Tell him those, and give him Japanese Knotweed. He deserves it.

Resin

Vinca minor (periwinkle) covers well and fast, but it might be too rampant for him.
How about some other rockery plants....sorry have forgotten their name so that's not much help!

Pineresin, the only problem with Japanese Knotweet is that Amanda1 would soon be getting it too, and I don't think she'd welcome that :-))

I would be inclinclined to suggest some landscape fabric with different gravels, stones and maybe small boulders. If he doesn't want plants then nothing you suggest will help.

You might like to politely point out to the neighbour that first there'll be an algal bloom, then moss and liverwort, and the early pioneers will be arriving.

If the area is not so big, how about a decent layer of sand with a few prills under to stop any emergent weeds - and either bricks or tiles with a mortar mix to ensure no invaders? (Then one day, when the Scorched Earth Fiend has gone to a place which will suit his/her tastes perfectly, the next bod will be able to resume gardening without too much hassle - and have some useful construction materials as well...)

I guess you could offer to maintain his front garden but
at his expense! He pays for the plants and you donate your
time. Sounds unfair I know but we recently renewed a
broken down fence that was our neighbour's responsibility
as it made our garden look dreadful. Good Luck...

I doubt anything will grow there for a long time after using that amount of weedkiller. Dont know how anybody can do that to a garden. I like to make the most of every inch of my garden, you can never have a big enough one (garden that is).

I had a close look at my neighbour's garden yesterday. Interestingly enough, there is quite a lot coming up. Plenty of grass, hollyhocks and bulbs that look as though they are probably bluebells.

Maybe it's not going to look too bad after all!

I'm supposing your lot has somehow got to do with his lot...like its the same lawn...your garden abuts his garden and what he does with his garden makes an impression on your garden.

But then.....it is HIS garden...his ground....his home...his decision what to do with what's his.

Howcum all this intrusion on what HE wants....

I suggest....in all good humour.....that you mind you own business and while you can make suggestions about what you feel or how you look on his decisions, its still up to him.

He is right though.isn't he. Bare earth is tidy...is less intrusive on his neighbor--you---and is low maintenance.

So, unless the bareness causes untold water problems bearing on your garden, I suggest you do as suggested.

Be a good neighbour. Stay out his business.

Creeping Flox and Hosta may help.

I think one of our posters misunderstands how we feel about such things in the UK. We have never taken the view that you can do exactly as you without thinking about the neighbourhood. Our planning laws are strict. You have to consider the impact on the neighbours and I am happy to live in such a society. Most people keep their front gardens in a reasonable state because they don't want to let down the neighbours.
I would recommend the poster suggests respraying the garden with Roundup ( if he used that much weed killer it sounds like it was watered on, which is less effective) the insertion of a porous membrane and then gravel. Strategically placed stones would add a bit of class/variety. Thats the best way to do it if he doesn't want to be hassled and it won't look the horrible mess that the bare earth will look like.

Garden Nerd's suggestion sounds like a good idea; maybe the neighbour could also splash out and put a couple of container plants in for the summer.

As for minding your own business, a neighbour's garden can have quite an impact on the community. I'm sure I recall reading somewhere that a really well cared for garden can affect the value of next door's property - it's that important.

Years ago, when we lived in a flat and didn't have a garden, there was a house over the road that had quite a good sized garden. They cut the grass sometimes but that was it; otherwise it was weeds and some scraggy old roses. What a sad sight it was; it did affect people, and people did talk about it quite often.

I was so envious of the space they had, space they did nothing with, and used to sit and look out at it from our upper windows, planning what I might do if it was mine. Having my own little bit of ground to plant and care for is hugely important to me.

Sorry to intrude from the U.S., but completely agree with the man from Shropshire. We who have neighbors all have an obligation, maybe legal, maybe just aesthetic, to try to make our property as attractive as possible for everyone's sake. If he's pleasant, maybe you can offer to help him. Anything that grows well on your property will probably do well for him, too.

I would say that the majority of us live in built up areas where our homes and gardens are joined to others or look out onto others. I hate to see untidy and neglegted gardens. I live in a street with rows of 4 terrace houses (luckily I live in the end-terrace so have extra garden and a drive) but we all look round at each others back gardens as they are in our general view. My next door neighbour has put up a conservatory which really blocks my view so that now I cannot look across his way. But across the street in my front view, two of the neighbours pulled out their front hedges and just left the mess. The weeds etc grew up to knee height and after about a year they eventually put down some hardcore. I couldn't believe it. That is all they have done. When they first pulled up the hedges I thought Oh good they are going to do something with the gardens but after a few weeks they still did nothing and like I say it is now a few years later and it is an eyesore. It definitely brings down the tone of the neighbourhood. The weeds still grow up between the hardcore.( I thought originally that they were maybe going to make their front gardens into a concrete drive).
I also pulled out my front hedge as it was a mish mash in the shape of a dogs hind leg of elder, pivet, blackberry, and goodness knows what and also have pulled out the grass verge in front of the hedge and now it is open to the street full of shrubs and flowers. Every year I get such lovely comments from people passing by. In the summer it is full of purple geraniums bordering all the way round with taller pink flowers that have evergreen leaves.Lots of cottage flowers. In spring it brings lots of colour in the bulbs and is just a delight. I have been told that people look up the road when they are crossing at the bottom to get a glimpse of the bright colours so it is not only bringing joy to me but to my neighbours and anyone who passes.
I hope your neighbour does make it look nice for you and wouldn't mind you saying anything if you are already on good terms with them.
Alison

Alison, sorry to hear about what your neighbours have done, it sounds very depressing to look out on. Could they be persuaded to sprinkle some seeds, maybe?

