other people's gardens. She took my brother back to the denuded garden to apologize--I hope the real owners weren't too upset!

Why yes, I do love it, and the man picking up the garbage this morning commented on my yard, then wanted to know if I raised any vegetables. He said it looked like a jungle, and right now it does!

We all seem to agree, it feels so nice to have our labors recognized and appreciated, but sometimes I feel a little guilty when I plant things in the front yard as opposed to the back. People can clearly see the front yard, but I hang out in the back. So does that mean I'm "fishing" for admiration?

When I'm out and about in town and I see a beautiful garden, I find it a feast for my eyes and sometimes some ideas for the future. My first thought is always "oh my, what a wonderful job that person has done." But one day I overheard one neighbor saying "somebody" (I hope she wasn't refering to me, but probably was) was jealous and was just trying to compete against her yard. It hurt my feelings, even if the conversation wasn't about me, it was about "somebody." True enough, nice yards are a motivation to keep your yard nicer, but aren't gardeners supposed to rejoice in the accomplishments of one another, and not see it as "competion"? I must say tho, that I have been known to be envious of garden-book photos.
"yeah sure, look at all of that...they must be filthy rich and have 3 full time gardeners to do all that!" That's not a very nice attitute either, is it?

My BFF and I have certain gardens we drive by and gawk at...we LOVE them!!! We drive to other towns and also do this!!! I am finding that my fav thing about joining the local horticultural society is the open garden tours(going with Aftermidnight!)!! It is one thing to see a plant in a store...but totally different to see it planted up in a yard...Thank goodness for front garden beds!!! I met one of my dearest friends because I happened to always drive by this one amazing cottage garden...and when I saw him in his yard, I stopped to tell him how wonderful smelling and gorgeous his garden was!!! He has taken me under his gardening wing and is such a wealth of information and just "my kind-o-people"!!!

My next door neighbor, in his 40's (I've known him since he was five), have an ongoing contest on our yards, and it has really motivated our little court to take care of what they have. His dad owns the property but he really likes to garden and I love it; we trade plants, ideas, etc. I'm in my 70's, not ready to give up yet, lol!

Haha, at the competition comment. Our next door neighbor always looks all exasperated and says "MORE Flowers??!" when he sees me with pots, lol. I think his wife is getting ideas...although they haven't planted much new yet. We used to have two neighbors like this with holiday decorations at our old house. Whenever we brought something new home to add to the display, the wife would send the husband to get the next bigger version in the one house :P (we're friends with them, it wasn't a total competition).