Help! yard design

I left the Red Fred when I was there a few weeks ago, but definitely plan on bringing him home from the visit on the 27th! LOVED it! Heidi has GREAT plants ~

Katye...the link, http://www.silverstarvinery.com/default.asp, is great. Saw a few I just may have to have. My absolute FAVORITE there is "Honey Buns." If you haven't already, definitely check that one out!

Silver Star is down here, not too far from me. I just wrote to her to see if I could arrange to pick something up from her. IF I can, I'll let folks know-maybe I can deliver clematis to people on the 27th.

Ok guys, I am going to give you a list of plants I like.

Trees:
Japanese Maple
Dogwood
Magnolia
Cherry
any weeping trees

Plants:
Roses any kind
Peonies
Marigolds
Zinnias
Nastursiums
Daisies
Wisteria
Iris
Lilies
Hyacinths
Crocus
Day lilies
Snapdragons
Sweet Peas

Actually anything that would look good in a Cottage type Garden.

Also want tomatoes, green peppers, lettuce, cabbage, green onions, other easy veggies. And some herbs.

I understand that geraniums are an annual up here but I would like some, probably in pots.

House actually faces NW. Front has most of the sun. But also has some shade. Back yard is shady, with dappled sun. Irises are now in side yard which is also shady, with dappled sun and they seem to do well. Unfortunately they are right where I want to put a deck in the future so they will have to be moved.

I like any kind of ivy, ornamental grasses,

This is just a starter, I will add more later.

Sheri - I absolutely love Honey Buns - I ordered a couple.

Sheri, dug up some 'Rock rose' for you hope it takes.

Are there any Ivy's that are not too invasive?

Mom, I have the following bulbs I'll bring with me:

Hyacinth (pink & light blue)

Iris (lt blue and yellow bearded)

Lily of the nile

Also, I stole some of those spanish bluebell bulbs from Madera house :o) -they are blooming now. I'll dig some of those up too.

crocus (purple and orange)

Also, once we get a plan going... I have some seeds that I can send and you can either start them indoors now, or sow them outside once its warm enough.

Seeds I have on your list are:

Marigolds (yellow and orange ones)
zinnias
nasturnium (have yellow/orange mix and also cream/dk brown mix)
Daisies (yellow and white)
sweat peas (although you should already be starting these outdoors now)
green onions
nodding onions
basil (3 kinds)
radishes
beets
korean mint
oregano

also have (not on your list-so check to see if you will like these)

agastache -purple pygmy and sunset hyssop
cosmos -pink/white
well...heck.., just click on my name in this post, then click on trade list and see what all I have. I have others not listed there too... but I have to go get a list of them :o) lol.

As for the trees...
I think a JM coral bark would be good. Most of the flowering trees need sun in order to flower...so they wouldnt work in the back yard. dont know if there would be room in the front yard.

I still havent got the graph you drew... are you sure it went out in the mail? (check your purse :oD)

Once I get the graph I can start mapping stuff out and let cheryl know which areas will need to be rototilled...

Anjl

Veggies are going to take more work than perennials. And cleanup and deadheading of the perennials is generally going to take more work than the shrubs.

Somebody will need to be able to feed, water and harvest the veggies. Onanjl, if you are married to having veggies, I'd recommend a half barrel or raised (at least 3 feet) bed for the veggies so your mom can see what's growing and pull out the ripened fruit as she wants to use it.

Annuals will require fall cleanup and being pulled out. And the tall, cottage garden stuff may require treatment for powdery mildew, mites or aphids and will require staking.

I don't want to put a damper on your plans, but I'm trying to think low maintenance.

thanks Katie...I am looking into maybe butterfly bushes... etc. mom is sending me photos of some of the stuff she likes, so I'm thinking we can do a few 'small areas' that she can manage herself...give her something to do but not get tooo overwhelmed. Once I move up there, I can help her more with the annual stuff. may just start small now...1 tomato plant, one radish plant etc and see how it works for her.

I am still waiting for her graph of the yard, when I get it I'll scan and post on here so maybe you all can help me plan what should go where.... :o)

Anjl

Cool. Here's a little barrel garden I did for my folks (they are in their late 80's) last summer. I did tomatoes, beans in the middle, green pepper, cucumbers and squash.

