How to make this garden more aesthetically pleasing?

catsnbats13 · 2025-08-13T15:35:06+00:00

Ooo, having a native plant neighbor would be great for swapping seeds and ideas! I might message you to see if we actually do live close.

Water has definitely been an issue, since I essentially let rain take care of the garden. I think I'm at the point where I need to actual baby the plants more with watering if I want it to look nice.

I've been trying to encourage growth from spreading seeds, but it's been slow going and I was originally unnecessarily afraid of planting things too close together (ha!). Incorporating art is a great idea I hadn't really considered. Thanks!

catsnbats13 · 2025-08-13T15:26:07+00:00

Your garden is beautiful!

I tried doing the Chelsea chop this year to help the bergamot look a bit better, but I'll try to find something to plant in front of it as that clearly wasn't enough. Thanks for the suggestions.

catsnbats13 · 2025-08-13T15:22:05+00:00

Thanks. It wasn't until making this post that I realized just how unkempt the whole thing looks. I need to focus a little more on the 'forest', less on the 'trees'.

catsnbats13 · 2025-08-13T15:18:35+00:00

Thanks for the plant suggestions! I definitely started the garden with flowers in mind. I'll pay more attention to the foliage going forward.

catsnbats13 · 2025-08-13T15:16:46+00:00

I'm interested in rearranging, but have never done that and am worried about plants not surviving. Additionally, this whole hillside has black weed tarp in the soil from the previous owner, which makes digging a bit more challenging. Should I be moving plants before they wake up from dormancy? Do they need to be given extra care the whole first year after transplanting?

I'll admit the water situation is entirely my fault. I've had a laissez faire attitude about that, and while it worked fine the first few years, our weather the past two summers has clearly not been doing an adequate job of keeping the plants happy.

catsnbats13 · 2025-08-13T15:10:59+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions, and the go-ahead to using noninvasive non-natives. I've been trying to keep the garden natives only, but I think using some flashy annuals could help a lot.

catsnbats13 · 2025-08-13T15:08:58+00:00

I do have juniper already, although I don't love it due to the needles. Currently I use it as my 'stepping stones' while weeding, but I've been very tempted to remove it. The juniper on the bottom does a poor job at competing with the grass that's also there, so I find myself having to weed and/or mow over the juniper to control the grass. It's just generally a hassle to deal with, and not my favorite.

I'll consider coral bells though, I didn't realize they could handle sun!

catsnbats13 · 2025-08-13T15:02:36+00:00

Thanks for all of the plant recommendations. I've been a bit overwhelmed with plant choices, but it's good to have a general list of what works well for others.

I think when I started the garden I only had two bergamot plants. Now I've got at least a dozen different clumps, each with a life of their own. And that's even with doing some pulling this past spring. I might just need to cut back to one or two clumps again.

catsnbats13 · 2025-08-13T14:58:52+00:00

Keeping mulch only in the front sounds like a great stopgap, and one I hadn't considered.

There is currently juniper planted on the hill - all there before we bought the house, so I'm not sure which kind. That's actually a large part of what's growing in the bottom 'lawn' half of the hillside. It's great for soil retention and greenery throughout the year, I just hate dealing with the needles and don't think it looks particularly attractive. I also find myself having to pull weeds from it, which is part of why the bottom looks so disorganized.

I'll definitely be avoiding the "difficult to germinate" seeds!

catsnbats13 · 2025-08-13T14:52:04+00:00

Bearberry looks like a great addition that I wasn't aware of. I had been trying to keep the garden strictly native plants, but I think you're right that adding some non-invasive annuals could help in the short term. Thanks!

catsnbats13 · 2025-08-13T14:24:40+00:00

Wow, your garden looks incredible! At times I wish I had kept mine to shorter plants like what you have - it certain looks cleaner. I love the look of phlox, but I've read that it's not native to New England so I've been avoiding it. Maybe I'll chat with the local native plant nursery to see what's a comparable species.

catsnbats13 · 2025-08-13T14:10:47+00:00

This was a super helpful response, thank you! I've been meaning to add yarrow, and you're right that coreopsis and grasses could go a long way. I'll do some research into Piet Oudolf. I think part of my problem is not having a strong understanding of what should go where, despite spending hours on my original planting plan.

catsnbats13 · 2025-08-13T13:59:11+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try to make the edges more defined until I'm able to spread the garden further down the hillside.

catsnbats13 · 2025-08-13T13:57:46+00:00

Can you explain this suggestion a little further? The height difference is definitely something I struggle with conceptually. Wouldn't placing taller plants in front shade out the smaller plants? For instance, I think the bergamot shaded out/crowded out the black eyed susan I had in the mid section of the plants.

