Beginner Gardening: Starting Over :), 1 by pkock

pkock wrote:
Hey! I just joined Dave's a few days ago and I'm still enthusiastically poking around the site.

I have the great opportunity of starting over with the garden and landscaping, because in a couple of weeks we'll be moving! I've tried to hold off planning too much, aware that until the actual *closing* nothing's for sure. But as of yesterday all of the issues I know about are resolved, so it looks like all we need is a firm date to sign all those papers.

We're moving from a 1/3 acre lot to a 1.2 acre property, which leaves LOTS of room for my gardening vices. What excites me most about it is the general atmosphere of the place. I've always been a cottage garden kind of gal, but my DH believes that when you have a small-ish area (like a subdivision yard) your landscaping should be tidy and structured. The new place is more open and rural, so maybe I can get away with being imaginative. Rampant flowering vines on the fence and all that. :)

First priority (after moving our stuff in, LOL!) is getting rid of the English Ivy that's overgrown the beds in the front yard and is sending scouts up the brick wall. I HATE ivy outside almost as much as I hate wallpaper inside, though thankfully the new house doesn't have any. Our current house had it in every room, but no ivy. :)

Second priority is the veggie bed. I am not exaggerating to say that is a big reason I wanted to move NOW rather than later in the spring - I think there's time enough that I won't have to go a year without my own homegrown tomatoes. :) There are lots of farmers' markets in the area, but that's just not the same. And if I'm really motivated, I can start the seeds in our new solarium!

Third, landscaping the front. Aside from the ivy, the current owners weren't very imaginative with their plantings. Spring bulbs are starting to poke noses up now, but I don't see any there. That will be remedied next fall, be assured. :) How can anyone FACE a springtime without bulbs?

Fourth, developing a well-tended plan for the remainder of the back. This will involve removing small trees and shrubs and is going to be tons of work...um, I mean fun. :)

I can't wait!

Can anybody recommend some good landscape design software? I have some, but it's kind of antiquated.

I'll be posting again once we actually move in and asking for all kinds of input. So be forewarned. ;)

--Pam