Should we have gone for a lower-maintenance garden?

A friend has asked if we have finished the garden, given that there have been no posts for a while. No, definitely not finished! But we have been rather swamped by the on-going maintenance - the watering, weeding, pruning and mowing. Not to mention disposing of the detritus that the last three generate. And  weeding is a bit like hoovering - looks nice when it's done but don't really need to see it happening.

However, things continue to grow. Like the campsis (Chinese trumpet vine) by the front door. From bare sticks in May, it is now up to the gutters and threatening to cover several of the upstairs windows. Lovely to look at though.

And the answer to the question is no! It may be a lot of work, but I love doing it. And who wants a garden that looks exactly the same week after week?