M&M Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I look out the window this morning to see landscapers tearing out all of the beautiful perennials that my old neighbors planted over the 5 years they lived next door. The new neighbors just moved in this fall and have decided that they are too busy to have any plants in the yard. The landscaper told me they planned to pull out all of the hydrangia and rhododendums as well, but they didn't have the budget to replace them with boxwoods :tongue_smilie:. Rose bushes, lily of the valley, irises, blackeyed susans, asparagus, peonies all being ripped out and thrown away. I ran over with my wagon and wheelbarrel and saved what I could (with permission from the neighbor). The dear landscaper told me that this happens all the time, he saves what he can, but his yard is full. What you may wonder will they do with these flower beds? Mulch...no plants, just brown mulch. It makes me sick, the old neighbors took an empty yard and made it beautiful with wonderful low mainenance perennials and they are just treated like garbage. I saved what I could and called some friends to come take what they want. I wish I had the time to save more, but we had to go out and when I got back it was all gone. They are a young couple, this is their first house, I know they are busy. I just wished they could have waited to see it in bloom before they ripped it all out. Thanks for listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 At least you were there to recover some of the plants. I wonder if the young couple will have any regrets when they see some of their discarded plants blooming in your yard?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Oh, that's sad. They could have put on Freecycle that they wanted someone to come take them and they'd have had swarms of people take them and not have had to pay someone to throw them out! Poor flowers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Oh that is hard. I hope that your ex-neighbors won't come back and see how it looks now. I'm glad you got some of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Atl Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 :ack2::cursing: Wait... I would be out there with my kids, heck I'd even call the dh to come home, and we would be grabbing as many as we could!!! Too much work? I'm one of those who thinks annuals are too much work, not perennials! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 We got a bunch of plants from our neighbors when they had to thin their landscaping. We did the same thing, filled every pot we could find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paula in MS Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 This reminds me of my husband. We bought a house about 6 months ago on a wonderful 1 acre lot that was beautifully landscaped. It has a shade garden and a butterfly garden that has many raised beds. Well, in October, it was mostly mulch. Now that spring is here it is very green, but my husband thinks it is all weeds. If it isn't a shrub, it is weeds. This is a common conversation. DH: What is that, a weed? DW: No, coreopsis. It is not a weed. Don't touch it. Stay out of the butterfly garden!!!! (You can change coreopsis to lantana, gaura, mums, etc. ) If it is not blooming, he thinks it is a weed. Have fun transplanting your free perennials. Paula Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 When we sold our last house, I had planted these special roses in the front yard. They were from a nursery that no longer was in business, and which sold unusual varieties. Unfortunately the buyer saw them before I could move them, so the realtor told me that I could not take them with me. And then the buyer ripped them out the first year! I still miss those roses, drat it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M&M Posted May 2, 2008 Author Share Posted May 2, 2008 Oh that is hard. I hope that your ex-neighbors won't come back and see how it looks now. I'm glad you got some of them! I think that she would just die. Her mil would bring wonderful cuttings and plant them. At least the fig tree is still there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M&M Posted May 2, 2008 Author Share Posted May 2, 2008 :ack2::cursing: Wait... I would be out there with my kids, heck I'd even call the dh to come home, and we would be grabbing as many as we could!!! Too much work? I'm one of those who thinks annuals are too much work, not perennials! We filled a wheelbarrel, a large wagon, and a sled with plants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M&M Posted May 2, 2008 Author Share Posted May 2, 2008 DH: What is that, a weed? DW: No, coreopsis. It is not a weed. Don't touch it. Stay out of the butterfly garden!!!! (You can change coreopsis to lantana, gaura, mums, etc. ) If it is not blooming, he thinks it is a weed. Have fun transplanting your free perennials. Paula :lol: Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaC Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Well it is too bad.......... but on the other hand a GREAT curb side shopping opportunity! :D Yep I am guilty of curb side shopping :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 ...but, I wondered if you could find out from the landscaper where all the plants you couldn't take will end up. Such a shame that the new owners couldn't think ahead a little, alert their friends (or Freecycle/Craig's List as others said), or that the landscaper couldn't offer them up somehow to churches, etc. I can't even fathom ripping out healthy plants like that, but I know it happens a lot. Maybe your garden(s) will help them realize what a mistake they made. Sigh. Thanks for stepping in to rescue what you