6 Signs Your Neighbor Has a Garden They Cannot Afford
Written by Christy Bowman
June 15, 2018 |
Its springtime, which means your neighbors probably have ambitious gardening plans. But are they too ambitious for their budget?
There's nothing like spring to bring out folks to their garden to spruce it up after a long winter's nap. But sometimes your neighbors go a little overboard. Gardens have the effect of separating people from their hard-earned money. Maybe its due to pent up demand over the winter. Whatever the reason, some of your neighbors have a garden they cannot afford. Here are six signs to identify them:
6. Their shed has a slate roof
Sure, a slate roof will last 400 years. But on a shed? This is the building most people use to store their lawnmower for the winter. Normal shingles are probably good enough to handle the task, and they cost a fraction of the price. Not to mention you can get a normal roofer to install shingles (heck, on a shed you can probably complete the job yourself). But a slate roof takes a specialist. So if your neighbor has a shed with a slat roof, its a pretty safe bet they spent more on it than they can afford.
5. All of their plants are annuals, and they are replaced entirely each year
4. Their garden is tended to by professional gardeners
If you neighbor has a beautiful garden, but hates gardening, they are likely stuck in a cycle of expenses they can't escape. Labor is expensive, and that is especially true for short term tasks like spring time visits to spruce up a garden. If your neighbor is hiring pros to visit each year, that's a pretty sure sign they are in over their head.
3. Their plants are overgrown and have not been updated in years
If your neighbor used to have a beautiful garden but has left it to run wild over the years, you can be pretty certain their garden costs more to maintain than they can afford. Maintenance costs can sometimes be almost free (if you have children) so to be unable to find the time or budget to get a kid to pick some weeds is a pretty sad state.
2. They have a fountain which runs 24/7 365 days a year
Fountains look wonderful, so they often appear as spectacles in high profile places like the Bellagio in Las Vegas or the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy. When your budget is limitless, like it would be as a Las Vegas Casino or the Catholic Church, then maybe a fountain makes sense. But for everyone else, a fountain that runs all year is a sure sign of an unaffordable garden accessory.
1. Their lawn is green due to daily sprinkling
You probably have neighbors with bright green lawns and lush gardens due to their religious devotion to watering. But most communities charge for utilities like water. Endless watering means endless bills, so a lush green lawn probably equals a dry, barren wallet.
So there you have it: 6 signs your neighbor has a garden they cannot afford. Do you have a neighbor you think has a garden they cannot afford? What about their garden makes you think they can't afford it?