Frankie, your concerns and approach probably most closely mirror the internal debate I went through before redesigning the plantings. I did end up adding several fruit trees to the right side of the driveway, removing that entire lawn area, and combined these with artichokes, roses and lavenders mixed with annuals and succulents to replace the lawn area, and a fence with grape vines along the side property line. If I had my druthers, I probably would have added some more formal parterres of boxwood or clipped/hedged English Lavender as well, but the owner wasn't really concerned about it not fitting in. You are absolutely correct that the front yard area has the most sun, although the raised veggie beds in the back garden will eventually expand into the adjacent lawn area, or at least I've suggested this. The owners also intend to demolish the large existing raised deck and do a smaller deck landing and stairs down to the garden below, not really liking the effect of being above the garden and exposed to the neighbors view as it is now. Chickens are intended to be confined to the backyard only, and we have had some initial problems with them eating new plants. I think they are getting back for having been confined in that small coop for the past month! Previously they were more selective about the damage they caused, and I guess I wasn't cautious enough about some of the new selections. I've asked the owners to keep them confined to one area in the back garden for at least the first 6 weeks, to give the new plantings time to get some size and better resist their pecking at them. The front lawn may eventually be converted to a lower water use no-mow lawn/meadow, as it is mostly weedy grass species and dandelions at present, and while we did take out a fair amount of overgrown and straggly former hedges that had become small trees in the back garden near the fountain, removing or relocating trees in front were not in play. I agree with KarenL that that flowering cherry isn't the best placed tree, nor well shaped, but I worked with it and the dogwoods as a given. The Coast Live Oaks will be significantly thinned come fall, which will make them seem less oppressively massive, and also benefit the understory plantings below. Painting fences isn't done much here, unless it is more the picket fence style, and personally the contrast between raw redwood aged to gray and the house doesn't bother me, I see it as the norm around here. My take on Victorian style gardens taken into the present is to continue the ecclectic planting choices common to the era, but also try and give a bit more continuity to the design. If there hadn't already been so much mature plantings that demand summer irrigation to thrive, I would have steered this garden towards more drought tolerant plants and California natives. It wouldn't have worked well with so many Hydrangeas, Japanese Maples, Flowering Dogwoods all accustomed to spray irrigation, so I only converted the hell strip to drip irrigation, and everything else was left as conventional spray irrigation. I am hoping that at some point there will be a phase two with this front garden, switching out the lawn, adding a colorful perennial flower/shrub border across the lawn at the street, perhaps a new gate at the front walk, planting up the hellstrip, etc. I don't think I'll add any photos for this garden until it has filled in a bit. Not much charm in seeing lots of mulch and tiny plants, but it will be an explosion of color in another 6 weeks or so. Also not a pretty sight to see how I hacked back transplanted roses and hydrangeas to bare stubs after moving them around, and was also very rough with my moving/dividing perennials such as Alstroemeria, Achillea, Tulbaghia, Anemone japonica, etc. Fortunately as the client already knows the results I can get even when things first planted don't look "prime", I didn't have to be worried that the garden looked full of cut back bare stems. Even 5 foot tall artichokes were cut back to the roots after moving them, but I'm confident they will look great again in just a month or so. One of the pleasures of working in such a balmy coastal climate, Alameda has spring-like weather without heat waves nearly all summer long. The photo link is of one of the perennials I've added throughout the front planting beds for a blast of purples and blues next spring, Florist Cineraria which self sows like a weed here, and stays in bloom for 4 to 5 months in winter through late spring, and is great foliage filler when not blooming. Here is a link that might be useful: Perennial color for shade

Cactus Joe, I too am interested in your rock/water feature. It's very beautiful! Did all those smaller rocks come from your yard too? Do you get a lot of wildlife visiting this area? I don't know what I would do over. My gardens here at this house (oldest bed is 4 years old) are constantly changing. I think a great deal about the "bones" of my borders, which consist of shrubs and small trees, and a few large grasses and perennials. What to plant, where to put them. I take into consideration sun, soil, moisture, privacy and wind screen, wildlife value, native range, etc. Even so, I've moved and changed the bones! Last year I moved the Miss Kim Lilac over 5 feet. Dug out a forty year old Burning Bush and replaced it with a gorgeous Amelanchier. This year the Viburnum dentatum is being moved - because it's just gotten too big for it's location. The only thing growing in this yard that isn't subject to change are the established trees - kinda hard to move a 50 year old tree (however I've removed some of them, namely scraggly pines and Norway maples). It seems to be the nature of gardening and creativity - continually creating something new! I'm pretty comfortable with that.

Oh boy ... that's definitely a loaded question, but thank heavens my husband doesn't read these forums! I'd had it all planned out (the shed, that is), but it was not cost effective. Oh all right - $2000.00 IS a bit ridiculous, I suppose. We modified the design and took a few shortcuts to significantly drop the cost, got a few things from friends ("free" works for me!), and ended up w/ a really cool shed, inside & out. It's large enough to hold all of my garden tools/accessories/books/etc. Plenty of space to move around, lots of counter space for various tasks ... I actually spend quite a bit of time out there on the weekends, even in cold temps (propane heater). BUT ... the number one thing that I would do different is the roof. While corrugated tin LOOKS absolutely fantastic, rustic, etc., it doesn't hold heat worth a darn! Of course, I can't possibly say anything about it at this point - the shed is built, and I'M the idiot that fell in love w/ the overall look of a tin roof! *heavy sigh* Guess I shot myself in the foot, so to speak!

well, there is the dream garden which has no basis in reality whatsoever - so this would essentially be a huge walled garden with high, high old brick walls, all of which would be covered with espaliered pears, apples, cherries, apricots, peaches and plums, ramblers and climbers. A Nut walk and a green oak pergola with vines and noisettes. Wide gravel paths with screens of tall perennials such as miscanthus, eupatoriums, verbena. A vegetable garden, an alpine scree garden, a grass and monocot bed, dahlias, pinks, daylilies and violas. A collection of primulas and an alpine house. A shady area of dogwoods, sorbus, forest pansy, malus, underplanted with spring bulbs, paeonies..... I could go on. Also, in this dream, ever seed will germinate, every cutting will strike, every bulb will sprout and pests and disease are unknown. Then, there is the dream in which the existing garden is finally licked into shape, all the projects you planned have come to fruition. Tediously, my dream would be to sort out the paths and edges properly instead of simply hacking a bit more space and commandeering it for this border or that plant family. To attend to edges with proper grass paths, instead of the stomped earth, woodchip and weed infested things they are now. To have at least one properly tended grass area - instead of the weedy, badly shaped bits of limbo between various cultivated areas. To sort out the whole structural thing so that my garden is not a collection of old bamboo and hazel poles, odd bits of timber and plumbing pipe, not fully dismantled bits of previous supports and to sort out the plantings so that everything is not the current mishmash of flowers, fruit and vegetables - this looks gorgeous (at times) but can be a nightmare to weed, tend, harvest. There is generally too much of everything. Finally, to be prepared with a range of pea sticks so that plants are staked BEFORE they become giants which then fall over in the first rain shower.