Plant collector or garden designer?

We touched on this in another thread but it's worth one on its own.

If you HAD to choose, which would it be? I try my best to keep a decent design with curved beds, groupings (sounds kinky already), repetition, echoes, contrasts of color, height, form texture, yada yada. However, when I see a must have plant - I will find a place for it, even if it throws off the 'karma' or universal balance or feng shui or whatever. I have helped people design their gardens, but I think if I had to pick one job to have in gardening, it would probably be in selling plants that I like in some way.

Okay - weigh in!

Oh Victor, I am hopeless in terms of design. I see a plant, I want, I get it, I plant and it's in the wrong place!
so I am sticking with roses...

I would love to have someone help me design my garden, get rid of all the grass I have (so no need for mowing the lawn!) and all I need to do would to take care and maintain the roses!

I don't believe in "design". Mother nature does a wonderful job of throwing plants together without a designer, and it always looks good!! Therefore, I collect plants and put them in the garden. Always looks good.

True, 3G, but the plants you will find together in someone's garden will never be found in nature like that unless you are committed to native (to one area) plantings only.

I think I fall somewhere in between with mine. My garden is pretty new, and I'm a total newbie at gardening in general. I don't have a master plan, but I constantly find myself moving things around to make a better composition...so the design is sort of evolving as I move along. I do have plants of the same cultivar grouped together here and there, and I do find that looks better than the areas where I have one of this, one of that. But I also will spot something at a nursery that I just have to have and then try to squeeze it in somewhere. Ideally I'd have a much bigger yard and garden so I could have it all- a good design and one of everything (actually, at least three of everything;)!

This message was edited Jan 8, 2008 1:14 PM

About 200#, but I carry it well ;)

I have designed a few projects and they have been rather formal, unlike my gardens. I am pretty much a collector. My space is pretty small and plants have settled into beds where they will do the best. Pretty much have stuff flowering from April until freeze. I am always torn between having mixed beds with continuous blooms or having a bed stacked for all at once 'wow' blooming.

I think I need alot more practice in the design area, so I end up as a collector by default. I've hit upon a few pairings that were nice, but as far as en masse, all I can say is that I'll be doing a ton of transplanting this spring.

My design tendencies are pretty practical. Shade plants where they need to be, sun plants where they need to be, tall behind the short. I do try for mixed beds with continuous blooming. I do a lot of dividing and transplanting and moving around as beds outgrow themselves and that messes up any original designs. I save the "wow" blooming for annual beds. I have this whole new area this spring and I am constantly thinking about who will go where since I will be dividing and transplanting like a crazy lady.

I think I am just an impulse buyer. If I like it and it's hardy, i'll buy and find a place for it. Like Noreaster, I can have several of one variety if I choose, space is not the problem! I do like to color co-ordinate and try different combo's, bottom line:
if I like it and it's hardy, it's coming home with me!!

See a plant, pick it up, and all the day you'll have good luck :))

I plant what I like and move it later. I am no designer, but I do lean over to see if the plants in my line of sight will go thgether in a new spot.

I try to design, it doesn't look like I planned, I move and see and start over, etc, etc.

Not many for design so far. Plantaholics!

And proud of it!!

Can't we be both?

I am a designer, I design all my gardens out on paper, with mostly three or five of each herbaceous plant. I try to incorporate at least 30% shrubs, and have a tree every ten feet or so in each border.

But I am a collector too, and have huge collections of one each of siberian, Japanese and water iris, and the old fashioned yellow daylilies, the trumpet like ones, along with a collection of lilacs, all of which I put in my mixed borders.

Pam Harper suggests putting a plant you're not sure of in a pot, and put it where you think it should go, and then move it around to the best place. She does this with daffs, tulips, perennials, etc.

I like this thread, Victor, great idea, thanks.

Al, that's lovely. It's a wonder people don't run into the garage while they are busy looking at the border.


Venu, that's a lovely combo!

This message was edited Jan 8, 2008 9:58 PM

I am both, Polly. Weeze, which clematis is that? Yes, Al's driveway sideline is very nice. Good combo of annuals and perennials.

