My landscape/garden resolutions entail termination of several project "journeys". My patio is installed but finishing touches of some custom fence sections that I am building need to be completed and installed.

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Then I can finally concentrate on the finishing touches and plantings. The bulk of those chores will wait for more favorable weather.

More immediately, I am in the process of doing the "P. Allen Smith thing" Â (the interior portion) his advice to "extend your home out into the garden and bring the garden into your home." If I have neglected anything at my new home, it is the interior decorating; which has remained rather "contractor beige" mundane.

I have recently had great fun painting, papering and hanging borders in our main bath. Pondering that ubiquitous conundrum  something is still missing  I wisely took my wifeÂs suggestion to go through all the photos on our computer, print some really good ones and hang them on the wall. The impact is amazing. I concentrated on photos of native plants in bloom. They complimented both the paper and border to great effect. I simply ordered the prints online at Walgreens and picked out some reasonably-priced oak frames to compliment the oak trim. Working inside with native plants in oak frames is a bit different but I also find it mentally stimulating for upcoming outdoor endeavors.

I am still ruminating over implementation of a woven, living willow bower with bench at the apex of the main axis of my patio. This should be the culmination of projects in this area. A conceptual photo is below. However, the bench, details (and obviously, setting) will be different than this example from Clare Wilkes, a British willow expert.

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IronBelly

G. Haywards book on path design is 2007's source for inspiration!

The one section that struck me the most was the primal needs of a "garden room". This didn't entail bringing the inside out, but to satisfy the need for safety and security. A high perch from which to view the terrrain and seclusion from predators (or noisey neighbors).

The willow bower shown above the past picture of Miss RR's bower have convinced me to build a nature blind in my wilderness.

I resolve to landscape the front of my house after living in it for almost 3 years.

I'm going to landscape the front of my house after living in it for 4 years. (I've been working on the back and two sides. . . .)

LOVE that willow bench enclosure, trying to see where one would fit on my property . . .

I'm planning on working on the back and side yards of my house. That was supposed to start last spring--but then I had the whole thyroid disaster. I'm better (synthetic thyroxin is a beautiful thing!) and doubtless y'all will have to put up with moaning and groaning about the removal of wheel-barrows full of white landscape rock and black plastic...I'll try to keep the kvetching to a minimum.

The good news? I actually have my OWN digital camera--so picture posting will no longer be at the mercy of my college kid's schedule.

Ought to have added--

Ironbelly--I love the fence. What is the material? Manner of construction? It LOOKS like metal--do you have an arc welder?

I would love an arc welder. And a plasma cutter. And some lessons...

I like year end resolutions :-) Kind of an ideal time to take stock and evaluate what worked and what didn't and what needs to be changed and so one can start out the new year fresh. While I don't limit this process to the garden - lord knows there's a whole lot of stuff that needs addressing on a more personal note - my garden is playing a starring role in this year's set of resolutions.

As a landscape professional, my own garden tends to take a back seat to business and client needs and I'm tired of that. I am resolving to devote more time to my own garden, both in terms of keeping it in better order as well as making sure I have the time to enjoy it. Part of that is a review of the design and plantings with an eye to reduce maintenance. And the installation of a long overlooked flagstone pathway to border the back garden. And the clean up of a couple of rather unsightly utility areas, including the conversion of one into another planting bed. And I resolve to find a place for that dang cryptomeria that has been haunting me for the last two seasons - there's gotta be room for it somewhere!!

I resolve to get the wall trellis done this year (needed it last year!).

Also must work to integrate bromeliad collection INTO garden. Seems like the potted collection never goes away, no matter how many DO get integrated into the garden, so must construct benches with wire mesh tops, or some other useful display arrangement to accommodate the pots.

No more expensive borderline ultra-tropical plants. I find I don't enjoy coddling them and worrying about them. There are plenty of expensive borderline near-tropical plants to choose from that can be expected to survive unaided! ; )

And lastly, buy larger palms so they will reach maturity well before my life expectancy runs out. I have a Rhopalostylus bauerii var. 'cheesemanii' that will be head-high in 10 years, and I'm not very tall...

Our recent house purchase is professionally landscaped. Good scale, good plant selections and really does not need any rehabing or additions. Just what we were looking for as these old bones complain after too many hours of gardening. A large deck affords me space to continue my container growing and topiaries. So, my resolution is to reduce gardening. I will of course break that resolution as I have moved within easy driving distance of four of the top nurseries in the country. Woodlanders, Park Seed/Wayside Gardens retail store and the real treasure that is never mentioned, the retail/wholesale Nurseries Caroliniana (it has an on-line catalog). The latter is similar to Garden Delights with all sorts of rare plants and is open to the public. A hidden treasure at the end of a country road.

The New Year approaches. It's planting time here. New beds to plan. A bunch of ideas to try. I must make some of those moss balls that yama has posted about on the New England Forum. He is posting regularly there with interesting instructions for Japanese growing techniques. Next year I will consider resolutions, if and when I run out of gardening space and ideas. Happy New Year, everyone!!