Another picture of it:

Also, I put a small lilac in a pot on the patio for my mom. She really like it - it's a flower of her generation. And then camellias, while they can be kind of messy, are evergreen and that's nice. It's also an old-fashioned shrub.

you planted all the veggies in that one barrel? thats a great idea! although those wine barrells here are really expensive, but I can probably build her a raised veggie bed similar to the barrel

You should take a drive up toward Sonoma-the last time I was there (in August of '06) they were selling half wine barrels for $10 on the side of the road. (Of course, I was in my small car. Now, if we'd been in the SUV, they would've been $35...)

You know, I got the barrel for $20 at a Safeway. I think they may be $30 here; you just have to keep an eye on the hardware and grocery stores that buy lots in the spring. That's where you'll get the deal.

Actually, the squash and the beans took up most of the space. The cucumbers were lemon cucumbers, my favorite. Then there's a cherry tomato or two in there. I've decided to do one of those for myself this year - quick access to a snack!!

The trick is to make use of your vertical space, as well. There is a slight problem with growing beans with the tomatoes, though. When you fertilize the tomatoes with high-nitrogen fertilizer, you're also affecting the beans, which are legumes, which fix nitrogen very well on their own. Consequently there were a lot more leaves than beans. So you might want a couple of barrels, for different nutritional requirements.

Sue - isn't that always the way?

I just talked to mom and she liked the idea of the wine barrel garden. She lives alone, so doesnt need that many veggies. Im thinking 1 tomato, 1 zuchini 1 bell pepper and definitely snap peas... whatever those things were that we grew last year :o) they were good :o) I'll have to ask DH but I think they were called snap peas, ate them right off the vine.

Okay, I just signed up for that gladiola co-op.... do you all have to dig up glads there?
I bought some of the hardy 2 foot ones, but also the jumbo bulbs. I know mom wont be wanting to dig bulbs up... so dont want to send her the jumbo bulbs if they cant stay in the ground all year...

also, other bulbs..tulips, crocus...daffs? do they need to be dug up each year?

Another thing, mom wants herbs... wanted to plant a bunch of herbs in one wine barrell...but wont these cross polinate if they are planted close together? I'm thinking maybe better to have a couple of little pots of herbs instead of a big planter with a bunch of mixed herbs?

Thanks!
AnjL

No problem with the herb perennials. Are you worried about the reseeded annual herbs?

In general, we can leave bulbs in. People who are serious about dahlias dig them to keep them from rotting in our heavy soil that gets full of water and then freezes in winter. But tulips, daffodils, crocus, do just fine with here with no help.

The barrel is just a quick way to get that stuff up off the ground. Alternately you could build a raised bed. And you can plant in a bed around them, if they're on soil rather than on a deck. The other advantage of a raised bed or barrel is, of course, that the sun's heat has access to and can warm up the soil. Our summers aren't always hot enough long enough to ripen the late-ripening fruit, such as tomatoes, so raised beds help out alot. I find that cherry tomatoes work better up here for me because of that.

I have to see if she has any sunny spot that veggies will grow in... seems mom wants alot of sun loving plants in a tiny sunny area :o) lol!

Geeze I thought I would be the only one up this time of night. Kathy you need to get some sleep. I have to save lives and am watching a cute little pug dog named "Gracie". She and her daddy were walking on a beach and she ate something gross and is now having siezures and vomiting. I will hold her had between naps. She is doing well now.

Seizures. Oooh. Poor Gracie. Hope the vomiting gets all those nasties out so she can get some good, healthy fluids in. How is she today?

You're right. I always start to head to bed at 11:00, but don't actually get there until about 12:00. And then, for some reason, Bug always has to go out again at about 1:30. And I wonder why I'm always late to work . . .

roflmao! and I thought I was the only one who stayed up so late and was late to work every day! :oD I'm the boss tho... and wont be firing me anytime soon :oD

I just ordered a ton of bulbs.... Lilies, glads, hardy glads, daffs, and tulips.... so I'll be shipping a bunch to mom when they come in.