Thanks. That bed is on my neighbors side actually, and they have run it over(hitting my fence). Very low maintenance bed. Most of my beds do not mix annuals with perennials.

Here's a not so good shot of my driveway. Some changes have been made since this was taken (of course!).

Did you get rid of the driveway then?
Nice shot - I don't think I've seen that before.

Yes, the asphalt has been replaced with plants. (I wish!)

Great idea for a thread, Victor. I've often wondered this very thing about the members who post on DG.

For the longest time, I was more into the design aspect and wanting to have a garden that looked good all year long...even during our "winters". In school, we learned mainly "formal" design, but that got boring to me after a while...everything having to be symetrical, balanced, etc. Also got so tired of "tropical", (NOTHING wrong with tropical...) but, it seemed that that's all the majority of people had here.

When the cottage gardening craze started, I got interested in trying to come up with a blend of "cottage" with some not so "formal" apsects to the design...so that even when the annuals and perennials were done there wouldn't be this vast expanse of nothing. I started experimenting with incorporating roses and clematis and daylilies, and am still heavy into that. (I know a lot of you NE'ers have been doing this all along).

In the past few years, the nurseries here have started carrying a lot more perennials and Clematis than I was ever aware of in the past. I'm still trying to achieve the look a lot of you guys get, even though some of my favorite perennials won't grow here!

The photos you all post of your gardens are an ENORMOUS inspiration to me !

The opposite of what Victor just said, is what happens here too often: People cement everything in. You all would be shocked at how small our average lots are here!

I don't normally put any annuals in the borders, either, AL. I grow my annuals in seperate areas.

Victor, about time. That is lovely. I like how the plants flow out onto the driveway.

JasperDale, that cottage garden plus idea sounds lovely. Do you have some photos you can post?

We have large properties here. I have 63 acres. But sometimes that can be just way too overwhelming. Obviously I have not planted all 63 acres, but we have about 8 under cultivation for the nursery, and my private gardens. It's much harder to plan than a small area would be, and it's very hard for it to look like the areas are connected. And when I started I didn't know what direction I was going in, and ended up with no flow.

Also, I have a problem with trying to have something in bloom all the time, or at least looking good all the time, like you mention JasperDale.

Pirl and I were just discussing this, and I think I need some Japanese iris in this border, as the second picture will show it's pretty boring.

Here's the border in spring.

Al and Victor, both your driveway shots are inspiring. My driveway is lined with sand right now. I'll have to change that. Victor the clematis is Rooguchi and is a runaway bloomer, will climb or tumble. I have 2, one in full sun, the other in half sun. Both of them are abundant bloomers.

But now by late July it's pretty boring.

Polly, I went back and forth between your two pics 3 times. I still can't find the boring part!

And then trying to tie it in with my neater border in the picnic area is hard to do.

Please don't tell my husband I have a gardener..

Venu, just very little blooming in the second picture. It needs more oomph.

Here's a closeup of the neater area, which is mainly a 'collection' area.

In addition to the husband gardener, I also have a grandson gardener.


And how many can find the feet in this picture of the granddaughter gardener?



This message was edited Jan 8, 2008 11:33 PM

Venu, I seem to recall seeing some nice pictures of your garden. Can you post some here? I recall seeing some really nice shots of a larger area.

And Pirl, where are you?. I know she collects Japanese iris. But I guarantee she's a designer.



This message was edited Jan 8, 2008 11:46 PM

I do both, with an emphasis on trees & shrubs.
I started with a veg garden then planted an orchard.
In order to keep the bees on my property, I choose plants that bloom over a long period of time, from February into November.
Along the way I have focused on redoing the landscaping, but I am a staff of one so it's slow going.
If I find something special, & it's not fussy zone-wise, I will bring it home to live here among friends. Colour/form & texture along with siting it correctly for sun exposure/moisture needs are major considerations.

Pollyk...after hearing you have 63 acres, vs. my measley 2500 sq. ft. (which is actually big for here!) I would be embarrassed to post pictures ! Besides, I don't know how and my pc won't allow me to do it...(supposedly...).

I need a 12 year old to do it !

