I know that some of my friends and neighbors have mostly given up on gardening. Rock scapes, decomposed granite front yards, gravel borders, and lots of succulents (which I don't really consider gardening...).
These things can look really nice, be very low maintenance, and very drought tolerant - as in they need hardly any water.
But...
I miss the green. I miss the anticipation of the beautiful floral displays, and the fruit and vegetable that we enjoy. I worry that these things may be a relic of the past here in Southern California, but I am not ready to give up yet.
I'm ready to plant my new irises in the fall, and I am itching to get out and prune down all my roses, lavender, and dusty miller in preparation for the spring bloom. I even just googled to see if straw flowers can be perennials -- and it says that in zones 8 - 11, it just might work. So, I will prune my hero straw flowers back too.
AND I'm definitely going to have a "mum" show in the front garden this fall -- so I'm still planning garden strategies, with a more realistic approach, but NOT without hope!
I'm ready for a spare winter garden, because I know that this is the time that things rest so that they can show themselves again in the spring. And now that the weather is a little bit cooler, I am ready to get on my gardening shoes again!
Giving up Gardening? Not a chance!