Or perhaps you could do a Miss Wilmott and sprinkle them yourself.

Thanks Miranda. Yes it is quite depressing to look onto such a waste. 3 of the block of 4 houses have done this with only one of them doing anything else about it. They put down paving slabs and now park their cars on the area. In fact they were the first to do anything and I thought the others were going to follow suit. (which wouldn't have been so bad). When I took my hedge out and planted up the area the woman from the house opposite (with the paving slabs)said to me "are you trying to show us all up" I am just grateful to be able to bring a bit of beauty and colour into peoples lives as they go past. Last summer a man stopped me down at the greengrocers and said I know you- you live in the house with all the pretty flowers it looks lovely. He passed by on the way to visit his parents each week and had seen me working in the garden. So that was a lovely experience. It makes it all worthwhile.
Alison

Yes it is nice when people make comment and you realise you have made somebody's day a little brighter. I remember somebody in town saying "Oh I know you, you are the man with those lovely Apricot Nectar roses". Amazing that she had recognized the variety and they were appreciated by passerbys. I disagree with my wife on this point. She wonders as to whether we should put in much effort. This is because I once edged the front bed with garden pinks, all cuttings that I had carefully rooted and grown on. Over two nights every single one was stolen by someone after dark using a trowel. The same thing happened one year to some Barnhaven primroses that I had grown from seed. However i think that if you don't bother then you are giving in to the anti social minority.
My long term aim on the front is to chop down the boring golden cypress and replace with a tree Magnolia - Magnolia sprengerii. Now that would really have an impact on the whole street when mature and in flower and Magnolias live for a very long time so people would enjoy it for many years to come.

Same here as in Alison Froglady's neighbourhood: the majority of front gardens get paved over and used as parking spaces. Apart from the fact that it's unattractive, it's also another bit-by-bit erosion of wildlife habitat.

Well me might end up having to do that in part. It was OK when we moved in with two small kids. They are now students and we are a 3 car family. If there are friends around we may have to accomodate 5 cars and we only have a single garage- which i always use.There is only room for one car in front of the garage. Next door attached have two student daughters and they have 3 cars as well.
We live in a small rural town and public transport does not come very often, if at all and nearly everyone works or studies a long distance away. So the streets are just getting clogged up with parked cars.
If we do end up having to extend the "hard surfacing" on the front then I will insist that is done using pavers, the border will get moved and it will be the small lawn that gets sacrificed.

I live in Edinburgh and in an area full of tenements flats, it is so lovely to look up when walking around the neighbourhood to see beautiful window boxes. I am rather envious of the trailing geraniums on the corner, boxes and boxes full, in rainbows of colours. I am on a fisrt floor flat, so no garden on the ground for me, but the front of my bouble bay windows and the study window next door plus the outside window sills and all my windows actually, is filled with plants. Many I've collected myself from travels, some from my father's gardens. The kitchen has seasonal rotation of flowers and herbs. The bedrooms also look out onto miniture roses and tulips when they are in season. My friends identify my place by my 'garden'. Neighbours happily look out for my plants when I am away, interest is always given when I have a new plant.
New comers are given the direction of my street then - it is the windows with all the flowers.... joys of life....

Sorry to'pop-in' from the 'other side' of the pond [But I am a Brit too--so you might excuse me]
We area live in a town totally barren of any kind of Garden Stlye and personality ---they must use more weed killer here in this small town than a huge British city would use to kill off weeds --over half a lifetime ..
Though we cringe --we try to 'just get on with it' our Garden is 'our haven' and the rest of the folks can 'enjoy' there's
I have my little piece' of England here [in hubbys case little piece of Ireland] we get lots of comliments cos we like to stay away from the 'same ol' that the other folks around here think is nice [boreing !!!!!!!!]
Yes have 8 composters in our average size garden - we have a lovley veg garden [and we don;t grow just Toms and Peppers like the 'gardens' around here do] we grow tons of stuff
And lots of diffrent flowers --our garden is an Oasis in the middle of a bare sea ................
You would'nt beleive the nosey parkers who give 'there' advice --on how we should conform --rather die right now that have 'that look' leave your chappie next door alone --poss he will get to later see what he is missing --some folks take longer than others to see the beauty of nature as god intended it [even with the odd weeds]
Janice Britmum