Plant collector or garden designer?

Great posts, all! I agree Thom - I'm not into formal at all, though I can appreciate it - just not for me.

Polly - I would be in heaven. I think I would 'garden' in 3 to 5 acres and leave the rest wild. Do you have any streams or water on the property? How do I get in your will?

Weeze - very nice pic. I suspected Rooguchi. Just planted my first this past summer. I will let it roam on the ground and spill over some stones.

doc - sounds nice. Don't ever give it up!

Amy - my thoughts were the same - that looks like either Star of Yelta or Grandpa Ott and they're both big re-seeders so keep a lookout.

Welcome Susan. We crossed. Another collector! Are you in the bad drought area?

Hudson Valley of NY is a beautifull area. Have not been there for a number of years. My guess would be the whole area is under the pressure of developers. Times and areas change. I would be sorry to see much of our mountains developed but that is the trend here.

Can't blame the land owners when growing developments far outreaches the productivity of farming, or tree management, in any traditional sense

Unfortunately it has developed way too much.

Susan, my grandson is 8, also. He loves to dig. Iris would be good on the side of the driveway as they like the heat, and I noticed some in Victors border.

Victor, I do probably garden on about 5 acres. I think the ornamental grasses in pots take up about 2, and maybe 1 for the extra nursery stuff. The rest is all wild, we have a large woods, a swamp, and a muck farm on it. And yes a 'crick' runs through it. Pretty dry in the late summer, though, but right now it's moving pretty good. Getting in my will, forget it. But if something happens to me, contact my daughter, and I'm sure she will let you come get some of my plants, she's already wondering what on earth she would do with this place if Russ and I died.

Loved all the pics---brightened my soul after looking out & seeing patches of snow & brown plants. My son is a landscape architect, & shies away from looking at my gardens, so I'm into collecting, not designing. But what I collect depends on how much sand has washed into my gardens from what the town has dumped on our road per storm. I found lilies, daylilies & sedums do well in salty sand, & a very aggressive yellow daisy I purchased from WFF years ago. It reseeds everywhere! Penstemons are my favorites--I stick them everywhere I can--the less hardy by the rock walls. I took pics of them, now need my DIL to post them.

please note that grandpa otts is totally hanging over asphalt.
there may be a few seeds that landed in the dirt, but i deadhead obsessively, and collected bags full of seeds (that no one wants), so i think i'll be ok.

Polly, yes I think I put this pic up before. I put in a bench at the end of the yard in the shade where I plop after a tough day at the job. It's a mix of about 60% shrubs, 40% perennials and a few impatiens to fill in. If I could just find a way to get rid of the skeeters....
The kids are great with the techno stuff. I never did figure out how to put up a pic on the gardenweb site.
Robin, your conditions sound very similar to mine. I have to amend the sand so much that I actually rent a truck twice a year to get lots of compost from the town.

I'm with Polly - why do we have to make a choice? I enjoy both collecting and designing. I also agree with JD that formal can be nice but I don't want it for my own gardens. I'm not even thrilled with it in books and magazines: too planned for my taste.

JD I have several of your photos saved if you want me to post them but I wouldn't do it unless you want me to do it.

Most of our "designing" came from wanting areas easier to mow. One garden was created only because of the mowing problem so we eliminated the grass until mowing was easy and it is now the official Obelisk Garden - and my favorite one. Here's a photo of it to show the mowing pattern, not the beauty of the garden.

I'm with Pixie in that if I love a plant I see it will come home with me regardless of not knowing where it will go. Maybe we all have a mental list of the next plant that has to move on to another home or the compost pile so I do find a home for anything I love.

Polly - just add another 25 pink lilies to the garden photo you view as boring and it will brighten up considerably. Are your granddaughter's feet upper right, behind your grandson's head in the photo?

docgipe - I agree with Victor - don't ever stop gardening!

Thanks, Victor, for yet another wonderful thread. I love your driveway photo!

This one shows part of the Obelisk on the left and in the foreground you see part another garden adjoining the rear brick terrace.

Mother Nature can be awsome sometimes. Here is an old apple tree covered with a single Long Gourd plant.

With just a tiny bit of photo management it became known as the Eagle Gourd Tree.

Edited to say this is a friends patch of giant growing efforts. Check out the pumpkin and the tall corn too.
I did the photo management.....the eye and some cloud cover tinting for contrast.

This message was edited Jan 9, 2008 2:26 PM

Beautiful Pirl. Mowing patterns played into my bed design too - even though I don't do the mowing!

I only 'made' people pick one so that we see what they consider more important! I'm sure every 'design' person will buy a 'wow' plant and every collector does have some sense of design, even if he or she doesn't realize it.

Pirl.........I really like what you have going on from that viewpoint. Lots of love and skill showing there.

i have learned (mostly from the smart people here) to try really hard to not have just one of something, but to have groupings of at least 2 or 3 (unless it's really big.)
But sometimes the groups are different colors/cultivars of the same thing.
i am so still learning what will work, and where to put things - i do a lot of, "Well, i won't put those THERE next year!"

Ok - I confess. I am a "strange" plant collector. I read about a unique plant and figure out if it might grow in my zone and then I figure out where it might survive and buy it! If it isn't doing well after I plant it, it suddenly appears in a neighbor's yard! Magic happens.

Hey, everyone!

I would have to say I love designing more than collecting plants. To me there just seems to be so much more than sticking a plant in the ground because I like it. If you look at Longwood Gardens in PA (awesome place!) displays there is always a gorgeous design involved. Winterthur Gardens in PA (or DE) has a azalea and rhododendron garden that was designed to look like a natural growing (but maintained) area. Even perennial gardens can be designed so that there is constant interest all year based on texture, color, size, and desired theme.

