Hi interersted in your Strawberry Fields Forever Bela Lugosi I have Joan Senior Strawberry Candy that I can divide. Have a few more also. Let me know. Debbie

One of the luxuries of being a home-owner and DIYer (especially if you share, as I do, in JanetPetiole's very cleverly-named "insufferable do-it-yourself attitude"), is that you can take things in steps. Sounds like you haven't yet removed that stuff that you are tired of seeing - groundcovers, shrubs, scraggly tree. If you hire a designer, would you do all that yourself anyway? Why not do it first? Once it is gone, your design eye may start to see possibilities that you can't see with all that stuff still there. You may be better able to see whether you are in fact happy with the bones, the sight lines, and so on, or whether you need a designer to help you "see." Maybe indeed your hardscape is all as it should be. So maybe plant selection is your major problem. If you want to mull your own way through that, I'll be the nth to say that it costs more and is the more tiresome option. However, you learn a lot about plants as you go. Perhaps you have a lot of time on your hands :-)? I spent years moving my perennials and deciduous shrubs around before learning all about bones, structure, and so on. Adding hardscape and conifers to my plantings, along with some broadleaf evergreens... it was like a new gardener, a competent one, had moved in. Also, for both your current shrubs and new ones, give yourself the gift of pruning - realize you are not at the mercy of how shrubs want to grow, but can have a plan of your own for them. You may have caught this recent thread already, but it has an excellent link in it to a discussion of plant selection. KarinL PS Janet thank you so much for that terminology. I just recently realized, similarly, that our "insufferable" addiction to DIY is the major reason why we still, after 15 years, live in a house and yard that is unfinished from top to bottom, and front to back. Just because you CAN do it yourself doesn't mean you HAVE to! Freedom from my to-do list is finally visible, even if not quite attainable! Here is a link that might be useful: First principles thread

I had a small succulent phase with over 500 species, then a dwarf fern phase growing from spores. All indoors and all gone now. I now have 2 houseplants - an Apidistra in a bathroom and a variegated fig rescued from the office. If I had to identify phases, I'd say it was moving from a bedazzled collection phase to a design phase, not so much collection of species anymore. Not claiming to be any good at design, but I'm trying. For a long time everything that grew was attractive to me. I bought 1 or 3 of everything. Got catalogs in the mail and drove to Bluestone for their annual June sale. Took cuttings everywhere I went. Couldn't throw out a living plant. Finally matured to the point of understanding editing was needed - like subtracting 100 mature trees overcrowding us and this fall - a 25 yo weeping mulberry will bite the dust along with the overpruned hemlocks around it. Had a hosta phase, a good useful plant but no more thanks A lily phase, now have quite enough and this has been the best year ever for them and I'm pretty much unmoved and thinking its now too much of a good thing. A dahlia phase - the thing that keeps dahlias good for me is that I have to wait to see them take their turn in the garden. I think it was you Kevin that talked about peony time, how we look forward to it and how we wouldn't want it to stretch on forever just because its so special, it should be treasured and then over. Same for me and dahlias. I don't save them anymore either. This also has probably kept them in positive light. There were small phases in epimediums, daisy shapes, buddleia, woodland plants, fruiting shrubs and trees. The biggest phase change has been converting from plant collector to trying to put together an overall pleasing effect. I'm trying to go from Collection Cacophony to 4 Season Harmony. I've spent a couple years on bloom succession. Definitely still a work in progress. I already know my next phase is Maintenance Reduction and Removal of Shrubs that never should have been put there to begin with. I think I'm going to be rather bold about this. 4 plants I find repeatable all over the property are Carex Evergold, red or white nicotiana reseeding in place, Jacob Kline red monarda and Helleborus orientalis. The phases of gardening have been humbling for me, I think there have been life lessons in them. Mostly about figuring out what really matters and not sweating the small stuff.

Jacqui My daughter just moved into a new house with nothing in her yard except grass and bark and a few homedepot cheapo inappropriato plantos, so I would love to trade some of my plants for yours for her. I'm interested in both some of the the blue fescues and the ferns and from your trade list maybe the lavender (what type is it?)....... From your want list I have some plants that i can dig/divide and get ready for you: anemones (white)--'Whirlwind' and 'Honorine Jobert' varigated sweet flag shamrock euphorbia characias and amydaloides salvia forskoahlei creeping phlox tall phlox--light purple and maybe white Please let me know but if possible please respond to my old regular email: jbracik (at) msn.com thanks PNW Judy now aka 'plantknitter'