How, and why to have a quiet garden

The first time that I heard the concept of having a quiet garden, I really didn't understand. Plants, after all, tend to not make a lot of noise, you know! But once I understood what it all meant, I embraced the concept. I'll see if I can explain.

Yes, of course your plants aren't going to make a bunch of noise, but how you care for them just might. And it all depends on what plants you have, and how you maintain them.

I just love to sit out in my garden in the morning and in the evenings. I have no grass, that's artificial turf that you're looking at there, and few of my neighbors have grass, either. And that means that as I sit down with my cup of coffee in the morning, or my glass of beer in the evening, the serenity isn't ruined by the roar of a lawn mower. I also have no plants that require a lot of trimming, like with power hedge trimmers. Another unpleasant sound! The trimming that I do is done with clippers, which is a pleasant sound, and I really don't do all that much of it.

I housesat for a friend in a nice neighborhood in California and was surprised at the noise. I enjoyed how lush the landscaping was all around me, but the noise began early in the morning, with the roar of lawnmowers, hedge trimmers, and power blowers.

By the way, I do have a small blower, which I use briefly, and only for a couple of times each month, to blow leaves, and it really does work well. It's as small and as quiet as I have found, and I only use it after ten am. But mostly I let the leaves fall, which overall gives a more realistic look to my artificial turf - I'm not out there every day with the thing, and certainly not at the crack of dawn!

I love my quiet garden. Excuse me, I think I'm going to pour myself a cold one, and go sit outside, since it's Friday. Gardens are meant to be lived in, not just looked at through a window!