I hear that when you make resolutions it's always good to tell people, and that if you do tell people then you're more likley to keep them.

With that in mind, I'll say that I plan to make a site plan this winter. We just moved into our house over the summer and I haven't done it yet. I have a layout with some of the permanent features on it, but none of the plantings. Maybe from there, I'll put a little thought into a design. Hopefully, this summer we'll get some of the trees in, hopefully a little more hardscape, and improve the lawn. That's probably more than I'll do, so I'll just stop there.

All right, I am posting here so that I will have to hold myself accountable. This year I will tackle the front yard. Last year, we purchased a charming (on the inside at least) old house with the most horrible outdoor spaces imaginable. We worked on the back yard last year, and while the back isn't perfect yet, I can now look at it without wanting to cry. But the front yard... oh, the terrible front yard... Sigh. I have no idea what we can do without spending a fortune. But I will try! That is my resolution.

My DH and I are building a garden shed. Well, more accurately, he is building it. I just stand around and envision how it will be used and how to integrate it into the landscape. Occasionally, I am forced to fetch him a beer or help position some beam or such. We will have the same recurring argument about its color once we get to that point (he wants something funky. I'm not opposed to funky. After all, I'm a little funky myself, but I like funky to whisper to me, not scream at me.) So, I resolve to work out a compromise on the color of the garden shed.

Next project: greenhouse (next to garden shed)

Next project after that: We have a circular area close to the house for which we had originally planned a pond. Now, that we are getting a bit older, we're concerned about all the maintenance that would be required to maintain a nice water feature, such as a pond. We're looking into alternative designs for this area.

This year I will have the front stairway (from the road to the house) redone. They are currently of rotting railroad ties and cracked flagstone. I am soliciting bids to have the thing done in poured concrete surfaced with stone. It will cost a fortune.

Brenda

My 2007 projects are to build a screened in porch, build a patio, and replace the narrow front entry with a welcoming stone walk. I plan on applying the equity in my old house to finance these project...wait...I forgot...I did not sell my old house yet so I don't have any equity to apply. Since even with the renters in the old place I am still running about $2k in the red each month my gardening budget for 2007 will be near zero. Pencil and paper are pretty cheap so at least I can plan. Hopefully I can get a few well placed evergreens in my backyard to provide year round screening (right now it is near 100% deciduous plantings).

Battle Weeds: I have a feeling that much of 2007 will be devoted towards battling weeds. Some of the existing beds are almost overrun with weeds and Evening Primrose. I am sure I made the problem worse in 2006 because I let a lot of things grow so I could see what they were. I also made a mistake when I expanded and planted a bed near my front door. I wanted to save the bulbs so I was not as aggressive in my weeding before I planted and I spent way too much time weeding between the plants for the rest of the year.

Winter Sowing: I will be winter sowing perennials (and some annuals) this year. I have a design maxim: "A bed stuffed full of flowering plants looks better than an empty one". I figure that if I get a bunch of plants going this spring and stick them in a bed out back I will have lots of plants to choose from when I start expanding beds.

- Brent

Hey, Brent, mine are similar to yours, I'd like to add a patio in the back, & make the front entrance a little wider. But, wait, we've just moved into our house & had to replace the HVAC (& we're waiting on the windows & siding). We're also working on the flooring, which leaves the outside in holding.

Our major expense when we moved in, was to add wire fencing to all the existing split-rail fencing, so our dog would stay at home. The back yard is nice right now, we back to a county park & basketball court. My big plan for this spring is to add a straw bale veggie garden on the eastern corner of the yard, our neighbors have been working on their side of the yard & changed the drainage-we have a wet spot that we didn't have before...

I've been writing out a calendar of when and how to care for each plant. Most of them were planted last summer or the previous fall. It's my first real garden, and I have to learn it all.

My first project this year is to get to know my plants and their care. My goodness, there are a lot of them.

Also I have to decide what we're going to do about screening, as there will be a new road and houses directly behind us.

Oh yes, and we're building a garden storage place up close to the house.

And then - well, you all know what happens. It's one thing right after another. But then, that's what it's for. :)

Just came across this...

We also bought our house this past summer, but haven't sold the old one yet, either. Brent, I feel your pain!

I'm in the middle of trying to plan out the master plan for the entire site, now that the interior remodeling is mostly done. I just came across P. Allen Davis' Home Garden, which is fitting in nicely with some of my strategies, tho there is no way I'm going to have that much boxwood, if any! (Esp. going with the rule of not making your garden more formal than your house, and it is a rather cute 1970 ranch).

Goals to actually do, rather than draw: one new bed, annuals in the existing front foundation bed (which will eventually get expanded, once budget allows), compost heap, and make a large mulched play area. Hopefully, also a veggie garden. Possibly, replacement fence.

