Good for you Edna, just think of all the grunt work that has just been done. Going out looking at a somewhat manicured look all ready to greet spring would bring a smile to my face too. Now if I can get a handle on the $!#% couch grass you'll find me grinning from ear to ear.

Annette

Aaiicchewawa - wish I could afford that...however, someone did, before my time on this property. The bones are there. Fortunately, in this climate, it would take serious delinquency to need big time intervention. Phew!! I know that it can happen. I was ready to hire someome this Fall, when the leaves got in front of me!!
That was when girls next door came over to help me!!! They energized me.
Good for you Edna, you're trying to keep ahead of the curve- that is always the hardest ting to do.

Hmmmm.....more space for plants...what do you have planned??

Nancy.

My big old country place would just give landscapers a chuckle!......now, what I wish I could afford to do is hire a tree surgeon to restore my broken trees, but that would be in the thousands....so it will have to wait.

Good for you. Doesn't it feel good to look at it and not think about all that clean up you wanted to do!

My first gut reaction was, oh no. What did she do that for? I couldn't see someone coming in and planting things and doing a better job than you do. But, alas, they just did clean up work for you and I know that must feel good. I'm doing my own, and after about 3 bags worth, I'm pooped. You are going to have so much fun planting in your newly cleaned up space. Enjoy and you know we look forward to seeing pictures. :-)

Hugs ~ FlowerLady

Congratulations!

Yes, I've used a landscaper. To build things that were beyond our expertise or strength such as the waterfall/stream, the fence and the stone corner columns. We always use the same person (previous home and here). Rob reads my mind with regards to ambiance for hardscape and has never disappointed. Now, his shrub/tree selection is a different story! LOL He installed a few things that I've since pulled out because they were too large for the space. When you build in a neighborhood with covenants, you have 30-60 days to install a minimum amount of what is called "foundation plantings" and that's where we've used Rob for plants.

I, too, wish I could hire the "tree people" to cut down and trim all my trees. Most of the trees are very old now and need some special care. Especially need help with the fruit trees, to keep them pruned and sprayed on a regular schedule.

I have two Black Ash trees (not native to California) planted by the city on my heel strip. Both are diseased and there are dead branches. They have eaten my sewer pipes which need replacing. BUT ... I'm not allowed to touch them. I've told the city several times however they are too busy with other matters.

Tree pruners, surprising, are really not that expensive. I had someone do my apple tree and the neighbors trees hanging over my fence for $50.00. Lots of people are desperate for work. Prices are usually cheaper in the winter months.

Flower, I would never allow anyone to plant in my garden - except for me. DH is not allowed in the garden either after the incident with my hydrangeas *lol*

When I can no longer manage the mowing and the trimming of boxwood and privet, I will hire help - as long as I can afford it. How depressing it would be to look out my window and see the garden all over grown and walls in a heap. But maybe that is the reason older gardeners who begin to fail put the garden to rest, too. They can't bear to see it in that state. But on the other hand......a completely ignored garden of many years CAN be interesting in its own way I suppose. With all the hedge and big flower beds it could turn into a wonderful jungle for me to creep about in! ha

I have a gardener I use periodically for larger jobs I can't handle myself. We have a big urban lot, sloping downhill. With 15 separate plant-packed cottage garden beds (no grass), there is always something that needs doing!

I've had him top trees, haul debris, and move larger plants I couldn't move by myself. He's also installed a French drain, as well as a dry concrete patio and two large curving concrete block beds that encircle the two large (messy, deciduous) trees in the backyard.

I wouldn't be able to garden well without him, even though I don't use him often. I've recommended him to friends, as well. He helped us with the original install, but I haven't had as many projects for him recently since the garden's mostly matured.

Keeping it from becoming overgrown is MY job, LOL! Which reminds me, gotta get out and weed, weed, weed......and bait for snails/slugs.....and weed some more.....sigh.

I hired a guy last summer to just do the mowing and trimming. It was $200 each time they came out, but they mowed and trimmed everything, and we have 3 acres, over 100 trees and about 1000' of fenceline. So I kinda felt like it was a good price and for certain it was well worth it to me.

