I LOATHE DYED MULCH, among other pet peeves I see here and there in gardens (and every gas-station curbside bed). The above doodle by Andre Jordan clearly states my point of view (as does my all-about-mulch FAQ page), but what’s your Number 1 source of horticultural or landscape irritation, the no-no’s on your personal list? What would you outlaw if you were HRH The King/Queen of Garden Good Taste?
my pet peeve: dyed mulch. what’s yours?
July 28, 2012 at 10:43 am
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Matthew said “Forsythia pruned to within an inch of its life.” If you see mine, Matthew–I DIDN’T DO IT! My husband hired someone to trim the box elder before our family reunion, because I wasn’t going to have time. Well, I THOUGHT it was just the box elder. But the guy trimmed EVERYTHING–and all he did was whack with a hedge trimmer. ARGH! I HAD pruned the forsythia right after it bloomed. He left it looking like a bundle of sticks. Never again!!
Lawn sprinklers sprinkling away in the rain. :(
OOOH At last I can gripe!!! Over pruned azaleas, improperly pruned box wood (really bad) and the someone with electric sheers who butchered the weeping
willows at the town pond…..sheering then off flat at the bottom. Ugh! Is it proper
to prune those Knock Out roses? Best from Anne in very hot Maryland.
Pet peeve #1: Overuse of one plant, because it is easily divided. Like hostas. Just because they divide and transplant easily doesn’t mean you should do it. Show some restraint. Also, white rock mulch.
Yes, Anne, and YES! Hate white rock mulch (love gravel in appropriate places, like a dry garden, but more of a natural color). See you soon!
Impatiens. They make me lose mine.
Has it been said yet: mulch volcanos around trees? Drives me absolutely nuts!
I agree Lara! Mulch volcano’s cannot be good for trees either! The thing that drives me nuts is when someone plants a dwarf evergreen or a yew right smack in the middle of their lawn. All alone, by itself. UGH!!
Hi, Robin. Lonely conifers are sad, I agree. Sometimes I like a really narrow vertical one as an exclamation point at the end of a path or something — but not the way you describe, in the lawn all alone probably.
Artificial hanging plant greenery. Especially when it stays out there all winter. Nobody is fooled at that point! (And yes, butchered forsythia.)