Is it a Yard or a Garden?

In colloquial American English a yard is a simpler affair, but seems to require more tidiness. As my readers know, neatness is one of my weak spots. I often hear acquaintances mention "cleaning up the yard". As my neighbors must know, I feel as though life is too short for sweeping the sidewalk immaculately, for example. Some folks even use a hose and blast the cement until its perfect!  I don't call the lot surrounding our house a garden because it's high-falutin'. Using the term has the added benefit of reduceing the level of upkeep. One of the first things we did was eliminate 9/10ths of the lawn, on the front, sides and back. By changing things to a "natural" look over time. we reduced the shock to our  neighbors and pedestrians (psychologists refer to this as "conditioning"). Later,  I invented a technique called "selective weeding". This means that if something we like comes up, such as a violet, we incorporate it into the bed design. If it's invasive, ugly or too outrageous to get away with, then we dig it up. Sometimes I let the Autumn leaves over-winter on the beds. If asked, I refer to them as "Nature's blanket" for the frigid season. Today I got a random call from a lawn pesticide company. I assured them that we don't have a need for their services. In keeping with a woodland theme there are some trails which are also low maintenance. Probably the well kept part of the property is an Asian themed section. For some reason keeping this in order is pure pleasure. However, even here I may miss a dandelion or two!