Now I'm depressed...

after seeing all the varieties of plants that other Texas gardeners are growing... and I'm not.
A landscape architect and great plant picker outer I am not but at times, do you ever feel like just ripping everything out and starting over? Oh, I get a few compliments on my yard and beds from time to time but I've always felt like it was more because I keep everything neat, trimmed, and healthy than because of any particular plant selections I've made, most of which are plain vanilla big box store type plants.

Was over at a friend's house last evening and made the backyard tour. Despite having a large shed (looks like a small cottage, NOT a shed) in their relatively small back yard and lots of yard ornaments and plants in pots, it looked "planned" instead of haphazard. Plants, and I mean LOTS of plants BUT... these particular friends could make a trip to any ol junkyard and/or garden center and come away with stuff to make any garden beautiful whereas I don't seem to have inherited a single "artsy" gene from anywhere in my linage. Bummer...

Ok, back to your regular programming now...
Steve

Go ahead and get into Texas Natives, or better yet come to the swap in Arlington, and get a dose of cheer.

Listen to Josephine. :)

I have to laugh (at myself) b/c if anyone came into my backyard they'd be shocked. I'm always telling people that I've been outside working in my garden. And it's true. I spend a lot of time out there. But one would never think that I have a garden! There's a lot of very empty space. But I'm working on it! Really!

So I'm sure that you're years ahead of me, Skeeter.

I do have some recently acquired (for free) odds and ends if you'd like to try your hand at yard art.

As sweetmommy said, 'Listen to Josephine.' :D

Skeeter, once someone on here started a thread saying, "Let's make a plan and visit one another's gardens! The silence was deafening. Finally, people began to speak up and say, things like... this is not a good time for me. I'd have to really clean up first. Last year it looked OK but this year, not so much. and ending with, but I would like to see everyone elses!

I was going along with the drought and managing my garden with natives and miscellaneous and then this year we got rain in the spring and everything I had tripled in size. It looked like a jungle to begin with and now with the rain, I dont know what to call it. I expect to see the mail man any day now with a machete. A garden is such a personal thing to me. I think each person has a garden in their mind that they are always trying to create. Just like farmers we are at the mercy of the weather. That's what keeps us challenged I think. If there was not that element of risk, it would not be so satisfying when something turns out well.

I have the opposite problem. My garden is stuffed with plants and some are laying on top of one another. I always plant too much and then by this time of year I feel like ripping out the tangled mess too! I bet your area is lovely, just maybe not what you imagined it could be.
C

What always gets me is that if I just take closeups of all the individual blooms, one would think I had a botanical garden growing here. But when I take a distant sort of "landscape" shot...my first thought is, "After all that work, how can it look so bare?" :~)

Skeeter, don't underestimate your gardening skills or eye for arrangement. There are LOTS of yards that are trim and tidy, but boring. People generally don't comment just to be "nice". Maybe your current feelings are just a signal that you're ready to get more adventurous. Fun time ahead!

I appreciate all your reassurances and comments. I really do...
I'm convinced that part of my mental gardening issues are due to the fact that I've always gardened in almost full sun conditions and while I can appreciate the shade I've created, especially during the summer days, somehow I've "resisted" converting over to more shade friendly plantings.
As an example, earlier in the year I passed by more shade friendly yet colorful plants in favor of more exciting flowering plants that needed far more sun than I can now give them. I love bulbs too but really (and I already knew this some years ago), bulbs in general are a very short term solution for color with bloom times for each restricted to perhaps 2-3 weeks per variety so they are technically suited as background plants, not foreground plants. AND they need sun, lots of sun.
Annuals are another issue for me... for years, I couldn't see the investment in buying annuals that were almost instant color for a season when I knew that at some point, they were going to be pulled and trashed. I'm now beginning to understand why they're so popular to pop in here and there for accents. And my goodness, there's a whole truckload of beautiful big pots out there that one can plop right IN the bed... why, I've never done it but why the heck not?

