As I drive around Montclair, my eyes are always looking at houses and gardens.
Of course, it might be better to keep them more clearly on the road but I can’t help myself; I have to look. Often times I see gardens that I love and they are an inspiration to me. They must give pleasure and joy to many— and most importantly to the homeowners. Of course, there are those that I don’t love and that’s what this post is about.
There are gardens that make me want to stop the car, get out with clippers in hand and go to work. Free of charge; no problem.
I am referring to those houses that are completely overgrown with shrubs that are now practically trees and so past their best. These are the houses where I imagine the front rooms must be so dark because when the homeowner looks out the window, all they can see is the shrub row that has grown halfway or sometimes all the way up the height of the window.
Let’s face it: I am a pruner. I admit it. I love to prune.
Pruning makes me feel as if I have some control over the garden and Mother Nature. Of course, when it comes to Mother Nature, I am deluding myself. There is no question she has full control. But, with a pair of clippers in hand I can pretend to be the one who is running the show. At the very least, I can keep things tidy and in control if even for the moment and that makes me happy. I get great satisfaction in putting the lawn and leaf bags out on the road on Sunday night for Monday pickup. The more, the better.
Now that it is spring, I am pruning everything in sight (except, of course, the hydrangea but that is a post for another day). I only wish I had endless hours free to spend outside giving everything a much needed hair cut to reawaken it for spring. Time flies quickly when I am out there and it often seems like I am never done.
This does harken back to my last post a bit. It focused more on landscaping for selling a house but the same holds true when you own the house.
This is a house I worked on a couple of years ago.
It is a really pretty house full of interesting architectural details. The house was totally screened from the street by some very old and overgrown Taxus bushes. Driving by, you could barely see the house. Even when you got up close, you still couldn’t appreciate the details because they were hidden by the hedge at the foundation of the home.
But that was before…
And this is after.
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