could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Oh dear. We just sold our house in November. Of course, nothing was blooming or anything so I had cut everything back and planted some pansies and such for looks. I'm worried about my peonies and jasmine and everything once it comes back. *sigh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof2kids Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Count me on the lets rip everything out club. When we moved in our house we ripped out alot of ugly ground cover type stuff. Some of it was diseased and causing problems though so it had to go. I know that the flowers you saw were pretty. We did however cut a beautiful tree down next to our driveway because it would spend about 4 months shedding junk onto my car and all over the driveway and we tracked it into our house all the time. It was pretty but it had to go. I've seen houses with lots of flowers and stuff and some people really go overboard with it. I couldn't live surrounded by all that visual stimulation. It would drive me crazy. And I hate gardening. So I'd never take care of it. Also, flowers attract bees and wasps. We tore out a ton of bushes with little flowers on them that we had in our yard because they attracted too many bees and wasps and terrorizing the kids. Allergies could also be another factor in why people don't want these flowers around their home. My husband and I like the nice clean manicured look of evergreen bushes. They stay green and full all year, grow nicely, can be shaped nicely, don't attract too many bees and wasps and don't need any care from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmom Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 The landscaper told me they planned to pull out all of the hydrangia and rhododendums as well, but they didn't have the budget to replace them with boxwoods :tongue_smilie:. Rose bushes, lily of the valley, irises, blackeyed susans, asparagus, peonies all being ripped out and thrown away. I ran over with my wagon and wheelbarrel and saved what I could (with permission from the neighbor). The dear landscaper told me that this happens all the time, he saves what he can, but his yard is full. What you may wonder will they do with these flower beds? Mulch...no plants, just brown mulch. They are a young couple, this is their first house, I know they are busy. I just wished they could have waited to see it in bloom before they ripped it all out. Thanks for listening. Oh, horrors! I'll be right over.:auto: (I live in NJ too). Funny, I don't even consider most of those plants high-maint. What a shame. Glad you were able to save some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle T Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I'm endlessly planting MORE perennials and roses in my yard, there are never enough flowers! What a mistake your neighbors are making. If they have a sprinkler system installed, the yard is not that much work. Wish I could run over and get some of the plants! I spend plenty of $$$ buying perennials at the nursery! Michelle T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill- OK Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Count me on the lets rip everything out club. ...but I do weed out things that need a ton of water by letting them die. If it can't live on what rain we get, I don't sustain it. Sorry, but...it's my house, now.:) (This isn't any kind of value judgement on the folks who love lush gardens that need watering...just a personal thing of mine.) The lady before me planted a lovely flower garden in front, and a lot of it does well with just seasonal rain. The only indoor plant I have so far is a bamboo that needs very little water. (ETA: Obviously, I'm only talking about decorative gardens, not vegetables, lol.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M&M Posted May 2, 2008 Author Share Posted May 2, 2008 Count me on the lets rip everything out club. When we moved in our house we ripped out alot of ugly ground cover type stuff. Some of it was diseased and causing problems though so it had to go. I know that the flowers you saw were pretty. We did however cut a beautiful tree down next to our driveway because it would spend about 4 months shedding junk onto my car and all over the driveway and we tracked it into our house all the time. It was pretty but it had to go. I've seen houses with lots of flowers and stuff and some people really go overboard with it. I couldn't live surrounded by all that visual stimulation. It would drive me crazy. And I hate gardening. So I'd never take care of it. Also, flowers attract bees and wasps. We tore out a ton of bushes with little flowers on them that we had in our yard because they attracted too many bees and wasps and terrorizing the kids. Allergies could also be another factor in why people don't want these flowers around their home. My husband and I like the nice clean manicured look of evergreen bushes. They stay green and full all year, grow nicely, can be shaped nicely, don't attract too many bees and wasps and don't need any care from me. We are not talking about a lot of property our lots are 50x100'(that includes the house), the flower beds are not huge. Most of the yard is deck and grass. The plants were low maintenance. I understand that some people don't want to do a lot of garden work, but the waste of ripping out those plants and throwing them in a landfill just bothers me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M&M Posted May 2, 2008 Author Share Posted May 2, 2008 ...but, I wondered if you could find out from the landscaper where all the plants you couldn't take will end up. Such a shame that the new owners couldn't think ahead a little, alert their