"That's a good crop of weeds you've got there!"

[intertext]

This, from passer-by whom I know slightly, while I'm on my hands and knees obviously in the midst of weeding my garden. Passer-by has an immaculate and beautifully planted front garden, which I've commented upon favourably when _I_ passed by. I would never, repeat NEVER, remark upon any weeds, even if there were any

Comments

[semyaza]

Never forget that the world is full of people like me (at least, I hope it is) who see a perfectly groomed lawn and think 'OCD owner who isn't ecologically-minded' or who see a garden without a weed and think 'that owner has money to spend on professional landscape maintenance.'

When I was a child, we had a neighbour who was obsessive about his lawn. Since there wasn't a fence between his lawn and ours we had to keep ours weed-free as well. So although I find a lawn without dandelions aesthetically pleasing there's a part of me that rejoices in a lawn that's gradually being taken over - as mine is - by moss, dandelions and chickweed. :D

ETA: Also - why do we assume that people are 'lazy' rather than unable to maintain a garden or afford to pay someone else to do it? I don't blame the former owner of my house for being a slob. I blame her for not hiring someone to clean it before she put it on the market.

[heleninwales]

I hate it when the first thing that people mention are the flaws

[coth]

I've been thinking a lot about this kind of thing recently and this is where I have ended up.

You only have a certain amount of time in your life. You can't do everything. Not everything you do can be done to an excellent standard, and some things can't be no matter how hard you work because your input is too small a part of the whole. You have to know this in order to understand how to approach things. You have to choose where to put your commitment. And you have to make trade-offs between time and quality.

Like you I am willing to do gardening (and housekeeping) badly in order to be able to do it at all. I am trying to be a good parent but it's subject to the same set of trade-offs.

Life gets very complicated. But I'm with you in choosing to enjoy the flowers and the pets and ignoring the weeds and the dust.

[green_knight]

Some people are just...

There are things that would never *occur* to me to say, not unless they bring it up themselves.

And I hear you on the battle against weeds - I would, in all honestly, prefer to lie in the garden for an hour than to combat bindweed.

[brinian]

Weeds? Seriously? I didn't see any weeds at all when I was at your place. I must be missing something *eg* Your flowers are simply gorgeous!

[intertext]

Well, and that must be why you are a valued friend :-)