DH had a broken arm last Spring and couldn't mow, and I had cancer last year and couldn't mow so our place was starting to look like nobody lived there anymore. After I found the guy to mow for me everything looked wonderful and I was able to do the nice things like weeding and seed gathering. Dh and I are starting to think we may need to get rid of the acreage and move closer to town. But I really love the peace and quiet out there, it will be a hard decision to move. And in the mean time, I plan to continue to pay the guy to mow and edge. Cheryl

Oh dear, Cheryl, are you doing okay now - I hope. I can't imagine maintaining 3 acres and 100 trees. That was a good price. But as you said, "the peace and quite" ... I would never leave :-)

Jkrom, lucky to have a handyman landscaper. I would love to have someone fix my pond in the front yard. You have the ultimate perfect garden with year around interest.

The scrub jay followed the young men around the garden picking at the slugs in their trail, it was quite comical to watch. I found 5 salamanders while moving things around. Scared the bejebezes out my husband *lol*

Ya know, Cheryl, in my bid to get out of the burbs, I longed for an acre or 3. I have ended up with a 1/3 of an acre, and wow, that's lots for me!!! lol. The grass is lots to keep up with, the gardens needed poofing up bigtime, plus of course, I needed to add more gardens, including a 15' x 30' veggie plot. You said 'I had cancer last year' - I hope that it is gone or in remission. Too much of that going around. I chose to be this far from work, and this far from friends, for the soundtrack. My old home had a great view, but was very noisy, so I understand you 'piece and quiet'. I snapped the ligament in my right knee shortly after moving in, and ultimately lost my job due to my inabilitly to commute. I would not trade a second of what I have found here, with the peace and quiet. I would urge you to cling to your sanctuary.

Nell, oddly enough, at my old home, Black Ash trees were also a bane. They were at the northern edge of their zone, and were the first to drop leaves, and the last to acquire them in the Spring. They were bedraggled looking things, sort of leaning into the house....they`re the new guys problem now!! Your Asclepias physocarpa - I wonder if it would be an annual here......all the links I read said 6' to 12' - you have 20'?? Holy Cow.

Nancy.

Nancy.

My first reaction was like Flowerlady's: OMG, what has she done? And then I realized you had hired help to clean up and I sighed in relief. I admire those of you who are able to hire help who actually knows what they're doing and help you. I have yet to find anyone here that I would gladly let touch my garden... The old timers know about vegetable gardens only (and the use of lots of pesticides and herbicides) and the garden centers are mostly concerned with grass mowing (of which I have none) and formal hedge clipping (I only have informal hedges).

Noone here knows anything about old roses or even rose pruning. They simply prune roses to ground level come January and call it a day. The lady who helps me with the house wanted to help me out with the garden last year, when I was so busy working in a company, and weeded one of my beds, without my knowledge and previous consent. She weeded most of my opium poppies which were short from blooming... She thought they were weeds... I almost had an heart attack when I saw that and told her, yet again and as politely as I could, that the garden was off limits to her.

The works we have just done to the house were another source of garden stress to me, as to have a crew of masons loose in the garden was a tough number. They broke and destroyed a lot of things in the garden, partly because they didn't have much room to move and partly because they didn't even understand there was a live plant there - to them, any deciduous shrub which had lost its leaves was officially dead. It took quite a while to convince them that they were dormant (i.e. sleeping, so that they could understand). So... I'm glad at least some of you can hire help which doesn't destroy more than it helps.

As for the acreage, I used to dream of a larger garden too, as my garden is a postage stamp lot. However, given the absence of reliable help and the cost involved, I have gladly forsaken it. This garden is a size I can reasonably maintain myself, if I'm careful with what I plant and balance stuff which requires cuddling with other easy maintenance plants. More than this would be unrealistic and I would have to let the garden go. When I'm no longer able to care for the garden, if it comes to that, I'll move to an apartment by the beach and call it a day :-)

Eduarda

I thought the same: "Edna has lost her mind and hired somebody to 'renovate' her garden, Oh, No!" I'm glad it was just maintenance work and you're pleased.

We are heavily invested in machinery that I hope we'll be able to operate into our dotage so we can keep up this place.

If it comes to it, there are many people around here who make a living doing landscape work. We only had to hire chain saw work done this year when a big tree and a huge limb fell and DH had just had shoulder surgery.

Nell