A garden must have mature trees.
On an urban lot this also means an old house.
As the Mr and I were looking for a place to live we paid attention to the potential garden.
A small ranch on a large double lot with 5 mature trees caught our attention. Perfect as I hate house work the fewer rooms the better. We can entertain outside. A fireplace and you add a couple of months to the time it is comfortable out there. Doesn't everyone love a crackling fire?
A residential street in front and an alley on two sides with only one close neighbor.
The back and sides of the house were surrounded by a six foot wooden fence but the front yard was large and open. This would mean some privacy which we both prize. What fun it is being outdoors without having to communicate with neighbors. I am somewhat reclusive prefering a good book to conversation many a warm sunny day.
The open front garden can be made into a welcoming area where hopefully those passing by will feel comfortable commenting, even stopping to chat on occassion. This may save us from seeming unsocial.
Old small house, mature trees and what seemed to be bits of an old garden. It must have been a good garden at one time. Forsythia,Spring flowering spirea, Annebelle hydrangea, an aging privet hedge,Rose of Sharon, a swath of Lily of the Valley, hosta, sedum,campanula, and in the spring hundreds of pastel tulips, a traditional garden waiting for someone.
There is a problem though, for while it certainly is more garden than the rest of the neighborhood, it is not what we intend. It is going to take some doing to make this garden ours....