Day 203: Lawn and Ball

Deliberate

Finally the encroaching garden becomes too apparent.  Dandelion clocks by the dozen.  Tangled forget-me-nots.  Knee high grass.  The brick-encircled round lawn is invisible and the Ball Bush (as it is known) has rejected its identity, sprouting wild dreadlocks. 

To my shame, it takes less than two hours to make a significant difference.  Aggressive strimming reveals lawn; assertive trimming reveals Ball.  Grass edged; bricks exposed.  Against a few clearly defined critical elements, the contrasting overgrown borders suddenly seem deliberate and artful.  Yes, I am Gertrude Jekyll/Vita Sackville-West, and yes, this is 'drift' planting.  As I poke around, I find lost herbs.  Marjoram, oregano, mint, thyme, rosemary, sage, chives (I am now Jamie Oliver).  Tony from next door sticks his head over the fence to ask how I keep my acer flourishing (I morph into Alan Titchmarsh).  I am tempted to say 'mulch and crooning' but admit that it's luck and survival-of-the-fittest.  No space for the needy.  Not in this garden. 

Maximum satisfaction for minimal effort.  Lawn and Ball.  That's all that's needed.  Everything else can look after itself. 

(NB - this picture is someone else's Lawn/Ball combo.  Mine is more structural-yet-relaxed.)