When is enough...enough plants?

Hi. How can you tell when you've gone overboard or you're still well within a healthy boundary? I think I've gone over the top with this gardening thing. I love it! Can't help myself. Everything I see (well, not everything!) I want! I have over 100 plants easily, since March? Is that too much? We have a few acres of a lot of grass. I just want plants everywhere. Is that ok???? Thanks, Michelle

Welcome to DG latelybloomin77. If you have a few acres, you shouldn't have any problem finding homes for over 100 plants. Some people prefer to have their entire yard in plants and walkways, no grass at all. We have some on this forum who may find your post and have good advice for you. I also have a few acres and I'm filling it up with trees, shrubs and all kinds of flowers. I'm currently expanding my butterfly and hummer garden. If I were you, I'd just enjoy.

IMO you can never have enough ^_^ . I guess if they take over your house and hubby has to move out then you might have a problem. It seems to be alot harder in the winter when your houseplants and overwinter plants are taking over though.
If you plan on planting most of them out you shouldnt have a problem though... if you are like me you'll feel the need to fill in their empty spaces after you move them out.
Gardening (just like DG) is very addicting!
good luck
bre

You can never have too many plants! I have WAY more than 100 and I only have 1/5 of an acre. No lawn though, just garden beds with a few paths and seating areas. So if you've got an acre you should still have room for tons more plants (if you can afford it...which is a different question entirely!) The one thing I would suggest is to think about a plan before you buy too many. First think about where you want lawn, hardscape etc and where you want your garden beds. Then in each bed I'd at least try to plan a little of what the main shrubs/trees are, and then for the annuals and perennials to fill in I'd at least think about what colors you want and buy with that in mind. And especially for the annuals and perennials, it always looks better if you plant things in groups rather than a random assortment of one of each thing. If you don't do some planning and just buy everything you see and like at the nursery and then stick it wherever it fits, your garden will end up an unorganized mish-mash of stuff (not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that! LOL)

You may also want to keep a log of what you plant where so if it doesn't do well you will know what not to plant next time....

You can never have too many!! I probably have in the neighborhood of 2-3,000. I put in a butterfly garden last year that was 500- 600 alone. Of course at the time I got them all free, and now I have oodles to divide. I wouldn't have any grass at all! I still have at least 100 to plant, but I think quite a few of those are going to be more naturalized in the back 40. Gardening is healthy and great therapy. Unless someone thinks you are going over the top financially or it is causing problems in your relationships, I wouldn't worry! Have fun!

ecrane3 I would love to see a picture of your garden/yard. I've started but would love some ideas. My space is about six feet in width and about 36 feet in length.

If you click on my username, you'll see a link to my blog here on DG, you can see some pics there. I just finished the landscaping in another section of the yard and don't have pics posted of that yet, but you'll be able to see most of it (much of it is before/during/after shots of my major relandscaping project from last winter, so if you just want to see how it looks at the end, scroll past all the pics of the mud and dirt!)

Your pics are remarkable.. Looks like alot of hard work. My space is much smaller. I'vd got some large trimmed red tips I've got to work around by a fence that runs the length of the property. So I've just got to figure out what I want to fill in with. I really like the japanese garden look. When I get tech savy enough to figure out the picture thing I'll try to post
pictures of the little piece of land, which by the way I just finished clearing.

It would have been hard work if I'd done any of it! LOL I did do all the planting in the backyard, but I had a landscaper do the heavy lifting on the creekbed, stairs, and the retaining walls.

To post pics, if you know where they are on your computer it's really easy, right below the box where you type a new post you'll see a spot that says image and there's a browse button, just click that and go to wherever on your hard drive you have your pictures and choose the one you want.

Here's a picture maybe

Thanks for all the advice! Nature, I will just enjoy! Gardening is addictive & therapeutic. So it's a good addiction, right? I agree w/all who said if it starts causing a financial issue or the plants are taking over, that may not be good. I feel I'm kinda getting to that point....but once everthing is planted, he'll hopefully enjoy it too & forget about the money. Virg, I think the log is a great idea. Especially to know when I can get seeds or which ones to over-winter etc......I keep reassuring him that I'll have seeds and such for next year!! (meaning I won't be spending so much on the plants!) Michelle

Michelle, sometime before next winter, read about Winter Sowing. You will have lots of plants for very little money. I'm filling in a big hill at my daughter's house this summer, probably close to 1000 plants, most that I started by WS, The rest by hitting the end of the year clearance sales, trades here on DG and an email I sent out to everyone I know telling them I'd be happy to find a home for any cuttings they make this spring.

Do make a budget and stick to it, you don't want to ruin the fun by worrying about bills.

Enjoy!

Good point Cathy. Michelle

Good place to start is the local library/ book store to brows through some books for landscaping /planting etc, there you will find lots of coloured pictures and advise on soil preparation, lay outs and beds that have matured to show you the end result a few years after planting. I also have a huge garden and when I used to come back from the garden center with a truck load of plants/shrubs etc, my husband always used to ask "where the hell are you going to put all those plants" but after they were planted and still small, next he would ask " where are all those plants you bought, 100 plants wont look much in a garden your size, so I would tell you to just concentrate on one bed at a time, look at the spacing the labels tell you as new gardeners are inclined to plant things too close together as the plants are small, but 2 years later, they need lifted and replanted again as they have over crowded there neighbour, also work on the soil condition before you start to plant as it is harden to sort when you have plants/roots growing in the beds.
How many plants are too many, I would say if you plant more than you are able to care for at the beginning of making your garden, then you have too much and you will watch then die on you, so take your time, once you are happy and you understand your soil/plants etc, then move on to the next area, but as mentioned already, get all the groundwork planed onto paper so you have a proper layout, keeping it all in your head never works as you forget and you change things that make it harder to design your garden, draw out basic shapes/ and add the place for trees or where existing structures are, once you have that on paper, go out with the garden hose and lay out the shapes of the beds or paths, then go back inside to look at the shapes and alter to suit, then did out the lines and beds, this way from the house you know you are happy looking onto your layout from indoors as well as outside. it all takes time, but you will enjoy it more if your patient, other wise, you could end up with half finished work and sicken yourself because you cant see any fruits of your labour. like before, have fun and read all the books you can, they are full of tips, pictures and facts re landscaping. best wishes and good luck. WeeNel.