Wednesday, June 30, 2010

WWTT Number 4

This WWTT post features pictures of a lovely front yard, but it has me sympathizing with the person who mows the lawn. Surely you’ve heard the advice… when creating new borders take a garden hose and use it to make the curves for your planting beds. I think they did just that, these are graceful curves…there are just so many of them!
here are even grass islands. Very hard to get the mower to grass islands. Especially when the ground cover fills in. WWTT?
And how will they edge? I’m exhausted just looking at it.
Lucky you! Today we have a WWTT non-gardening bonus! Just ½ block away from the curvy lawn a trio of dare-devils were attempting to get this metal ‘wheel’ to propel them down the street. A brave (and foolish?) soul would set on the seat in the middle of the wheel and pedal like mad.
I heard screams. I couldn’t watch. WWTT?

17 comments:

  1. So true about the mowing and trimming. We're removing grass a little at a time in the backyard, starting with the areas around the young trees and shrubs. But I need to figure out how to keep the grass from coming under the fence from the neighbor's yard, so we've left a strip of grass by the fence. Our backyard is currently a nightmare to mow and edge, thanks to all these extra beds and strips of lawn . . . but someday it will be simple with just a bit of lawn in the middle. And a wide enough stone path to get the mower to the lawn!

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  2. Hilarius! I love the spinning wheel! Your right about the grass though, that would be a nightmare to mow. The effect is stunning though.

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  3. Gyroscope!

    I think they used the gyroscope to create those bed lines. Someone needs to introduce the concept of negative and positive space. The edging required to maintain it!

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  4. My personal rule of thumb is to just make sure that the curves aren't arbitrary from a design standpoint. Those edges all have the same size so there's no drama! A much better look could have been acheived by using larger forms. They don't have to be boring though! It is still a pretty arrangement though, i must say.

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  5. I see an ad on Craig's List: WANTED crew of Oompa Loompa's with manicure scissors.

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  6. Those curvy island/lawn reminds me of my mother's back yard ( not her design). I've recently taken over the mowing / edging- Yes it is exhausting! My mother's 83 - how did she manage it all these years?

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  7. AnonymousJune 30, 2010

    It's a "groovy" neighborhood :)

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  8. I give them 2 years as they chip away at it and then realize the lawn uses up valuable planting space, and it becomes all garden. At least that's my hope.

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  9. I like the yard very much. Not sure about the dare devil stunt!

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  10. talk about a yard with character! wouldn't be so bad on a larger scale...funny contraption rolling down the road.

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  11. A pretty nightmare of maintenance! I had a curved bed in a sloped lawn at my last house. It was SO hard to mow at the top. But I must say that gravity took care of the edging: it kept eroding downward.

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  12. the test will be to come back and 3 years and see if those lines remain. it looks like a garden that a non gardener would design.

    personally, i love it though. i find a lot of drama in the formality of them, if that makes sense. very 60's pattern design kinda look, or like they planned their garden in illustrator.

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  13. VW, doing it in pieces is the smart way to do it. Then you aren't left with monstrous piles of sod you have to get rid of. I like your some-day plan! More room for plants!

    Laura, maybe I'll catch them in the act of mowing someday and I'll report on it!

    LeLo...oh that's good! I like it.

    Rainforest Gardener, I think that's an excellent rule of thumb. And drama in the landscape is ALWAYS a desirable thing in my book.

    ricki, OMG! That's great!

    Linda, will some of the curves be going away?

    Anon, uhm...sounds like you know of what you speak.

    Pam, oh yes...

    Megan, ok 2-years...I'll be watching.

    Evelyn, are you no dare-devil?

    Darla, I wonder though would a larger scale just mean more curves and islands?

    MuclhMaid, curved and sloped sounds like a recipe for disaster.

    eeldip, ok a 2-year report for Megan and a 3-year report for you. I did a veggie garden layout in InDesign once. But I like the idea of a 60's pattern in Illustrator much more!

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  14. It's a great lawn for someone with OCD! Me? No thanks-too much.

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  15. They should have taken the advice from one of my ldsc. design teachers - "Before you finish that design, mow it with your imaginary lawn mower".

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  16. AnonymousJuly 05, 2010

    I have to crack up when I see people's attempts at gardening. That is too funny.

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