other gardens
what the…?
Landscape blunders? Maybe I just have OCD, you decide…
Starbucks
Ok, I have professed my love for Starbucks before. I go there too much a lot and the lattes are still awesome but the oleander in the drive-thru, not so much. I guess the landscaper designer didn’t know how big oleander would actually get or that it is poisionous. They planted it next to the pickup window in approximately a 3 foot deep strip… I hope when this plant matures I will still be able to get my coffee lol.
Oleander can quickly reach up to 20 feet tall and approximately 10 feet wide. It is suited for USDA Zones 8-10 and is best used as screens, hedges or natural fencing. You should not plant in playgrounds or areas frequented with pets. I wouldn’t use this plant in landscaping near a food establishment either.
Parrot Pete’s/Alligator Pear
There are two restaurants that recently opened in a brand spanking new office park in Harvey, LA that sport awesome food and outdoor dining spaces… the landscaping there is mostly tropical. The problem here is that they used St. Augustine grass inside the cement border on all the garden beds on the property. What the hell? We use St. Augustine grass in our yards because it grows well and fairly quickly in our climate. It is not the most attractive grass and has a tendency to run… I spend a lot of time keeping this grass OUT of my garden beds.
Besides the St. Aug grass that drives me nuts, I have to say that Parrot Pete’s has AWESOME coffee and sinful pastries and Alligator Pear has this great chicken salad with a house citrus vinaigrette (among other things) that I must have a couple times a week.
Factoid: What is an alligator pear? That is what us Nawlins locals call an avocado. 
Mom’s Canna from Hell
My mom migrated to the Westbank of New Orleans after her house flooded during Hurricane Katrina. She bought a really great house but the previous owner thought it would be a good idea to flank a path on the side of the house with canna. Last year my sister got on her hands and knees and dug all the canna out of the ground… she must have missed a few lol. It is so thick that you can’t even see the path anymore. We are going to try and dig them up again this fall… In the meantime, mom has been trying to spray them with weed killer but that isn’t working too well lol.
Tags: Discussion
8 comments for “what the…?”
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Dear, dear, this passion of yours for Starbucks may stand in the way of what looked like a great relationship. Dang. I don’t think their coffee’s that great, and when you add in the oleander factor– Well.
Parrot Pete’s sounds neat, though.
I don’t understand a 6″ wide border of ANY kind of grass, even most bunch grasses, but St. Augustine? Why a turf grass, any turf grass? Does someone actually plan to mow that, and if so, why? What a waste of time! Is there even an edge on the inside border of that grass to keep it from spreading?
What are people thinking?
–Kate
Kate… I think the coffee at Starbucks is more of a convenience/habit thing lol… not many gourmet coffee shops have drive-thrus. Besides, espresso and steamed milk is just that pretty much wherever you go.
Parrot Pete’s is really cool though, they used to make shrimp and grits for Sunday brunch (sounds gross, but it is “slap your mamma good!) Damn, I am starving…
There is no edge bordering it. I can’t wait to see it next summer when it starts growing like wildfire, I assume they will mow it lol! It is funny though, everytime we go there I make a comment about it. I don’t know what the hell they were thinking.
First, thanks so much for visiting my blog and your comment on the Bucky story!
I also love Starbucks… and definitely agree with you about the oleander. Big Bad in the Big Easy, huh! Plus, out here in CA we are losing a lot of oleander to an incurable blight…
Anne… your Bucky story made me laugh! I do that all the time, take it to the nth degree. I’m so glad hes back. Oleander is a beautiful plant but I can’t put in on my property because of my dogs.
I’m so glad to hear there’s someone else out there who sees landscaping blunders and wonders what they were thinking. I do it all the time! LOL. Maybe those oleanders are of a dwarf variety. I think there’s dwarf ones out there, right?
Jean… I am sure there are dwarf varieties but these are smothering the plants in front of them already lol… i went through the drive-thru yesterday and the oleander is touching the cars.
Great blog, photos and articles. Very informative. Thank you for sharing and keep up the great work. Rick
Thank you for visiting Rick…