Six rocks, three agaves, two palms, white gravel, lawn and some flat stone. Simplicity, symmetry. Low maintenance.
I thought about this a long while before posting. Here's the thing I kept coming back to, these folks have done something with the front of their property that must make them happy. That's better than not doing anything, isn't it? Do I hate fake lawn? YES! It's plastic for Gods sake, we do NOT need more plastic. Those agaves? Well, I appreciate they're agaves, but real live plants instead of plastic ones is always the better answer.
Would it be better if the whole thing was an asphalt parking area? No really. I'm curious. If that was the alternative would it be better? We're not all blessed with the time to tend a garden. We're not all in love with watching plants grow and change and bloom and die. It doesn't look like these people are up for tending the real thing (although those palms are healthy and well cared for). They've made their statement, what's yours?
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Yeah, it's better than asphalt imho. I can't help but think.. with the money spent on plastic, a much more attractive low maintenance situation could've been worked out. They do seem to have a nice view up there, just not of their front lawn, ha ha ha!
ReplyDeleteI wonder what that much fake lawn costs? Hmmm. Hopefully the view out the back of the house is nice.
DeleteThose plastic agaves may survive winters in Portland better than some live ones but I'm betting they're going to bleach out unattractively in time, ending up in the non-recyclable trash. If the palms can survive with whatever little to nil water and attention they receive, I suspect that, even in your climate, there are enough real agaves that could make a go of it as well. My biggest issues with fake lawns are: 1) they kill the soil microorganisms underneath and 2) they don't hold up forever but most are not recyclable. Frankly, I'd rather see asphalt topped with a playground surface for adults and/or children as that would serve a positive, non-destructive purpose.
ReplyDeleteI think the color change has already started, with odd blue in the center and a sort of olive green on the outer "leaves". A new thought occurred to me after reading your comment. What if there is only paving under the "lawn" and rock? Maybe the fake was an attempt to green it up?
DeleteMy statement is UGH! Should not be legal. Makes me sad.
ReplyDeleteRegulating what people can do with their own landscape makes me very nervous. There are many who would call my front garden too much and request plants be removed.
DeleteI agree with Kris. I think a low maintenance plant solution could have been found. Fake plants are the worst. Use rocks or pavement, anything would have been better. Regular grass is low maintenance in Oregon if you don't fertilize and you let it go dormant in the summer.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there is a hard surface under that fake lawn? (thus no "regular grass")
DeleteWords fail me.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter what I think. If it makes them happy, then by all means :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, that's my conclusion as well.
DeleteI agree with Gerhard, if it makes them happy, then it is okay. However, personally it makes me sad and is emblematic of what is happening to our world. I fear for the future environment and, therefore, humans.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. We are doomed, hopefully the planet and some of it's creatures will survive.
DeleteI'm going to stop and take photos of the house on Bigelow Gulch that has lined their long driveway with fake, very tall palm trees. Talk about out of place! I will send you a photo, but don't hold your breath. I only go up there when it is blueberry picking time in the summer.
ReplyDeleteOh yes! For some reason this feels vaguely familiar, like maybe my mom mentioned it, or maybe we even drove by once long ago. I look forward to it, however long it takes!
DeleteAlso agree with Gerhard! To each their own… one persons delight is another’s disgust....at least they did something so many do nothing…while I would probably never plant an agave I love these posts to open my mind and see what others enjoy!
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed wonderful to see how others embrace plants you wouldn't necessarily enjoy. Thanks for commenting!
DeleteI am personally in an anti-plastic phase. The amount of plastic in the ocean, nanoplastics in our bodies, etc. makes me not want to buy another plastic anything. Of course that's impractical and almost impossible. But surely there are bulletproof plants that even gas stations can grow on their 2 inch strips of bare land.
ReplyDeleteI have always been in an anti-plastic phase. I hate the stuff.
DeleteI don't know. The b1+@# in me sometimes revels in snarkiness, and it feels good in the moment - that knee-JERK reaction - to make a scornful, cutting comment about something/someone I don't like. It goes back to that schoolhouse ingroup versus outgroup mentality that is so hard to get away from. Yet, the older I get, and the more people I pay attention to, the more I realize that there is at least one thing that I intensely dislike that someone I care about actually, puzzlingly, oddly, genuinely likes. And, then my snarky comment falls flat and makes them feel bad for liking what they like.
ReplyDeleteI will say this - it looks like an upscale play area, a nod to a sunnier, warmer clime. It also looks like it would be good for a neighborhood barbecue event. A family gathering area that wouldn't turn to a muddy mess if it was wet. I would be able to have a good time there - sitting in a woven reclining yard chair underneath a gaudy umbrella with a trashy novel and a coconut rum cocktail in hand while wearing an over-the-top 80s Ken Doll outfit and a pair of rhinestone-studded sunglasses.
Well there's a photoshoot I wish I could see! (sitting in a woven reclining yard chair underneath a gaudy umbrella with a trashy novel and a coconut rum cocktail in hand while wearing an over-the-top 80s Ken Doll outfit and a pair of rhinestone-studded sunglasses)
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