I'm bringing up something from another thread, the one I mentioned my parents home, and the rows of marigolds, and dusty millers...
Again, I rebelled...Not one for formal gardens at all...I do appreciate them, they just aren't my schtick. I see knot gardens, and wonder how AR that person could be, so much maintenance.
I like to call my style "English-cottage-eclectic"...which basically means I'm a collector.
I have planted things next to each other in rows, without really thinking about it, but there really is no 'symmetry'...

I'm gonna agree with a few people...if I see a plant I like, I get it, and make room...or move something else and make room.

lol...

um... i possibly have less space (and less budget) than most people who post here.
my theory is to try to make areas near the woods look "accidental" and natural. i used to want that for my main along the wall area too, but then the landlords plopped 6 Happy Returns daylillies, and some of the most boring mums available along part of it. Now i am just trying to make those areas a little more interesting (thanks Celeste and Thom for non-yellow daylillies), and putting things i like in "my" half wall. i kinda do colors in sections. But i am still making it up as i go along, and my prime criteria are: i like it (i won't plant anything i hate), low price (and thanks to ALL the people here who gave me stuff in October), no strong smell, and survival instinct.

Here is the middle 3rd of "The Wall" on 10/05/07 (note the lovely dumpsters and rusted laundry poles at the far end - sigh):

Polly, I see the feet and I think you should warn your husband that there seems to be a stalker in the woods. Handsome grandson you have there. 63 acres...WOW. I could only find one picture that's a long view of the back fence.

Amy, I like the MG spilling over the wall, but does it reseed for you? Mine tried to take over and became such a bully that I spent quite a bit of time ripping out seedlings last spring. I'm sure I will this spring too.

Venu, I think that's the one I recall seeing. Have you posted it before? I like the fence, and I think those plants set it off nicely. Do you have quite a few shrubs there, or is it mostly perennials? That would be a great place to sit in the dappled shade. It is lovely.

JasperDale, nowadays a five year old can post pictures, my grandaughter can. And she downloads onto her nano ipod. I think it just is them being fearless at that age, where I'm always afraid I'm going to screw something up on the computer. I sure wish I had the techno knowledge of some of these kids. Small gardens are lovely, too. If you do want to post some pictures, I'm sure some of us can lead you through it.

Very interesting thread. At seventy one and counting my desire for design has migrated into maintenence of design features from days gone by.

What seems important today is finding ways to let the riding mower ease into and around as much as possible. More importent is finding and keeping a good helper to chase out the unforgiving relentless weeds and rebuild the mulch levels.

I have earned the right to sit and plan a lot while doing nothing but tweeking a bit here and there to avoid the creation of more work. This is indeed a hard job for me because my ego wants it all done yesterday, now and more. I am now mentally designing scooter or wheel chair cartways so that I may continue to tinker as long as possible.

The pix is a purple millett planting. This is to me a most interesting texture, size, color and bird food plant that few have grown because it is relatively new. This planting replaced a wild unmanageable willow my florist talked me into planting. That was one of my unmentionalbe mistakes. It's all in and done. Amen.

All these borders look wonderful to me. Lots of color and texture. Because of the long down time here I make a plan for here or there, plan and tweak and plan some more. Then like most everyone else I will go to the garden center and fall madly in love with a new to me plant and try to fit it in some place. I like the original planning stage and the follow up tweak it till I like it bit too. Space is becoming an issue now as well as the amount of muscle it takes to keep the garden looking half way decent so the planning stuff may be more redo than new in the future, but as you all know a garden is never really done, just a work in progress. :)

I'm guilty of being a collector. My husband tells me I go from one extreme to another. I am all over the place. I was into scrapbooking for awhile, now I haven't touched that in about a year LOL Now that is it winter and I can't play out in the dirt, I redecorate and rearrange things, paint, crafts.... As soon as the stores start putting out plants for spring and tools, pots, I am back in mode. I admit, I am clueless when it comes to garden design. On the inside of the house, that is another story. So if anyone wants to trade and come over and design my yard and let me do their house, I'll throw in a strong 8 yr old garden helper that likes to dig and pull weeds! lol
I'd really like to plant something on the sides of my driveway. I have some iris to get in the ground. How would they do? I'd be wary of bike tires though ;)
Polly, your grandson is adorable! :)

Susan