In some sense, I think I'm going to have to relearn "how" to pick plants and relearn gardening all over again... and therein is the issue.
Thanks all...
Steve

Skeeter, I was just walking my dog this morning, and looking at all the yards I passed by. We live in an old, well-established neighborhood (houses built in the 60's) and I was really surprised to see stuff like Yellow Bells, Plumbago, and Crepe Myrtles blooming like crazy in the shade. Granted, we have had some rain recently, but I mean these things are in fairly constant shade (going by the tree canopy around them) and yet they are huge and healthy.

I know EXACTLY what you mean about annuals, and I've been working to change my mind on them, as well. I planted a big clay pot of vincas out in the yard this year, and those things bloomed allll summer long. I plant to try salvia coccinea now, under the big Arizona Ash in our back yard...some stuff is surprisingly happy in the shade.

Have a great Wednesday!

TXSkeeter---Don't be depressed!! Your garden only has to please you (and your spouse if you have one). My garden is in a constant state of change, planting new things, moving things that aren't happy in their location, moving pots around, etc. etc.

I, too, am getting more and more shade, thank goodness. I have found that plumbago, columbine, variegated major vinca, and several other things actually prefer shade as opposed to the very hot afternoon Texas sun. I also attempted to start a beauty berry this summer, but I think I didn't keep it watered well enough. Also Oak Leaf Hydrangea prefers shade.

And speaking of annuals---Are you familiar with coleus? There are dozens of varieties and they are beautiful. They have a smallish bloom, but I keep my shoots pinched off so that the plants are thicker and bushier. Some varieties say they are for sun but it has been my experience that morning sun, not Texas afternoon sun, is best for them. And then the best part is just before your first frost, cut off the top 8" or so of each stem, strip off the bottom leaves, and put it a clear jar or vase of water. Place in a sunny window and within a few days you will have roots forming and eventually the container will be full of roots. In the spring, after danger of frost, put them out in pots or directly in the ground and you have annuals for that year at no cost. This may be something you already do, but wanted to let you know how not to spend money on one annual every year. That bothers me too. I have also found, since being transplanted to Texas 4 years ago, that we have such a long growing season here that planting annuals from seeds work very well. Particularly zinnias and marigolds. Either start in pots so that you can protect them on a cold night or wait until after danger of frost has passed and the ground has warmed up a little, then plant them directly in the ground.

Well, I'll get off my soap box now. End of speech!!! LOL

Well, I can totally relate to the lack of "artsy" genes! But I can copy from people and borrow ideas! I have found some useful info from the Shade forum for my one bit of shady yard. I've also gotten away from planting so many annuals only because they are alot of work! I'm trying to fill in with TX friendly perennials and some natives, like the yellowbells. And don't feel bad about buying plain ol' regular big box flowers! As long as they will grow in TX and if you like them, get them! But those stores will carry plants that will quickly fry in TX so do a bit of research before buying. I learned that the hard way! It's just so tempting to get all the "pretties" as you're passing by. And if your garden is neat and tidy, you're way ahead of most of us! I'm familiar with the feeling of "inferiority" on DG but ya know, all these lovely people, esp. on the TEXAS forum, are so welcoming and giving. No one judges others gardens and practices here (for the most part!!). So, just have fun and learn as you go! Janet

I agree with what others have said, including what I implied but didn't say, in that if you'd like me to bring a couple pieces of potential yard art to the RU, let me know.

Now, speaking of yard art, I have a wonderful book that I possibly bought before I even bought my house. :D

'Garden Junk' written and photographed by Mary Randolph Carter, published in 1997 by Penguin Studio. (The publisher refers to her as 'the reigning queen of junk'.) It has before and after pics, ideas on where to find stuff and how to bargain for it, etc. Carter was quoted in a 1994 NY Times interview as saying, "Never stop to think, do I have a place for this?"

I'm sad b/c on Labor Day weekend my favorite store, Bettyann & Jimbo's Junkadoodle, closed their doors. Sigh.

'nother sidebar. In the '80s in Austin in one of the far out (yes, double entendre) areas, everyone had flocks of pink flamingos in their front yards. One year the mayor was so infuriated that he tried to outlaw this practice. Instead, he was booted out of office!