Is bloom time in her zone the same as bloom time in my 9B zone? What I mean is will the glads and lily bulbs need to be planted asap? I will be getting them in a few weeks...

The daffs and tulips dont ship til summer... so I can get those planted for mom in the fall....but worried about the lilies and glads....

Asap would be good for the lilies and glads, particularly the lilies as they are likely going to arrive already sprouting. This is my first year with glads.

lol... well mom, guess ou gotta dig out those knee pads and plan on planting some bulbs :o) LOL!

did it snow there again today?

{{{shudder}}}, no, no snow here, but some nasty rain squalls came through, and it's back to cold again after two nicer days.

A little warmer here tonight because of the cloud cover. It's back to our normal spitting . . .

Tonight everbody who has a crate will be crated. Late to work is one thing, but late to my weekend is quite another. :-)

Steve - how's Gracie doing?

Yep...rained here all day as well, after three days of sunshine. Figures because it's my weekend. That's okay, I was still able to shop!

lol... I NEVER oversleep on the weekends :o)

I must remember to set my alarm clock for the weekend. It normally only goes off Mon-Fri so tomorrow will be odd. But we will be up and on the ferry by 8:30, ready to go! Camera ~ check. . .notepad ~ check. . .rain jacket ~ check. I think we're ready.

We are going to check out Dunn Gardens. Have to make a list of "must-haves". And, knowing Sheri and Tim, I'm going to be laughing all morning. Excellent.

Anjl - lilies: plant soon. Glads: they can wait another few weeks. I have been growing them for many years - I never dig them up. I think it's unnecessary and a hassle. Mine always come back. They may not live through winter if they are in a pot. Some years - yes, other years - no.

Kathy - i'll meet you at 9. Sheri - see you when we get there!

You all have Fun.
^_^

Ditto-have fun and take lots of pictures!

Hey! Wait for me! If I leave NOW I might make it there by 9AM! :oD
I'd probably get tickets going thru Oregon tho! LOL!

You better drive fast LOL

actually...13 hour drive... I guess I wont make it there til 1pm ;o(.... miss all the fun! :o(

maybe next time....

Gracie went home to here mom and dad waggig her tail. She is a sweet pug. All went well except I had to sleep on the jet coming home today. It is good to be home. 44F when I landed and stars out. looks nice! I can't wait until tomorrow.

No worry, when you come up this away, we can still go to Heidi's, and bring Mom of course. Most of us will try to make it. plan ahead and put it on the calender. We would love to meet you both. When I head down to Calif. my next trip, there is a few stops I want to make. course I'm headed to the Desert nothing I want to bring back, but lots of places on the way back. LOL
Happy Gardening
Tills
^_^

Steve So Happy Gracie made it, and Welcome Home when you get there. Lots of HUGS
Tills
^_^

Way to go, Steve. Glad Gracie pulled through. The rewards of your work I hope far outweigh the sorrows. Hey...you'd be a good one to ask. Is garlic okay for dogs to eat?

No garlic their breath stinks. They can't kiss you. Boo on garlic. Yes they can eat it. It is so good to be home my two dogs and cats have been fighting for personal time all night and this morning. Darn HGTV I couldn't get up early enough for Paul. 5:30am what is that all about! Oh yes and we had a light dusting of snow last night. Oh well it will melt and water my garden.
Gracies Dad was a MD and he said he could never be a veterinarian because dogs never can talk. So I told him yes they do and went through the exam in dog talk telling him what Gracie was saying as I examined her. He smiled and left his dog with me saying "I know you can help her". Just give the client an opportunity to go home relaxed and you have done part of your job.

Tills... :oD on bringing nothing back from the desert! lol! that is exactly how I feel about that area...nice to drive through and look at, but I'll leave it all there :oD...However...mom grew up in Socal...so if she hears you are headed that way... lol!

If you are driving thru the bay area, let me know.... I am sure I will have lots of cuttings and seeds you can stop and gather up :o)

Wait... I just had another 'brainsprinkle'!...you can take cuttings of my plants up there...and then when I move up there, I can come steal cuttings of those cuttings! LOL!

AnjL