(Future lofty goals - patio, screened porch, addition, re-work existing front sidewalk & porch, paths, more garden rooms, lots and lots of roses...etc,etc...)

P. Allen Davis' Home Garden? Did you perchance mean "P. Allen Smith's Garden Home"?

- Brent

This year the year I completely eliminate lesser celadine from the property,and snow drops,and finish the perimetter fence to keep out the deer. {{gwi:54924}}

Brent - Yes, you are completely right, and I feel like a bonehead that I got that wrong! I don't tend to watch gardening shows, so hadn't heard of him before I read the book. Usually I double-check before posting names or titles I'm not sure about...

My 2007 resolutions are worded more as observations from previous years.

1. 500+ corn plants provides more than enough corn to feed my family of 2, all my friends, all my co-workers, and still leave plenty to freeze.

2. 40 tomato plants provides more than enough tomatoes to feed my family of 2, all my friends, all my co-workers, and still leave plenty to freeze, can, make salsa, make tomato sauce, make pizza sauce, make and freeze soup.

3. 15 young trees (less than three years in the ground) in a drought requires nightly watering from four hoses to get them all drinks every week.

4. Gardening/landscaping projects on 20 acres of land tend to be much larger, much more expensive, much more time-consuming, and much more stressful than similar projects on the average city lot.

5. What's the point of a nice front porch with comfy chairs if you never have time to sit there with a cocktail and the dogs and enjoy the sunset?

6. What's the point of a nice back patio with comfy chairs if you never have time to sit there with a cup of coffee and the dogs and enjoy the sunrise?

To sum it up, my resolution, my one and only 2007 resolution, is to plan my spring/summer/fall projects, then cut them in half, then cut in half again, then dive in knowing that I will only get half of it done.

Can you tell that last summer was a bit hectic?

An admirable goal, prairie love, & something we all need to think about-just dragging hoses around on my very small suburban lot, made me a little crazy. If I can just enjoy my outside space this summer (ok, I'd still like to try & finish a small project-2 veggie beds on the fence border), I'll be happy, although I'd really like to add a patio (dry laid manufactured bluestone) to the back. I do spend alot of time outside, under a garden tent, enjoying the views of my backyard. My neighbors probably think I'm crazy....

All right, everybody--how are your projects going? Anyone have any successes to report? :)

Status on mine:

Plan - In progress, subject to change...
New border in back? Check!
Annuals in front? In progress - we'll see if my seeds sprout...
Compost heap - not yet (needed to get stuff planted first, and they are going to be bins, not a heap. However, we have addressed the drainage issues in the area where we planned to put it, so we're halfway there.)
Mulched play area - not yet
Veggie garden - check!

Of course, I also have the items I forgot to put on that prior list -
Get dead tree in front yard cut down - got quote
Fill in trench from burying electrical service and re-seed - got quote, but instead are gradually infilling as we dig out bits of sod else where. This is also where I'm putting stuff that would go in my compost heap...

Things we've done that weren't on the initial list:
Start digging firepit (per ds' request)
Plant along rear foundation in existing empty border (got tired of staring at it, right along when I heard about Bluestone's clearance sale, which is over in case anyone got too excited)
Weed
Weed
and weed some more...

Doh!! Getting reminded of my best laid plans and ... progress.

As described in a previous post, my original plans were put aside, because a water pipeline was installed along the west side of my property. The pipeline has been installed, and partial site restoration made along the route, except near the road embankment. They have put in topsoil and wetlands and uplands seed mix. The bottomland has been graded to pool water (and mosquitos!).

In the meantime I finished my own restoration landscaping plan with some advice from the forum and the many great discussions. The most intriguing were the ones about integrating native and non-native plant material without feeling guilty.

My progress has been in developing a landscape plan for my whole area instead of a garden design of each small area.
Making this jump (however awkward) has been quite a struggle in balancing landscaping, natives restortion, and mostly my own sense of spatial visualization.

Forms.
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Plan view.
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Good job, you too! Very ambitious. I will jump in with my (much smaller) accomplishment. I wrote in January how much I hated the front yard of the house we purchased; how it almost made me want to cry. I hated it so much that I could hardly begin to tackle it. Well... fast forward to June. We put in two new beds and dozens of plants, and while it certainly isn't perfect, it is SO much better. I am stunned at how improved it is. I can actually come home and be excited to see my front yard now.

I'm happy with the progress that I've made, as well. I didn't go w/ the straw bale idea, but did plant an L-shaped border (3'deep-19' x26') w/ roses, veggies, perennials, & the odd tropical-elephant ears, calla lily, & musella lasiocarpa in the lower, sometimes boggy corner. Everything looks good, just have to keep up w/ the weeding. The 6 tomatoes in 3 earthboxes are much larger than their inground counterparts, though-they are huge & most have fruit.

Still on the list to do-keep sowing seeds, rework small tropicalesque bed on south side of house w/ more palms & bananas, & this weekend, I WILL install that Mr. Landscaper micro irrigation kit to help w/ watering...