Photoessay #1080 - Back yard ... wild!

Looking critically at the plants that live in my own yard...how can so many of my plants be overgrown and half dead at the same time? Out of control and just taking up green space?

Here are some pictures of some of my backyard plants, not even including the worst offenders!

I have always considered this tree along the six feet fence as a weed growing in the middle of maverick invasive blackberries (In the Pacific NW, blackberries constantly plot against the innocent). But it's turned into a tree! In fact a cherry tree, who knew?

When we moved in (in 1987!)the tree at the back only took up a small part of the yard, nowhere near the house. Look now, it's practically reached the house. I can't complain too much because these trees effectively shade us during the few days of hot summer weather. My house never gets too hot even with this western exposure.

The ferns pictured have volunteered themselves on the side of my deck. I never planted them, nothing, they just appear.

And my rhody...I'm sure I have some pictures of it in bloom. A bush that has wanted to get big. Real big. And nothing has stopped it, it's gotten just as big as it wants. Huge. Also a bush next to it that you can't see clearly, also a weedy shrub, I estimate the rhody to be at least 10 feet tall, the shrubby thing is at least 8 feet taller.

Not to mention my apple tree that you can see on the left of the rhody. Ok, so it 'blew down' in a storm at least 20 years ago. More or less horizontal. But I just left it there and tree is now modified vertical with a mainly horizontal ten foot trunk.

So my backyard plants are NOT in my control. And I haven't even brought up the bamboo which clearly has its own agenda. Every once in awhile, Dennis goes out and completely eradicates it. Which doesn't slow it down a bit. Or my $5 forsythia I bought at Safeway. Which often competes successfully with the bamboo. You can imagine that huge battle. Often takes over the walkway, you need heavy equipment to whack that back.

Keep in mind that, typical for Seattle, I don't water my backyard.