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Do you see both within the landscape, below? Which elements are the manor home plantings, which elements are the subdivision plantings?
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Easy change, below, to go from USA gated subdivision plantings to historic European manor home.
Pic, above, here.
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Once you 'see' the change, above, and understand 'why' the change, you won't/can't ever go back to this moment, not knowing what is off-kilter, above. More, you'll realize how much easier, and affordable, historic manor house gardening is and why it's more than 'gardening' but an intellectual pursuit within your quiver of life skills. The gift of stewardship vs. amusement, conviction with humility.
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Replace annuals in the pot with a simple mushroom top evergreen, matching what is already in the garden. Replace annuals at the door with another row of evergreens, matching what is already in the garden. Done.
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Annuals, above, are vestiges of ca. 1983 high-end apartment complexes across Atlanta, GA. Still a beautiful garden design conceit, for that niche.
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Historic manor house gardening is the ultimate status symbol, and eco, and sustainable. If you like eco/sustainable you don't even want to think thru the footprint of cell-pack annuals upon this dear sweet Earth.
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Garden & Be Well, XOT
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Why the drama of conviction with humility? Remember well, in my early 20's, degreed engineer, no horticulture degree yet, and heading to the garden center with a mission, I was going to buy flowers & a few bushes, come home and plant everything, creating the best landscape ever seen by mankind. My heart/efforts were in such earnest, what else but smiling in memory? That garden? Worst ever seen by mankind. The 1st major humbling in my life. Humility arrived, thick, upon that garden lesson, I had wanted my pretty garden so badly, THAT DAY, instead, whooped by a mere horrendous garden. Oh my the humor of it.
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1st visit to many of my clients thru the years? There is so much laughter. Bearing witness to conviction without humility. It's human nature, to begin gardening with conviction, humility not upon the horizon.