Hey Skeeter, don't despair. I think most of us go through these phases from time to time as our gardens 'evolve'. Gardening is a process, like life. Sometimes we think we know what we want and what we are doing and then we realize that it is not quite right or our perspective changes and we just have to refocus and reevaluate and shift gears. As for me, I have gotten my meticulously-planned garden 'completed' only to change it up and then change it up and then..change it up. I don't think I will ever have the gardens completed because I am constantly learning and evolving myself. Just keep learning and trying new things. When they work - great! When they don't - no problem, just rip it out and try something else. Enjoy the process and using your creativity. :-)

Well said, aardvark7. It's not the kind of thing that stays the way you put it and that is OK because it's a living thing or a collection of living things. Learn to flow with it, tweak it here, mourn it there, recreate it here. Admire it at times, despair with it at times. I think that's what we gardeners like about it. It's always a challenge but almost never an overwhelming challenge. I use my garden to relieve MY depression because with a garden there is always next season or next year which will always be different from this year. With a garden you can always hope. I like that about it.

My shrubs are always purchased just before a hard freeze at 50% to 75% off, last year I got a couple of Mexican Sage bushes, 3 Rose of Sharon, 2 Vitex. One of my Althea - rose of sharon was eaten by grasshoppers after insufficient moisture hard hurt it. My other main source of plants is stuff other people are going to pull out and toss for failure to thrive. I have a 10 year old Carolina Jessamine vine that I found laying on the ground, some people treat perennials like annuals.

There is no real order to my gardens, I just try to put things that will need divided, like bulbs and iris, where I can get to them easily. Perennials where they will maybe get what they need and sprinkle wildflower seeds in the middle. crowding is an issue. But I kind of phase what goes where and most of it lives.

My focus on the lot is either bee fodder, manageable walk space or food production. All in equal order. I am gradually getting shade plants in under the pines. They do reduce my garden space a lot but their shade is thick and delightful. Photos when I have time.

You WATERED a beautyberry? I didnt know they neefed watered. Or did you get one of those fancy colored ones? If you want the native seeds I have several dozens around the yard I can send you nex time I am home- the rabbits cant eat them all...

Wow and I thought it was just me. I've always had a great appreciation for nature but a true black thumb. Always been a seed hoarder though.. Haphazardly throwing them in bare areas and getting lucky now and then.
This was the first year I've ever shopped and planned for a garden, albeit on a tight budget (I admit it's a little kitschy), and some of the plants made it, others not so much, but I've learned so so much! This site is an amazing resource also, so many knowledgable people willing to help and trade seeds and plants with!
I'm sure next year will be amazing as I'll be winter sowing a ton, and have some plants that will be established and can work around, planting little ones around to fill in any gaps. The shade garden has been a big problem for me also.. Gutters leak right above so sometimes it's pretty wet, but during the summertime it is hot and dry and sun will beat down on them from sideways for 4 hours or so. Some of the things growing happily in these conditions all year were spider plant, mexican petunia, bachelor buttons, yarrow and daylilies. I plan to move the daylilies since I've been told they need more sun, but yeah I feel you, texas shade is a monster to find the right plants for!
I recently received a few more options to plant from seed specifically for this area. Gonna try columbine, heuchera and astilbe. Maybe a few native ferns I have as houseplants this winter will make the cut also. These are supposed to be tolerant of partial sun and thrive in shade.. Well see if they can pull through!! Good luck and chin up!!

Gonna have to look up Lipan- new name to me...

Kittriana, Lipan is an hour west of Fort Worth. So glad to be out further west after living there for 5 years! Where is Magnolia?

Magnolia is where Houston holds its Renaissance, chuckl- north of Tomball, Tx. Between Spring (or The Woodlands better) and Hempstead, Tx. You say west of FW I think Weatherford, Cleburne. Possum Kingdom. i got ya. You're in cedar lovin and mesquite country.

Oh neato! Never been to renfest but I have friends who are die yards and I'm sure I'll make it to one some day. Yes this is cedar and mesquite land!! Lol you know your Texas!!!

