My next door neighbor isn’t much of a gardener. His garden is now so overgrown that the two greenhouses and one car that were once visible are now completely covered in greenery as nature has taken back the land.
My back garden is not the biggest garden by any stretch of the imagination. In fact one has to stretch ones imagination to even call the two grassy areas separated by a short path a garden in the first place. But it’s a nice little south east facing sun trap which I often sit out while I have breakfast or a cup of tea on a warm day. Heck we’ve even had barBQ’s and firework displays in this little garden!
At my back gate looking toward my humble abode the short little path feeds you directly to my back door. My neighbors garden on the right in the picture above has been growing out of control since the day I moved in. When I first moved here in 1999 the garden was untidy due to the recent death of my neighbors father. Apparently before his death the garden was well kept with flower-beds, a small lawn, and two greenhouses. full of all kinds of potted plants.
In 2003, one afternoon I decided to create a web page showing how nature had “reclaimed it’s territory.” Today as I sat outside having a bite to eat I marveled as to how this once pretty little English garden had reverted to an uncontrolled wild kingdom that would present a daunting task to even the bravest gardner.
I’m not really bothered at all by the wilderness next door. I’m quite sure that nature is having a ball under the thick green blanket of leaves and thorns. The only problem presenting itself now is that the bush that separates chaos from order is now dying away. I would imagine perhaps the reason for this is because there isn’t enough ground water for the bush, or maybe the roots of the thorn bushes, weeds, and everything else that is out of control, have strangled those of the dividing bush.
I’m not sure how much longer I’ll live here, but I thought I would take a few more pictures to document natures progress. Since the first time I photographed the garden there have been two attempts made to bring it under control. One was by my landlady’s grandfather, and the other was made my an anonymous man. Both attempts failed.
Looking at the garden really makes me wonder how quickly nature would just retake control if we were all gone tomorrow.
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The same garden three years ago
Wrote the following comment on Jul 12, 2006 at 3:08 am
Interesting thought. I recently said that although farmland and housing estates both drastically change the land, farmland would at least revert to nature while housing estates wouldn’t. But looking at that, yeah the concrete and houses might take a while to fall down, but the greenery would cover over them without much delay!
Thinking of that, what does the back of your neighbor’s house look like? Does someone cut back the vines?
Wrote the following comment on Jul 12, 2006 at 3:20 am
Oh don’t underestimate natures ability to take back everything. I have little doubt that concrete would crumble under the weight of nature.
I had a dream once that everyone was gone and that I had to get from here to London after I’d lived alone in the growing jungle for a couple of years. In my dream the M6 motorway was completely blocked at points. Roads and buildings were under a huge green blanket and there were deer everywhere. It was an odd dream. A scary one in many ways.
Wrote the following comment on Jul 12, 2006 at 12:59 pm
it looks more like a jungle. when you said garden i assumed little rows of vegetables.
Wrote the following comment on Jul 12, 2006 at 1:12 pm
I had big plans this year to have rows of veggies. Ah well, maybe next year :-)
Wrote the following comment on Jul 12, 2006 at 5:38 pm
Here’s what would be fun – to get in there and really see what is left from the grandfather’s day. You’d have to take it slowly and steadily though. Nice pictures of your neighborhood.
Wrote the following comment on Jul 14, 2006 at 3:17 pm
My yard would be more comparable to your neighbors. The bamboo, oak and mexican clethera trees I planted have taken over. Nature will take everything back, even our bodies. On that you are right, my friend.
Wrote the following comment on Jul 20, 2006 at 8:22 am
Ah, a nice backyard garden you have .. or shall I say you had ?
Wrote the following comment on Jul 20, 2006 at 10:36 am
Well I do still have my back garden. It’s only my neighbors that is overgrown. In fact only yesterday was I out in my garden planting a couple of small trees.