Brian has a pretty big backyard for metropolitan Detroit. The previous owner was a big-time gardenig fanatic, so Brian inherited an elaborate landscaping setup that no mere mortal can maintain, even with an industrious roommate (me). The flowerbeds are huge and haven’t been tended to properly in about five years. Nature, of course, is tending to itself instead and has created its own chaos. It was a reasonably warm 45 degrees (Fahrenheit) today and the snow is finally gone, so I decided to get out there and survey the how a particularly nasty winter compounded the situation back there. Click any picture to see it larger.

The trashcans are in a muddy mess; possible rats’ nest nearby. The palettes against the bushes are a ghetto fix for the dog having figured out he can hop the fence behind them. The back was a huge bed for the entire width of the yard that is now completely fallow, save for a few shrubs that were planted there as a mini-nursery by the previous owner.

A white statue is a mini-monument to what was. The beds in the back corner of the yard are beyond help too.

The reeds all have to get cut down so they can grow back in. The boards on the bridge buckled during winter.

The bush in front of my bedroom window has outgrown its britches.

A stream flows into the pond once the thaw is permanent and the pump is switched back on.

This is shaping up to be quite a project for the spring. My goal is to get the entire mess under control and salvage what is possible. I started tonight by cutting down the reeds, trimming the bush outside my window, and starting to untangle the humongous, overpowering vines from the bushes all along the back of the yard. I think we’re going to have to call 70% of the beds totaled and just tear them out and plant grass.

Do any of the gardeners among you have any helpful suggestions? I’m especially sensitive to cost; I have the time, but not much money. Do any of you have your own gardening projects for spring?