Any signs of spring?

[Blaze]

I told her this week that the Irish/English way is to just let plants grow and that I don't want a mini Versailles!

It's something I see a lot of round here - everything gets hacked back hard. Hedges and shrubs are given a flat top with a short back and sides, it's awful. I'd never let anyone loose on our garden - the dogs adore doing zoomies around and between the shrubs and trees.

[Bayleaf]

I'm noticing some early flowering of various shrubs. For instancce, we have 2 wisteria, different types - one usually flowers much later than the other. They're both in full flower. I've even seen some flowers on a couple of Weigelia already!

As for the harsh pruning - some gardens I see resemble the Mindcraft video game - everything cubed! We've changed our gardening outlook completely over the years, and encouraging clients to "let it lie" with some of their plants. Yes, if a shrub or hedge needs to be kept tidy in case it encroaches it's surroundings, or blocks light/access, but otherwise just let it be as it was intended to be! One elderly client has a small courtyard, and it's nearly chokablock with plants - we've wondered how much hotter it would be if there weren't lots of green things to absorb some of the heat ...and bless her, at 83, she still puts parasols up to protect the plants from the hottest sun.

We cut a lot less grass now (at home), and prefer to keep tidy just areas we frequent. After time, some areas of lawn are becoming more mossy or clover rich - which means there's more going on for the wildlife and soil, and less grass to ultimately mow (especially with current fuel prices).

[Blaze]

We cut a lot less grass now (at home), and prefer to keep tidy just areas we frequent

We did that last year, didn't cut so often and ended up with a lot of foxtail grass, a disaster if it gets into the ears, eyes or skin of the dogs. We're not sure if it was an ear from the grass or a wild oat that embedded itself in Fifi's jaw - removal required 2 operations.

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[Bayleaf]

@Blaze That's sounds awful - poor Fifi. I guess it's down to individual circumstances, and what works best for each situation. We don't have dogs anymore (several cats though!), and everyone has different things growing in their gardens.

[Blaze]

@Bayleaf Do you remember Nat (Gnatty) ? Her beautiful Bernese mountain dog got one in his tum which required major surgery. The "épis" are barbed so once they pierce the skin, they're difficult to remove. If a dog has a very thick coat, you don't necessarily spot them n time. The "épis" are known as "voyageurs" for obvious reasons.

[Lori]

Poor thing Fifi. I know those things are awful. We see a lot of them around here.