Re: Habitability

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My favorite gardens are the naturalistic, the ones that don't care about making sure everything is perfectly groomed, and also allowing for the plants to grow and spread (within reason) as they naturally do. I've never cared much for topiary, clipped shrubs and perfectly uniform lawns. I like that feeling that it could be an actual wild space if only in the imagination.

I much prefer secluded gardens rather than ones where everyone can just see in from outside of the property. I like the idea of having a back garden (at least) that has a wall of green around it, but once inside feels like a living room, set apart from your neighbors (part of this may be because both neighbors next to us have windows that can see right into our back garden). I actually thought that if I owned my own place, I'd surround the borders in a wall of green.

I also like gardens that get you to move around to see everything. My mother has the idea that the garden should be entirely visible from the sidewalk in front of our house, but I planned it out to feel like you were crossing a dry creek and that meant islands of plants here and there so you had to walk to the house to get a look at everything. She still thinks I should've put ALL of the tall stuff at the house and short things at the sidewalk.