Trying to get our front yard in shape is turning out to be more time-consuming and expensive than hoped. Also, the guy helping us has a brain that buzzes from thing to thing. I don’t think he’s listening to us well, or remembering what he said he’d do.
For instance, the other day we said we hadn’t decided what exactly we were going to put in the front in place of our 30 year old dying boxwoods, but we were thinking about azaleas. We weren’t sure what color. He said he knew a guy, and my husband could ride up with him to that guy, who would give him a really good deal if you knew him. That was yesterday. Today he had added the cost of the azaleas and said he’d already bought them. That was unfortunate, because I’d been thinking more and wasn’t sure how many azaleas we wanted – did we want to fill the front of the house? Did we want to sprinkle some lower groundscaping plants in there? I’ve got an e-mail in to a friend who’s been active in the local herb society asking for her suggestions. By the way, if anyone has any info about blueberries in landscaping, I’m curious about that.
I figured maybe he and my husband had talked and worked it out, but my husband said they hadn’t. Then when I told him later in the day that we weren’t sure what colors we wanted, he said he could get any colors we wanted. Wait, what? If you already bought them, how can you get whatever color we want? Ugh.
Also, I told him time and time again that I wanted only the dead areas of the tree cut, and really I only let him touch it because he talked me into it, and I do know it’s got a lot of dead areas. He cut some live branches and I am TICKED OFF. They were small live branches, but that’s not the point. I spoke with him about it today, and you could tell he was starting to think I was a crazy lady about the tree.
He started talking about how people would come by and look and see how great the tree looked like that as they turn into the neighborhood. I had to tell him that frankly, I don’t care what people think of our tree as they turn into the neighborhood. It’s my tree, and a) it has a lot of sentimental value, and b) it cuts off a lot of noise from the major road we live adjacent to. He agreed.
But the thing is, he quickly and readily agrees to everything we say. I’m sure he thinks I’m crazy paranoid, but I can’t help but feel that I have to keep reiterating the same things. He’s working hard, and even with just stumps where the boxwoods were the yard does already look better, but MAN! LISTEN when I talk.
Somehow the price has inflated $150 above what we originally agreed to. I spoke with him, and we got that back down $100, because I can see the extra $50, since we did ask him to take out a holly bush he hadn’t included in the original estimate. But we also have an agreement that he’s going to come and talk to me before doing anything else that might require extra money, because I am not an endless money fountain. I think he’s sensing that my mood is slowly turning from jovial to simmering resentment.
I went out earlier to do a little weeding and encountered the other obstacle to my yardwork. We have a neighbor across the street who is a lovely woman, but who will come over and talk your ear off. I may allot 15 minutes to weed, and she will literally talk nonstop for those 15 minutes. She’s nice, but it’s difficult to get away. On the other hand, at least it’s good to know your neighbors and be on good terms with them. So there’s my bright side for the day.
Maybe I can try to go out again later. That flowerbed isn’t weeding itself.
ETA: Two days later, and my feeling has swung back around to “he’s working his butt off” and I’m feeling much more positive about this. My momentary frustration is over.
I am thinking we need to get new yard guys. We asked them to clear out stuff where a fence is going in. They did that, but they also cut down my actively-blooming daylilies (in the front yard, when the fence is in back) to little 2-inch stumps. Which in retrospect I suspect is why the clump of daylilies on the other side of the front walkway stopped coming back. And my hydrangeas haven’t bloomed since they started working for us (5 years), because they keep pruning them back after they have set buds. RAAAR. And they seem to think they are going to be the ones putting in our fence. Um, no.
I am thinking we need to get new yard guys. We asked them to clear out stuff where a fence is going in. They did that, but they also cut down my actively-blooming daylilies (in the front yard, when the fence is in back) to little 2-inch stumps. Which in retrospect I suspect is why the clump of daylilies on the other side of the front walkway stopped coming back. And my hydrangeas haven’t bloomed since they started working for us (5 years), because they keep pruning them back after they have set buds. RAAAR. And they seem to think they are going to be the ones putting in our fence. Um, no.
My mom used to do something smart, because she had odd little plants that might not look important to the yard guys (when we had yard guys). She’d tie a piece of yarn around anything that was specifically NOT supposed to be cut down. This guy has trampled several of my plants and I’m kicking myself for not doing that.
Anyway, Mom’s trick might work for you. Or, you know, getting new yard guys.
My mom used to do something smart, because she had odd little plants that might not look important to the yard guys (when we had yard guys). She’d tie a piece of yarn around anything that was specifically NOT supposed to be cut down. This guy has trampled several of my plants and I’m kicking myself for not doing that.
Anyway, Mom’s trick might work for you. Or, you know, getting new yard guys.
It might, but seriously… the daylily clump was two feet across of big long leaves with bright orange flowers on it. They also seem to want to remove this gorgeous birch tree that grows right in front of the house, but so far we’ve convinced them we like the tree.
It might, but seriously… the daylily clump was two feet across of big long leaves with bright orange flowers on it. They also seem to want to remove this gorgeous birch tree that grows right in front of the house, but so far we’ve convinced them we like the tree.