MM, I think it was kitgary who brought up Blue Wu on the hostas board. I can't remember the thread, though.
I know, I sound like a cranky matron, but I'm not even 30, LOL!
I have a very obsessive personality that lends itself well to researching something extensively, then getting bored and moving on to the next thing the following year, then the old obsession pops up again.
I grew up in a tiny house in Queens, NYC and we had a tiny yard (probably 30' x 15', which is huge for the city). I swore that I would never, ever live in such a small house with a small yard - my parents and younger brother and his girlfriend live there still - unless it was when I'm old and retired and somewhere tropical. For my immediate family, my 1/4 acre yard is huge, so I guess it all comes down to what you are used to! With my first yard & house, I had a very much "this will all be permanent and perfect from the start" attitude towards the garden. Now, I think more along the lines of "if I don't like it, I can redo it or do something completely different." I have a much more relaxed attitude towards my yard, which is probably a lot healthier than the very rigid views I previously held.
Interaction of ammonia reducers and salt in koi pond
Gardening on 70 X 140 isn't all bad. You tend to choose your plants more carefully. There is only one tree I lust for, and for which I have no room, and that's a Stewartia pseudocamellia. I might get my wish if the Magnolia stellata that's trying to commit suicide by producing new girdling roots succeeds in its endeavors. I'll stick the Stewartia in that spot so fast it'll be a blur. I compensate for an annual garden with containers. I can add more dwarf conifers by relacing a ground bed with a multi-ledged rock garden. In a small garden you find ways to use the vertical space. That's next's year's goal anyway. I will, however, not have any room for my beloved JM's to expand beyond containers. ( This is not a bad thing according to my DH due to the high fatality rate!) Sunny perennials are something I grew very tired of because the upkeep was horrendous. I kept a peony, Cheddar Charm, because it's such a real good performer and disease resistant. Grasses I have interplanted with the conifers. So all in all, it's not too bad. Shaded woodland plants I could expand about in about an oddly shaped 35 x 25 space now occupied by just grass. DH is lukewarm to that idea. He likes a bit of lawn
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