I love how the land tells you what its made of by the plants that thrive- and learned how weather zones and temp patterns affect that. Was necessary to learn where cold snaps affect the road surfaces in the areas I travel when others cannot. I have watched icy roads come and go for a long time now. I like being warm when those winds blow so cold you cant light a a fire even if the wind werent blowing for the cold. I have been in Mn thunder snows and ND below zero aurora borealis mornings and love comimg home to Tx. Im tired, i sound like a chatterbox! Nite.

TX Skeeter.... I don't like a neat garden, I have seedlings growning everywhere. I do try to keep them in flower beds. I started with a blank slate and then did the box store route until I started going to the DG Round Ups. I had very little to offer at first, but got so much that I felt a bit guilty.
Now my yard is full and I am constantly giving plants to others. I don't like ripping up plants and tossing on my compost. So I pot them and then take them to the next RU. Some live some don't; but I gave them a chance to become a nice addition to someone else's blank slate yard.
Visit some of the demonstration garden and see what you like about them and get names so you know what to seek out. A lot of gardeners are ready to share what they have if you ask.

I appreciate the extra comments made above. At present, I'm rethinking what I already have planted, what I can take out and share or trash, and am seriously considering just taking out some of or all of the minor/smaller stuff in certain places and leaving those areas (small though they may be) bare for a while.
Have lots of daylilies, some of which I like and some of which I just don't like the colors, amaryllis, and a few flowering winners here and there. The rest are primarily just plants I bought to fill in "holes" in the beds and which I have no attachment to either for or against so it'll be no great loss if they were to go bye-bye.
Been thinking it over quite a bit and have decided I need to be more tolerant of shade loving, colorful selections (whether they be flowering or just pretty leaves), buy fewer plants just to fill this or that bare spot, be ruthless on taking out plants that I don't care for and in general, start visiting nurseries that typically have been off my radar simply because they're a bit further to drive to. In the Dallas area alone, we have a multitude of fine horticultural retailers and it's silly not to utilize them just because they're not 15 minutes from the house.
A gardening friend of mine once told me that she found that although she tried her best, she couldn't mentally "reorganize" her multiple flower beds until one day when she took out everything but the "bones" of those particular beds and let the beds lie dormant over a season. Since winter is coming on and most things will be bare for the most part anyway, that may just be the path I choose to follow... Start anew in the Spring with new plants and a new outlook on the growing things I want to look at every day when I spend most of my time outdoors.
Looking "inside" and backward at my actions over many years, I've also finally determined that what I've always been most interested in is not necessarily the final version of any one bed but rather, the process of planting and making my selections thrive. The short version of that is probably this: maybe I just like to play in the dirt more than having a showplace and that is not necessarily a bad thing...
Thanks again...
Steve

No that is not a bad thing. I am wondering just what lived through the drought and the waterbed flooding trying to level my foundation...I may have to "clear' that area to find out.

Sheila - I'm the same way with not being able to throw away a perfectly good plant. I have quite. a few misfit plants I moved to a bare area at the end of my lawn just so they can live happily until I know what I plan on doing with them. Maybe nothing. Lol!
Steve - That's a good idea leaving a clean slate to reassess what you want the area to be. I ultimately divided my one starter flowerbed into quite a few once I realized the different light requirements of plants. My shade bed is by far the hardest for me to fill..

TXSkeeter, we moved to an abandoned farm years ago, moved in an old house that needed lots of TLC, and was horribly overgrown with all kinds of useless brush and weeds. When I was able to get a yard fenced in, I went crazy at box stores, Walmart,and big nurseries buying what I thought I should. Very little of it thrived, and most that did weren't as nice as I was led to believe. I found DG and that started a change. I began to look other places around me, went to local group plant sales, and began to make different choices and develop a feel for what was my "style". I still kill plants and still choose things I shouldn't but more of those live now that I can devote time to them on occasion instead of being overwhelmed caring for everything.
I, like Sheila, am a messy gardener, so my front yard is turning into a cottage garden, hopefully with no grass to care for. Right now there is no rhyme or reason to some of my beds, just great plants that I received in RUs and bought because of their knowledge and suggestions. As these beds mature in this next year, I will start new ones by moving selections to them and in the end, they will all be organized, no who am I kidding, I will never have organization, but I will have beauty that needs little care.
I used to think I had a brown thumb, now I get compliments on my plants.
One last thought that worked for me. I planted one bed that was small, and got it right. That gave me the patience to handle the empty spots in the others.