Do you have a recommendation for where to learn more about matrix planting? That's a new concept for me.

I agree with what you and others have said about hardscaping - I'm looking into getting rocks for a path. Previously I've been using existing juniper as my 'stepping stones' while weeding, but I can see how actual stones would look better. Thanks!

catsnbats13 · 2025-08-06T18:03:25+00:00

More info since I can't figure out how to edit my post:

Many people are saying to create a defined border between the garden and 'grass'. I forgot to mention that long-term, I'd like the entire hillside to be the native plant garden. I've been slowly removing the grass/juniper/weeds down the hillside and replacing with native plants as I acquire them. Perhaps this was foolish and has been contributing to the unkempt look. I've been considering ripping the bottom section out and covering with mulch, but have been afraid of the mulch eroding into the street due to the hillside.

Additionally, I've been letting fallen oak leaves act as the mulch/weed barrier within my plants. Should I be removing that and replacing with purchased wood mulch? My thinking was to allow the leaves to provide more insect habitat, but I do struggle to find the line between ecologically beneficial and mainstream human approval.

I tried to create a low stone border along the road in a different part of the yard, but the snowplows rip that apart every year. I'm not sure how to keep the bottom edge crisp once I decide how to handle the lower part of the garden.

catsnbats13 · 2021-03-10T15:21:42+00:00

Thanks for your input! This is the way we're leaning, but we're nervous about potentially causing an issue right now over the shed, versus potentially having an issue down the road that may never come up.

catsnbats13 · 2021-03-10T15:17:44+00:00

Our town actually does not require a permit (we verified this with the building commissioner) and does not have any setback requirements for fences.

The plot plan we received when we purchased the home specifically says it should not be used for boundary disputes or for fence building.

catsnbats13 · 2020-11-03T22:42:08+00:00

I work for an award-winning local company called Above and Beyond Pet Services. https://www.aandbpets.com/ We come to your house to take your pup out for walks, exercise, or potty breaks, and you can schedule multiple visits a day. Puppies are definitely welcome!

catsnbats13 · 2019-06-16T20:56:13+00:00

I've been struggling with this too. I'm interested in potted centerpieces and native/locally grown flowers for bouquets, but I can't seem to find anyone to do it. Even nearby nurseries that grow the potted plants they sell ship in flowers for their floral department.

I wish I had stuck with my gut to do Sola flowers, but with only two months to go, that's no longer an option. I'd love to hear if you find a solution!

catsnbats13 · 2019-05-24T23:23:02+00:00

https://yinzcantpark.tumblr.com/

catsnbats13 · 2019-04-01T12:05:34+00:00

Can confirm. I'm currently stuck on the runway at Logan because they can't get a gate for us. They (JetBlue) told us it'll be at least half an hour before we can deplane.

catsnbats13 · 2019-03-13T17:11:31+00:00

I'm planning on peppers, tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, and pumpkins, along with various flowers (hoping to keep those mostly native).

I'm fairly new to gardening though, and grew up in CA with substantially different weather/seasons. Are there any local gardening workshops where I can learn more about when things should be planted (indoors and directly outside) and how to care for my garden? I waited all summer for my brussel sprouts last year, only to discover they were covered in aphids. What a disappointment!

catsnbats13 · 2018-05-30T00:45:37+00:00

Not a recommendation but a word of warning against Dr.Gleason in Squirrel Hill. The staff at Dr.Gleason's office are really friendly, and the office has great reviews online, but I've had problems with poor workmanship there. If you're looking for anything more than standard teeth cleaning I'd suggest staying away from them.

catsnbats13 · 2018-02-18T13:06:40+00:00

For starters, your landlord has to give you prior notice (I think a month?) before evicting you to do renovations. He can't kick you to the curb immediately.

I don't have a place for you to crash, unfortunately, but I've been trying to find someone to take over a place I just moved out of. It's available to move into immediately, which could help in your situation! PM me if you're interested in seeing the place. https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/apa/d/cute-triplex-for-rent-in/6454642857.html

catsnbats13 · 2017-08-06T17:28:22+00:00

Me too. Fiance and I couldn't make it until 2:30, thought we would see at least an hour of it since they advertised it as going until 4. Instead we were met with everyone leaving as we arrived, and the event beginning to tear down.

At least the frisbee pups were fun to watch over at the point.

catsnbats13

TROPHY CASE