I would leave this alone too.

Maybe dead leaves? Weeds?

In a forest, dead leaves form the mulch that becomes the rich forest soil. Unlike fallen leaves on a mowed lawn, the leaves shouldn't be raked out.

As far as weeds, you live in a much warmer climate zone than I do. I don't see weeds, I just see the plants that live in your forest. To my northern eye, they look very lovely.

If you want to have your stream running between 2 flower beds, that's a different look altogether. Your local nursery would be the best to advise you on that. Or, if you told us where you lived, someone in a similar climate might be able to give some suggestions.

If you posted a photo with broader perspective, it would be helpful. You might get more comments if folks could see how close this stream is to your house, where it runs through your yard, what the rest of the landscaping looks like, etc.

Super ideas, ok more photos when the rain abets. Didn't mean to be coy with the locale details: I bought this property, tucked away in the middle of a 200 acre abandonded coffee plantation, in the low mountains, of Veracruz, Mexico.

Ummm, no horticulturists close by. Actually, no HUMANS close by.

I love that just the way it is and in that climate whatever you plant will become a jungle in no time let nature do her thing always looks better IMO

I so agree. Thanks for this comment!

This woodland mountain stream is perfect and is probably the habitat for numerous species. Leave it be! For sure, don't touch anything until you've experienced 8 seasons on this property. You'll be amazed at the different types of plants that cycle through their growing season each year, and some plants are biennial, only coming up every second year.

I'd take pictures in each season and maybe even mark where some particularly nice plants come up with small stakes. Download a plant ID app so you can snap shots and identify what you have here. Decide how you will transition this woodland into your more domesticated lawn. In two years you'll have a really good idea of what you have and how to care for it, and then you can start making decisions about how/if to tame it!

I would leave it alone too. I raked up all the leaves around the margins of my property when I first moved in, and NOW there are a million weeds. When you expose the soil underneath the leaves, nature will find another way to cover it back up.

I need to get over my pristine attitude. You guys are helping. This place is a natural wonderland. Guess I lived too long next door to a nice person who had three full time gardeners. They didn't RAKE leaves. They caught them before they landed.

"They caught them before they landed."

That's really funny.

I like a yard that makes an easy and attractive transition between the wild areas and the tame ones. So in your yard-- and by the sounds of it, to suit your aesthetic-- the verges are the areas you're going to want to focus on getting just right.

Exactly so

In my city, before you can change a natural stream or waterway, you must get the approval of the city wetlands/environmental officer. This includes "cleaning up". Disturbing the local flora can disturb the absorption of the stream water and divert the ground water.

I guess regulation can be a good thing. 100 years ago my land grew coffee. The earth swallowed the processing buildings. Hard to be worried about raking leaves, but I probably am too insensitive

May be worth noting. My wife makes her brooms from the dead leaves she gathers. Ties them with whatever string/threads she has. Uses them to sweep the porch and walk. I figure probably more environmentally sound than patronizing the Fuller brush guy in the local mercado.

ideas

Lovely. Thank you

Leave it it's lovely.

Thanks Beverly. Will send photos of existing bridge tomorrow

You are in the tropics. I see bamboo in the background. What you are going to need is a machete to stop the bamboo from swallowing the lovely stream and your house. If my eyes are not deceiving me, I am seeing dozens of Croton seedlings in front of the bamboo. That is the red colored leaf/plant in the bottom left of the picture. These grow into very large shrubs in the tropics and have brightly colored leaves year round. That is your color. They will also visually swallow the stream from the vantage point of this picture.

You are in the tropics. The number of blooming, shade tolerant, low growing, perennials you could plant to keep the view of the stream open as well as enhance it is endless.

Right now your stream looks pretty good. You live in the tropics. What you have now is no where close to overgrown.

Buy a machete. You are in a whole new world.

By the way, coffee shrubs are really beautiful plants. They have showy white flowers that are wonderfully fragrant followed by bright red beans that you can do things with. A coffee shrub in front of the bamboo would look mighty fine with your stream.

Buy a machete.

Your stream is lovely. What a wonderful thing to have an area you can let the leaves settle on and remain to do what leaves are meant to do. We have to rake ours, or the neighbors would complain. One of our old neighbors used to vacuum her driveway with a shop vac.

If you feel you want to plant something there, after living with it for a while, research local native plants suitable to the site and see if you can find them.

Yes, so many options. Mostly need to learn about sun requirements. Calla lillies, orchids, everything grows here. EVERYTHING. Locals say if you spit on the ground, tomorrow a spit tree will grow.

Oh my a sitting area streamside is just such a GREAT IDEA. Thank you. Bamboo control? Machetes can not do it. This bamboo has genes of cement! Chain saw time. (apologies to the person who recommended government approval before raking leaves)

Machete works fine on fresh bamboo shoots to slow the spread. Wait too long then you have to kick things up a notch. What kind things could your wife make with bamboo?

My wife just mentioned that locals asked if they could PAY US to "harvest" the bamboo. They build furniture and houses with it.

There you go. They can harvest and still leave you some for the front porch sitting area with the coffee tree and stream.

I think bamboo is beautiful

Bamboo is NOT invasive.

Congratulations on living in paradise!

Wow!! Leave it! But what do you mean Sean swag? Bamboo takes over horribly here. Almost impossible to stop it.

It’s gorgeous. Please don’t be tempted to turn it into a suburban flower bed. You must get wonderful wildlife there.

Some wildlife. Trout in the brook

Bamboo CAN be invasive. 68 types that I am AWARE of. This is a "clumping", i.e. not "spreading" vareity. ZERO invasion. Does like to Grow vertically. Foot a day, at times

Wow!!!! This is beautiful as is! A sitting area and maybe a little bridging (decorative or operative) would be nice going over the stream.

Are the gold and green crotons avaiable there? I'd add more of the ones you have and swaths of the gold ones up the embankment, the highlight the view from the house.

I've been dreaming of the big tropical, angel wing foliage begonias planted along the stream with my coffee tree and bamboo screen in the front sitting area. Find some cool begonias.

Don't forget the machete.