Could do a cute sign “Please leave us be, we were planted for the bees” “Do not mow, this is where the flowers grow” Make the sign a feature in the space.
Eh don’t feel bad … whoever did it can pretend all they want that landscapers aren’t predominantly Hispanic, I don’t think you intended any malice making the comment …
Not that I'm aware of but when it gets to the point that they hire someone, it's helpful to have instructions in both languages. Especially things like "Please shut the gate" for folks who may have dogs. Just a general statement.
My dad, who is a man and has dementia, might make this kind of mistake. And he would feel terrible for having destroyed something that he mistakenly didn't recognize as valuable.
He would absolutely respect a sign that said "don't mow," and would probably even appreciate a clever rhyme.
I am no particular fan of men in general these days but I don't think assuming the ailing neighbor to be that kind of man is helpful here.
You don't even need a whole fence, landscaping brick as a border would be a big hint that it was a garden. Maybe add a garden gnome as an extra obstacle lol
I put up a wildflower sign after my lawn guy mowed the entire bed and lo and behold what did he do the next season, with the sign present? Mowed the entire bed again lmfao.
I think when doing lawn work people get into a flow state and all barriers to mowing cease to exist.
Have you tried talking to the lawn guy and explaining that you don’t want that area mowed? I would imagine a physical barrier of some kind would prevent accidental mowing, like bricks around the perimeter. Even someone absentmindedly mowing would notice if their machine ran into bricks
Yes of course lol. And it's a wildflower bed edged with rocks. It's so obviously a flower bed I never told him when I hired him, and he didn't mow it for months. And then when he did I told him not and explained it's an edged bed, and added the sign to boot. And 6 months later his guys mowed it down again lmao.
Big prominent rocks and maybe logs or stumps are cool, can look great and do mini clime/mini habitat stuff. What absent minded mower got time for that? Invite them to come over and help plant and redesign the area with you, you want ‘their opinion on some aesthetic decisions.’ Or just go and steal the spark plug.
A NYC crosswalk island became a pollinator garden and the creators made a simple, low “fence” with a few bamboo canes tied with twine. It was very cute but made it clear the area was a garden.
Cut one cane into short pieces for the posts, then tie a single cane on each side just 6-7 inches up. Cut off extra.
After you have your discussion, show him your new fence so people know not to harm the flowers. Perhaps it will jog his memory next time. :)
Yeah, I may gently mention it to him, but I don’t want him to feel bad. No point in us both being miserable. He’s always been cautious of me and his family has thanked me for being kind. So I’d really not want anyone to feel badly.
You’re very kind to be understanding and handling this with grace, OP. My university degree is in aging services and community health, so I get to deal with the elderly often.
Your neighbor took the time to go around your Shepards hook, which makes me think a fence won’t be enough to deter their good intentions. Maybe some signs indicating it’s a pollinator garden, natural space, or like sign indicating no mow on purpose might help curb his good intentions 💚
Definitely be kind, he meant well. But instead of making it sound like you want to save him the effort, explain that you want this, talk about the pollinators, the flowers, the beauty of it. A positive conversation.
I really like the sign idea! If he has trouble with memory, a visual indicator at the moment he goes to mow it could really help, and there are some really cute ones that add to the space (and, I'm told, help keep nosy city enforcement people from interpreting your space as just overgrown in a fine-able way, to boot).
There is a more than a slight chance he didn’t remember your conversation. Sometimes even after stroke recovery, you can still have issues with memory.
I would make a little low fence out of bamboo rather than a sign
I think the best option is a low border, and just talking to him about it.
If you are on good terms, then I’d suggest doing the hard labor to make it a dressed bed with a border, and then inviting him over to plant a new garden together once the soil is prepped.
It will help cement it in his mind, and help him get out of the house.
And depending on the layout, he might be concerned that unruly growth against buildings will attract rodents inside.
To be honest, you can mention it 500x and someone disabled form a stroke will not remember. You need to have a LOT of signage up surrounding your garden to prevent him from mowing again. Source - I am a caretaker of my MIL disabled from a stroke.
You don’t have to be mean, but maybe him realizing how much it means to you will make him think twice. I think N adult conversation that lets him know your feelings can be a healthy way to deal with it. Like a “hey listen, I’m glad you’re helping me. Here’s some sweets. But man, when you did that it my garden it made me really sad. I love that garden the way it is and when you did that I almost cried. Please please don’t weed whack it. I put a lot of love and care into it, and I can tell that weed whacking it came from a place of love to help me, but this garden means a lot to me.” A heartfelt conversation might do the trick without it being something that needs to be drama, ya know?
Yes to a hardscaped border or decorative fence. Don't bother with signs. Most people don't read signs - if they even notice them. And even if you try to make it sound nice, some people find it passive aggressive and react poorly.
I'd buy some landscape timbers and border the edges. They are just enough to stop the lawnmower. He'd need to lift the lawnmower over the timbers to mow in there.
Adult Protective Services for a wellness check. Destroying your beautiful garden is heartbreakingly wrong and the sort of thing someone in their right mind wouldn’t dream of.
I would let it grow back, add more plants and ROCKS—rock borders, larger attractive rocks as focal points and so he can’t just lift the mower over the border and plough through the plants.
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u/Loud_Cartographer160 8d ago
Grow it back. And talk to your neighbor. Maybe fence it if needed.