My neighbour, Matthew, (no.32) has all but abandoned his garden. It’s been years now and the garden has become more and more overgrown, re-wilding. The grass has disappeared. Bracken (Pteridium sp.), Tradescantia fluminensis, Madeira vine (Anredera cordifolia) have replaced it. Self-seeded trees are growing, forming an arcade along beside the path. The species of tree, an ash (Fraxinus griffithii) is the same as those growing on the footpath out the front. (I have discovered that street trees grow easily from seed, which is probably why they are cultivated as street trees.)
First weeds sprouted between the pavers on the path, now the path is simply slowly disappearing under a creeper, probably blue morning glory (Ipomoea indica), and leaf litter. The ivy (Hedera sp) which was growing on the front fence is now slowly covering the other plants, the callistemon, the lemon tree, has climbed the private electricity pole and blanketed the security camera.
The jacaranda struggles under the mass of wisteria. Two lower branches have broken under the weight and hang roped by the vine.
I have at times wondered what would happen if I did absolutely nothing to my garden…now I have an idea.