I Hate Lavender

I've mentioned before how the lavender is taking over the sidewalk. Attempts to trim it back on the south side of the house have gone well so far. But on the front (north side) of the house, it seems the upkeep of the lavender has not been as rigorous. My research sources tell me to keep the plant trimmed back, espsecially if it starts getting woody. Well, after about half an hour squatting and trying to work through tough, woody branches, we end up with this:

Doesn't it seem like I should find a gnome house somewhere in there?

There is always the possibility of ripping this out and starting over, but that seems like even more painful work after looking at this mess.

I now want to go to my neighbor the lavender picker and thank her profusely for helping her keep things under control! Just stay away from the hydrangeas, lady.

Meanwhile, in the backyard:

This is after a couple of weeks of thoughtful watering (no, not overwatered, you Utah lawn Nazis). I think I will have to concede defeat on this one. A lot of people have told me about the typical Northwest lawn that turns brown in the summer and recovers in the fall. But this lawn isn't just Northwest Lawn Brown, it's mostly dead. I will have a lot to ask about when we make our next trip to the nursery.

You can also tell where Truman has left his mark.