how do you plan your flower gardens?

I'm with you Amy!

Same here. Two trays outside for a few weeks now. Another of those, "What was I thinking" experiences. Happens every year.

Well I know that no matter how much planning you do two things always get in the way, impulse purchases and plants that don't read their tags for size. The only good thing about pests, critters and crummy weather that bump plants off is an empty spot to stick in the latest "find" from the nursery! It is a sickness isn't it.

Yes, it is. The problem is that the vacancy and the new plant don't always jibe. Maybe that's why moving plants becomes routine.

My DH thinks that at some point in the future (hopefully, near future in his opinion) the garden will be finished - and we don't have to do anything except weed and enjoy.

Hahahahahahahaha

I got there, Seandor.. We're in a new development and the contractors just sowed the grass seeds in June.. We had to water the crap out of it to make sure it'd take. So, I'm just starting on my gardens now.. I do have 6 daylilies coming though... Just have the create a bed for them to go into... So, next spring, we should have grass and flowers.. We've got bubkus now..

Finished????? No garden is ever finished!

ngam...regarding those impulse purchases. I have to cut that out. Tibetan blue poppy seemed like a good idea in February.. Tagetes lucida seemed like a good idea in March. Then there were the seed packages of Molokhiya, Okahijiki and edible Amaranth. Another year of this and I can open my own seed company from the stock tucked away in drawers.

Yes, that's like saying 'My house is clean. Never needs cleaning again'. I wish.

For Victor, from Erma Bombeck:

Cleaning the house
while the kids are still growing
Is like shoveling the walk
while it's still snowing.

Good one. The gardener coming in tracking all kinds of stuff doesn't help either.

But you are the gardener!

I keep the dust mop by the back door now. It's endless.

I take great pains to take off my shoes, etc., only to sometimes find dirt falling off me - from my head or shoulders or whatever!

Thanks for the positive comments. Like flowerjen, my house is brown so I tend to plant a lot of yellows and oranges, especially daylilys in beds close to the house. In other places, anything goes. I did buy a few hanging baskets of pink and purple petunias for the front deck this year though and I have to admit, I do like them. I hit the end of season sales hard as well as the local garden club sales for the majority of my plants. I've also hit the mother lode a few times at a local garden-center's yearly auctions. Some of my favorite plants have come from the garden club sales including some real surprises like the cup plant that is now 8' tall and still growing that I planted in the front corner of one of my beds last year. OOPS! I had no idea! Looks like I'll be moving that one. :)
I tend to go for the "cottagy" look and try to pay attention to height and texture. If something looks too out of place in a year or 2 I'll move it.

Dawnll and ngan.............I made the rustic arbor and fence from locust trees I cut from my property.

Photo........Flowerbed off the deck in front of house.

early_bloomer

This is how I plan my garden...............
wing and a prayer and the seat of my pants. My SO gets annoyed because as soon as May blooms I am lamenting all the work I have ahead of me(september) to change what's there. He doesn't get it. But I get it and any other gardener gets it. Gardens evolve, like language. And the brush strokes have to be applied (purchased) and changed to suit the artist.

Very nice. Anyone know when we got this new photo set up?

Not to mention we're all crazy.

Just this afternoon Dave. I'm not convinced it's so great.

Takes a bit of getting used to.

Victor, I got a new verbenum and waxy bells for my shade garden.

Venu, It took me a while to figure out SO! Getting slow on the uptake.

My main gripe is the delay. Second is that many people post small pics which will not show up well. I clicked on a few that looked blurry due to the 'zoom'.

Which Viburnum Dave? Your waxy bells might melt.

Significant other, Dave.

Dave , we have not been bound be the covenants of church or state so I use SO. I guess fiance would be the term to use, but someone asked me today when the wedding date was and my reply was that my funeral date would happen first. DH would be easier but not really true, and I a hate to tell even the smallest of lies

Funny venu! My wife made me wait before she asked me.

Saw on the other thread you can click the post # instead of pic and it will work like before and open a new window with text.

Loll... I avoid the subject everytime my DH brought it up.. He finally tricked me.. But then he knew my track record, three marriage proposals before 24yrs old from ex-bfs. Everytime they asked, I ran like a scared rabbit..

Neat! Thanks.

victor... :>) smart lady

I had figured it out. I first thought you were "so annoyed" instead of your SO being annoyed. I had a chuckle.

Victor, I can't believe I lost the tag which had the latin., but I believe it's a doublefile, japenese snowball. I really like it. My existing Korean Spice just got severely damaged. (Needed to replace chimney, bad batch of bricks were soaking up water and leaking in our fire box--Am I cursed with water problems or what!? ) Anyway a large piece of chimney landed on my bush. I love the smell of that viburnun but this one is pretter in form, flower and berries.

Great Dave. The Doublefiles are fantastic. My Shasta and Mariesii are two of my favorite plants in the garden. Great leaf texture. Get covered in long-lasting white flowers and get nice red berries that the birds adore. Decent Fall foliage and Winter structure to boot. What more can you ask?

Do the leaves hang on a long time?

I think they drop in November some time.

I'm not good at planning at all, especially with time of blooms for plants. I can end up with no blooms in my garden at one time like the pic I posted. As for color I usually choose plants that I like the color of and then hope they look good in my garden. I have an idea of what I want to plant according to the height of plants but I have a lot to learn about planning an interesting and "eye-catching" garden. What I've got is fun to do anyway and most plants can be moved easily if they don't work out!! Eleanor

I am a planning freak. I have garden planning software (some of you have seen screen shots...it's 3D Home Garden Designer which came as part of 3D Home Architect Design Suite Deluxe 6). I like theme gardens. I have a Fairy Garden (mainly pinks/purples designed to attract hummers & b'flies), Heather Garden (heathers/heaths & dwarf conifers), Rock Garden (in progress...rock garden & alpine plants), Rose Garden (one side is Dawn-pinks/purples; other side is Sunset-oranges/yellows; center is red/white), Succulent Garden (in progress...so far 2 plants), Cottage Garden (typical cottage garden perennials, native shrubs, herbs). then I have typical suburban foundation plantings with shrubs, bulbs, specimen trees. I try for season-long color; working on this and so far it's hit & miss.

of course, I forget to take my plan when I go out to plant and wing it!! LOL

grampapa . . .whoa....I've seen a photo here and there but didn't know how neat that software is. Appreciate the heads up. Moved in a year ago and I've been overwhelmed planning out the yard which is pretty much a blank slate. Been a lawn, I think ,for a century. Nothing much to pull out but as a newbie at this I don't want to make too many serious mistakes putting things in. One thing I have to do is put a 135' screen of something in back (I priced a fence for 90' and all I got to say is I can buy a lot of plants for a fraction of that amount of money). Two huge maple trees are right on the property line and I've been at a loss as to what to put there. This should help a great deal.

My nephew just bought first house and if he lived closer I'd be over there helping him all the time plan his garden. They are ripping out a bunch of stuff so I'll make the 45min trip to see if I can use anything or make room for the things I may want.