I was thinking more about Isabellas comment that the garden looked plain on the drawing and it dawned on me that she probably meant that there didnt appear to be anything on the drawing other than perhaps perennials in the beds. There are two reasons for that. The simple answer is that if I attempted to draw all the pretty symbols for trees and shrubs a la Booth and Hiss, all Im likely to produce is a confused mess! But the more important answer, from my perspective, is that when I look at my (and others) garden, I mentally edit out all but the patterns on the ground to decide whether the garden appeals to me or not. By patterns on the ground I mean the shape of the beds, the lawn, the paths, patios etc. If the shape doesnt feel right to me then the plantings, no matter how nice they are, wont totally take away the feeling that the garden needs to be changed somehow. What Ive shown in the drawing of my woodland area is the patterns on the ground as they are now with the proposed/possible changes. The tree and shrub layers have been edited out, other than an indication of where some of the tree trunks are. Im largely satisfied with the plantings I have in the woodland (although changes and additions are made on an on-going basis) but Im not satisfied with the overall pattern. That is what Im wrestling with changing come spring. The Booth and Hiss book is interesting but I find Im doing the same thing when I look at the drawings in it particularly with the masterplan drawings. I find them very busy and have to mentally edit out all the plant symbols and just look at the patterns on the ground before I can conclude whether I like the plan or not. I suspect that, since I have previously stated my strong liking for flowers and colors, I am perhaps viewed as having little interest in real design issues. Certainly I feel that painting the patterns with plants (particularly flowering ones!) is very important to add color, vibrancy and emotion to bring the garden to life. Plus its lots of fun to play with color and plant combinations! But a very important part of what I have been doing over the past 8 years as weve been developing the garden is trying to get the patterns on the ground to look and feel right. Getting the woodland patterns fixed is top of my to do list for 2008 And just to show that there are trees in the woodland :-) here are two of my favorites: The oak tree as viewed from the living room window in mid-November: (The sun was so bright that day that I had to adjust the color a bit or the LR would just appear black the shed is gray, not blue) The white redbud in late May (its bigger now this picture is 2006 as I didnt take a picture in 2007 You can see a bit of the old shed in this picture - it did blend more inconspicuously with the trees but was otherwise decrepit, ugly and impractical and had to go!) I just realized in my previous post with the sightlines on it... I usually look at the drawing the opposite way around - so I really meant that it looks like the shed should be shifted a few feet to the north - left - in that view, not right....

Hi Bobby! I make my attempts at cottage gardening so I'll lend you my opinions for whatever they are worth to you. Actually, overall, I think your south foundation bed is the most color poppin bed in your photo album. Here are some thoughts... Make the bed larger on the east end near the backyard and include in it a small speciman tree. Your house is very tall and no matter what you do with perennials and annuals your not going to get enought height there to bring the bed into scale with the house unless you add something that is at least half the height of the house. A weeping cherry or a weeping red bud would be wonderful there. On your trellis' I would make them larger or fill the gap in the center with another trellis. Then I'd add more clematis to them in white or very pale colors. The lighter colors will help the darker ones to show up. Be careful to add the same pruning type that you have there now because once they are intertwined you'll never be able to prune them correctly if they're different types. If you aren't familiar with clematis types do a google search. Another thought would be to add a repeat blooming rose. Roses and clematis get along famously together! Personally I'd work with the peonies. I think they are wonderful cottage plants and the scent is worth the very short while that they bloom. Hollyhocks, tall delphinium, tall shrub roses, veronica, lupines, more lilies, daylilies, birdhouses on tall posts would all give you some needed height in the bed. Lastly...too much green, as you said yourself. You need lots more flowers of all colors or all pastels, depending on your personal preference, before you are going to get that lush cottage feeling. In addition to the colors...ADD WHITE. White flowers (daisy's are perfect) will help blend all the colors that you add and give the eye a place to rest between colors and they also make each individual color stand out more on it's own. When you are choosing your blooming plants look for things with foliage in verigated, grey tones, and blue tinged tones as well. It helps keep it all from looking "just green". Having said all that I think you have done a good job with your shrub choices which will also give you some backbone for the garden when it is not in bloom ie during winter. In time you'll end up like the rest of us cottagers, adding fencing, arbors and tons of draping roses lol. You're off to a great start. Keep at it...you'll get there. PS Did you know there is a cottage garden forum with a gallery that is to die for and conversation section as well. Stop in. They are the friendliest bunch of folks over there! MeMo

I'm trying the newspaper layers (6-8 pages thick) topped with a thick layer of the free wood chippings I get from our city compost site. This is a SW corner of my yard where arborists cleared some trash trees/shrubs out between the lilac hedge and a small grove of conifers. There was a leggy honeysuckle and even leggier spirea left in the gap both of which I hard pruned to hopefully rejuvenate them. And I'd like to eventually get a couple of other things in there to flesh it out. I've always liked weeding - especially where the weeds are big and having them gone is really noticeable. I use a short handled spade, dig down and lever out the weeds. It is labor intensive, but once into it, you'd be suprised how much ground you can clear. Once I got out the major weeds in this corner, I scuffle hoed up the little weedlings and will see if the newspaper and wood chips suppress them for good. It looks nice anyway! I would think for layering to be successful, you should at least cut down the big weeds as close to ground level as possible - good green additions to a compost pile.

I like Waplummer's "woodland" garden as meaning like what you find in a natural woods. For instance, if a branch falls, you let it lay as in an untouched setting unless it blocks a path. The branch isn't litter but gives shelter, a place for insects and mushrooms, and eventually rots back to improve the soil. At least don't through it away on trash day but break it up and put it somewhere on the ground. You don't rake up leaves and pine needles, but leave them be. Fallen leaves soften the undersoil, hold moisture, recreate the environment woodland natives need. It was a big step for me to realize I didnt have to plant grass under trees. The natural leaf mulch that replaced grass was easier to maintain and favored the natives. Every now and then I walk through and pull up nightshade or other invaders that poke through the mulch. They come up easy beacause the soil is softer and moister under the leaves. Some wood has already rotted to fluff, and fern patches do better the more I leave be. Old leaves and pine needles smell so sweet. I don't pull down plants in the fall after blooming as I was taught to do in traditional gardens. I leave them alone. By spring, most of the dry stalks have crumbled to add to the soil. When I used to cultivate around plants in spring, I had to battle weeds all summer in the cultivated areas. Instead, I monitor plants as they pop through the mulch, and remove them if I am sure they are unwelcome. This way I am slowly acquiring free natives that would have been yanked in my traditional garden. It must be working because this year I actually got complements mostly for these more natural areas. THey are the prettiest part of my property