friends (or Freecycle/Craig's List as others said), or that the landscaper couldn't offer them up somehow to churches, etc. I can't even fathom ripping out healthy plants like that, but I know it happens a lot. Maybe your garden(s) will help them realize what a mistake they made. Most of them were ripped out and unsalvagable. I am hoping that they at least go for compost, but I am not sure. He very kindly had his guys ball up some of the plants I wanted. But he said he didn't have time to save all the plants. He told me that he does this all of the time in wealthier neighborhoods, people buy the houses, rip out all of the gardens and plant bushes.:001_huh: The landscaper was very nice and told me that if he told his wife what he was doing, she would have been there right along side of me digging :001_smile:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 This reminds me of my husband. We bought a house about 6 months ago on a wonderful 1 acre lot that was beautifully landscaped. It has a shade garden and a butterfly garden that has many raised beds. Well, in October, it was mostly mulch. Now that spring is here it is very green, but my husband thinks it is all weeds. If it isn't a shrub, it is weeds. This is a common conversation. DH: What is that, a weed? DW: No, coreopsis. It is not a weed. Don't touch it. Stay out of the butterfly garden!!!! (You can change coreopsis to lantana, gaura, mums, etc. ) If it is not blooming, he thinks it is a weed. Have fun transplanting your free perennials. Paula We're the opposite here. He's always bringing home clippings and seeds to grow and I'm like what's the weed this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 ...but I do weed out things that need a ton of water by letting them die. If it can't live on what rain we get, I don't sustain it. Sorry, but...it's my house, now.:) (This isn't any kind of value judgement on the folks who love lush gardens that need watering...just a personal thing of mine.) The lady before me planted a lovely flower garden in front, and a lot of it does well with just seasonal rain. The only indoor plant I have so far is a bamboo that needs very little water. (ETA: Obviously, I'm only talking about decorative gardens, not vegetables, lol.) yep. me too. the lady who lived here before me was a master gardener and there was all of maybe a 5 x 6 patch of fescue grass and the rest was garden front and back. 3 compost bins and a koi pond that could easily have been a small pool. WAY too much to keep up with. just weeding that much garden was over-whelming to look at and I sure don't have that kind of time. I pulled up over 200 iris bulbs alone, not to mention dozens of other things. We pulled up nearly everything in the back that wasn't a tree or under the house windows. We kept 2 huge bed in the front and transplanted from other areas to those every inch we could. And we kept the koi pond, which we've grown to love for the nature study it affords with zero effort on my part. I offerred what was left to everyone I could think of and no one wanted any of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Our friend is a gardener/landscaper and he belongs to a group called "Plant Amnesty" - they salvage unwanted plants from people's yards (mainly wealthy) and give them new homes to people who want them for free or possibly low cost. We've gotten a few plants from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I'm just shaking my head. Unbelievable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 OK, so whose coming over to my house to tell me what to do? :confused: Because i don't like to work outside, but we need more than dirt and weeds. I can't keep much alive - and i have no idea what to do where..... :tongue_smilie: HELP!!!!! :D (I do need some "bushes" myself because we lost most of our trees in the Tornado last year and well, i don't like the view of the street behind us!). Fast growning, easy to keep neat and green! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 yep. me too. the lady who lived here before me was a master gardener and there was all of maybe a 5 x 6 patch of fescue grass and the rest was garden front and back. 3 compost bins and a koi pond that could easily have been a small pool. WAY too much to keep up with. just weeding that much garden was over-whelming to look at and I sure don't have that kind of time. I pulled up over 200 iris bulbs alone, not to mention dozens of other things. We pulled up nearly everything in the back that wasn't a tree or under the house windows. We kept 2 huge bed in the front and transplanted from other areas to those every inch we could. And we kept the koi pond, which we've grown to love for the nature study it affords with zero effort on my part. I offerred what was left to everyone I could think of and no one wanted any of it. Oh man. Us too!!! We just moved in to this house and all the neighbors are telling us how nice the flowers and gardens are in the spring/summer. Things are just starting to bloom and I'm already feeling overwhelmed. We are keeping everything for now and seeing how it looks and we'll decide what to do with it later. I just can't imagine gutting a yard before you even TRY to maintain it! Our back yard is another story. We had a water feature back there. But, with a toddler, I just couldn't risk it. So, it's not filled right now. Maybe later. There are also a number of raised beds. My kids really could use the space for running and playing baseball. So, we'll see what happens with it. I hope the kids can just work around it and we can keep the plants/flowers. But, we'll wait to make that decision a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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