I mostly specialize in aquatics but am looking to expand my terrestrial collection, so I'd be happy to swap with you. :) Among my pond/aquatic collection are: MARGINALS: Graceful cattail (Typha laxmannii)--"hardy Variegated Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus 'Variegata')--"hardy White Zephyr Lily (Zephyranthes candida)--"not hardy unless you're down south Lizard's Tail (Saururus cernuus)--"tender perennial here in the north, hardy in the south. Arrowhead Plant (Sagittaria sp.)--"hardy Golden creeping jenny (Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea') Mint Charlie (Clinopodium brownei) (not hardy unless you're down south, this plant is EDIBLE and has a lovely mint flavor) Ammannia mauritiana (pretty pink flowers and red stems)--"Tropical (Seeds only right now) Might also be able to track down a rush of some sort (Juncus or Scirpus) if I poke around my tubs. SUBMERSED (oxygenators): Hornwort/coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum) Eel grass (Vallisneria spiralis) ...I probably have more that I'm not thinking of at the moment. My collection is more geared toward aquarium species than pond species, but there is, as one might expect, a great deal of overlap involved. Shoot me an email if anything catches your attention! :)

I've tried sowing seeds in my garden and haven't been very successful for what ever reason. For this reason, I've decided to germinate and pot up indoors for 3 weeks and then move them outdoors. I'm growing the following this year: Tango Amish Deer Tongue Buttercrunch Romaine Mix Nevada Red Sails ATM, they are in 5" net pots sitting in my garden and have not yet been transplanted. We will be getting a freeze this weekend and early next week (zone 6b; as low as 24F nighttime temp on Monday). Do I need to worry about covering them up? Daytime temps will be way about freezing. My understanding is that if the temps are above the teens and lettuce plants have the ability to "thaw out" the next day, covering them was not necessary. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks, smithmal

Welcom, Soxi! Thanks for posting the photos; they really help. I would agree with those that suggested that you plant on both sides of your entry sidewalk. Your walkway will go through the garden instead of being the edge of the garden. Over the years, I've yet to make a garden too wide, but I've often had to widen them. I've also had to whack things away from the house so it could be painted, so I'd suggest leaving a minimum of 2-3 feet between where the plant's width will be at 10 years (the usual info given for mature size, though most will get larger) and the house. I also don't like the look of plants lined up - I prefer having layers of plants, and I include bulbs, shrubs, vines and perennials to provide a longer season of interest, so bed depth is needed for that. I try to include at least some hardscape (like a trellis, birdbath, etc) or evergreens in most of my gardens so that there is some visual interest between when the first frost kills most of the foliage and when everything is buried in snow (or in years like last year with little snow, for most of the winter.) As Mad Gallica mentioned, often this period is several months of the year, so anything I can do to make March and November and any other snowless months less dismal outside, is all to the good. This isn't a foundation bed, but this could be done on a smaller basis in a your beds. A good chunk of its interest is year-round, and the evergreens and trellises add interest as background and support for the flowers in the growing season as well as providing all the interest during the 6 or 7 months in the non-growing season. From December 2010 In laying out the shape of the beds, be sure that they are easy to mow - don't make those inner curves too tight. I use the black plastic edging buried up to the top bead just outside of the bricks which edge my beds; the grass hides it and it keeps the grass from growing between the bricks. The lawnmower wheels run on the bricks and the blade misses the plastic edging, so a separate pass to edge the bed isn't needed. While I don't find the plastic aesthetically pleasing, it does reduce maintenance without being too obvious. Here's a photo of a bed edged this way, and you really can't see the plastic. From June 5, 2012 As a relative beginner to gardening, it's easy to get caught up in just the flowers, but also try to think about foliage. Varied leaf shape, color, and texture will add to the appeal of your garden even when there isn't a lot in bloom. Check to see if any of your plants have nice autumn colors. Try to plant so that you have at least some plants in bloom all through the season as well. The annuals will help with that, but also try to spread out your shrub and perennial bloom.

Have you had Aronia berries before? personally i don't like the taste of them so i wouldn't recommend them. The Romance series of cherries are naturally dwarf and can resemble a bush, they are also good for fresh eating as well as juice and baking. A Chicago Hardy fig could be very rewarding if you protect it over the winter. I have one here in Zone 5, and the figs are absolutely delicious. Goji berries are not great raw. What people eat from the store is usually dried and tossed in sugar to make it seems sweet. Raw, they have a bit of a tomato flavor to them (they are actually in the same family as tomatoes). Goumi berries have the benefit of being a nitrogen fixer, so it can help nearby plants. But i wouldn't grow it just for the fruit if space is limited. Personally i like the elderberries that i have fresh. Unfortunately i don't know the specific variety that i have, so it would be a roll of the dice to buy a plant and it end up only good for juice/jam. Honeyberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, currants (i would recommend black), and strawberries are all going to be solid, standard choices. Just from within these types, there are so many varieties that you can get a good diverse harvest each year. Strawberries also make a great boarder plant, so you can plant your bushes and do a line of strawberries in front of them (assuming the sunlight is there) to maximize the space.