Stillplayswithdirt - Columbine, heuchera and astilbe all like shade, as do ferns. Maybe I misunderstood what you wrote, but if you are going to plant them in an area where their little feet will remain wet, I don't think they'll be too happy. I've never planted heuchera from seed so I'll be waiting to hear how that goes next year.

Tx flower child, the bed will be pretty wet for a day or two following heavy rain, depending on whether or not sun dries things up quicker. You think that might be too much moisture? Yes in curious too about the heuchera. The cultivar is 'Palace Purple'.

Kind of a funny here... Several Years ago, I signed up for Neil Sperry's Landscape School (back when it was a LOT cheaper) and attended one January Saturday when the roads between Mesquite and Plano were totally iced over and several inches of snow was on the ground. Received some good information and literature plus was tasked with making a scale drawing of my lot with house, existing beds, etc. all included. Got out my 50' tape measure and did the drawing as instructed...
In February, got the free 30 minute landscape evaluation from a professional landscape person, Dr. something or other out of A&M, at the Sperry sponsored garden show and while he was instructional to a point, his ideas would not have worked in my yard at all. Most suggested was a direction to expand my front beds into a large semi-circle up to the front public sidewalk which, while interesting, would have made my house the only one on the block with such a design. While I can be about as non-conformist as anyone at times, the design and plantings suggested would have made every little dead or sickly plant or misplaced planting stand out like a sore thumb, not to mention requiring at least three times as much work and money as I had at the time.
Now, I love my yard and enjoy spending as much time in it as I can but truthfully, I decided long ago that as much as I like green growing things, I'm not going to be a slave to the greenery nor to the maintenance thereof. To do so would make it more drudgery than fun in my view...

still bein stuffed...torn out and restuffed...3-I think fountain grasses as background if crepe myrtle succumbs, not a problem...

This was taken last week of one of my full sun front beds, so fall blooms are going crazy. I don't know how I would begin with a blank slate on my crowded flower beds. But I always have seeds and plants for friends that come by.
Like I said, I don't like neat beds. LOL!

Beautiful, Sheila. That's the way I like to plant too. Helps to keep the weeds down. My friend and I call it "shoe horn gardening". If we find a plant we like, we will shoe horn it in somewhere!!!

Love it, Sheila.

Yes, love it Sheila. And that's what I'd like to do one day. Everything is mini right now. And need to dig more beds. Ack.

Becky - I don't know how much rain you get, etc. But as long as the plants aren't soaked frequently, I think you'll be ok.

I love your bed, Sheila! I'm the same way-always room to add another one somewhere and get too carried away at the garden centers so always have stuff to make room for. Lots of extra work transplanting perennials when they get too crowded but I like the full "cottage garden" type look.

Thanks all! It is only one of 20 beds, some small... some 40 foot or more. Most don't look like much, but I keep taking in more plants. I can't keep the beds up like I once did, but with little help from me, the natives and bulb plants keep blooming. And with the wonderful sprinkler system we had put in several years back, it is still enjoyable to have a yard.
Although I must admit I question the container plants we have scattered around when I was pulling and lifting them last night. It is suppose to be a early 28 degrees tonight. :-(

I love your bed, Sheila! I like that lush look.

Mine tend to get a bit too lush for me. This bed was one of the last I made, and I was determined that it wouldn't get quite so overgrown. It was really bare for a couple of years. Now stuff is getting shaded out and the mail carrier needs a machete and a beesting kit. Still, I love the colors.

Pattie, how good to hear from you, we have been missing you.
What are you talking about, that bed looks great!!!

Thanks Pattie! I love your curbside display! I bet the postal person does too.