But, the great part of designing and gardening is that there are always great ideas from everyone. Lots of the plants I use on my designs are plants I have seen in client's gardens that have no order or design. Their garden was grown with time and a love of the hobby.

I love horticulture (except pesticides)!

Hi shrubbs! Thanks for posting. I agree that a nicely designed bed can be stunning. It can also be done in a way that doesn't appear overly 'managed', but more naturalistic. I was very impressed with Longwood. Never been to Winterthur.

For the past two days while the weather was good I worked on my design techniques.....

Shrubbs, look familiar?

Wow, you've been busy! One even has a red nose!

Pirl, beautiful pictures. Yes, some more lilies might help that border. Or maybe even some of those pretty pink astilbes.

And yes, the granddaughters feet are upper right. She, however, is not yet a good weed picker, but at age 5, she's an excellent flower picker. Especially my lilies.

I'm pleased to see you have lilies in the area that must be quite moist with the JIs. I was not sure they would do that well in a damp area.

venu, I take it thats a picture from Longwood? Neat.

Shrubbs, do you have some pictures to post, please?

Yes, that is Longwood. I've only made it there during their Christmas light show. I really need to get there in late spring.

Thanks, Polly. The lilies do too well there and keep on multiplying so it leaves me no vacancies for more JI's.

Venu - We've been to Winterthur but not Longwood! The azaleas and other spring plantings were so beautiful.

Here's a shot of my pond area from last spring. I will be removing the grass immediately to the right of the J. Maple. It gets too big and blocks it. Likewise, I will be pruning the viburnum to the left of the maple.

Aha! Perhaps some JI's would just love it there but they do have tall foliage as well. Your JM's are lovely. What is the name of the one on the lower left in your great photo?

Victor, I'd love to sit and relax in that photo!

Victor - I am posting this here.

This is one of my Northern Lights azalea - October 20th.

I'm clearly just a plant collector. I have no design tallent at all. I sure wish I did. Y'all's gardens are beautiful! I'm so jealous. I wish, wish, wish each year for mine to florish like y'alls.
I collected quite a few of my favories from a wish list this past summer. Then GA had a record breaking drought, rainfall was 20 inches below, and temp at 105 for weeks. All my new (expensive) additions perished.
I'm always moving stuff and still can't seem to get the "look" I'm going for. I've only been whole heartedly gardening for about 4 years now.
I now understand when people say a a garden is never "finished".

Nice photo of Longwood, venu209!

Have to go, but glad to see you were able to go. I have been at Longwood for every season and some shows. I actually almost got into one of their programs, but the board wanted to see more academic work from me.

Have a good night, everyone.

Sorry to hear about your losses, 3g. Hope you get some steady rain this year. Pirl, that one at the lower left is called 'Washi no o'.

Thank you, Victor.

Your pond area is just stunning, Victor.

I particularly like that second pic of your obelisk garden, Pirl, with all the colors.

I can't really have the kind of designed garden where something is always blooming because I have almost all shade and I can't find a lot of things that put on a nice show as far as blooms and color go. So, I just find myself "collecting" more and more hosta.

Your pond area is fabulous, Victor. What is the variegated leaf toward the front? Is it acorus, or one of the variegated iris?

Did you do the pond all yourself? It is wonderful. Do you have fish in it? I bet the kids love it.

I think a JI or two would be wonderful in there. That darn pseudacorus is so lovely, but so invasive. But it looks so nice in that pond.

I like the rocks.

Love the pond Victor!

Thanks, Noreaster. I like that view too.

Go to Doss's home page and look up the threads she started. She does such wonderful plantings in the shade. She's a true inspiration.

Thanks all. Polly - that is Acorus, and it grows quite a bit too, like the pseudacorus, which is a pain to keep in line. I designed the pond area but had someone do the work. I did all the planting. No fish anymore. Lost all 13 koi last winter. Not sure if I will do fish again. Just another chore!

Noreaster - there is a decent selection of shade bloomers. In shrubs, there is Kerria japonica, mountain laurel, rhodies and Clethra (if there's enough moisture). Perennials include Astilbe, Jack in the Pulpit, toad lilies, hellebores, to name a few. Annuals - begonias, impatiens and great foliage choices with caladium and coleus.

Thanks, Victor. You'll see some acorus in my picture with my grandson in it. It obviously likes more water better, as evidenced by your pond. I love it. Have you ever crushed the leaves to get the tangerine smell?

Never noticed that. I'll have to try.

beautiful, victor...
how tall does your JM blocking grass get?

My other problem is, the year I like mostly sunny plants, I have mostly shady beds with room, and vice-versa.

Victorgardener, I like your driveway!

Jasperdale and Pirl, I too don't like formal. Even in books. It's too clipped and perfect.

Pollyk, how lucky to have 63 acres of different settings. Your border in spring is beautiful! I don't see too boring in the second photo either, but you could always tuck more lily bulbs in in front of the grass. Smiling over the gardener :)) I see the feet! Grandson's a cutie.

Amethystsm, I love the bright colors along the wall. It seems the landscaping blocks need color to set them off. A long wall of cosmos could block your view of the dumpsters and poles.

Venu, I wish I had a fence to plant against, sigh.

Docgipe, the millet is really colorful and an attention getter. The eagle tree is really something!

Pirl, lovely beds! The astilbe really stands out!

Victorgardener, the pond is wonderful! I agree, removing the grass and trimming will pop out the maple. I have pseudocorus, but they aren't as large and pretty as yours. I think mine need a wetter spot.

Bigcityal, nice azaleas!

Last year I collected astilbes. I'm still collecting blue flowers. I love daylilies and am running out of room. I have 5 new ones in the garden waiting for a home this spring.

A favorite blue flower. Tall American Bellflower.