Moon, I've also read literally dozens of landscaping books, and still couldn't landscape my way out of a paperbag until I started studying design in a classroom setting. Some will say I still can't, but there it is. So it's not you. The way design principles are presented in gardening and design books makes sense only when you understand the principles by actually practicing using them. At least that's how it was for me. A scale drawing of your property showing the location of the house is a good place to start. Once you have that, you can use tracing paper to play with ideas. Start by listing what you do want and prioritizing the list. I can't tell from the photos if that's a little patio in the fenced off area behind the house or not. If you need a small patio for yourself and a couple of friends, you may want to start there. You can start by sketching in possible plantings around the patio to give it a little privacy. You don't have to block out the neighbors completely if you don't want or need to, but even a low planting will give you a feeling of comfort, and visually reduce the size of that space to a more human scale. You can then think about what you want to look at when you are on the patio, and sketch in ideas for beds that will not only give you a view, but a place to putter as well. Maybe a patio is not your first priority. It may be that you want to landscape the front to make the house seem more like it's "in" the landscape than sitting "on" it, all alone, as it is now. Think about adding some ornamental trees that frame the view of the front of the house. Pencil them in and go outside with your drawing, and imagine how they will look when they mature a bit. Do the same from inside the house, in the rooms where you will spend enough time that the view might be important. You may find that your placement blocks a view you want to keep, or will block the sun too much. Adjust if necessary. If you already know you want a fence, sketch it in, and play with plantings that conceal parts of it to make it less conspicuous. If you need shade, that's also a good place to start. Research trees that will flourish in your conditions, see what the local nurseries have available, and plan where to put them for the most benefit. The afternoon sun in the west tends to be hot, so trees placed to throw some shade on the windows or sitting area can be selected. They don't have to be huge trees to give shade as the sun gets lower in the afternoon, and the southwest and west sides might need it the most, but experiment with where shadows fall and pencil in some trees. Do you need a veggie plot? Compost pile? Shed? If so, figure out where they will be convenient to use. Veggie gardens need water, compost pile may need screening. I wouldn't worry about microclimates yet. As you plant things and put in fence, etc. they will change anyway, as sun and shade patterns and wind will be affected by anything you add. For the moment, select plants that are at least hardy in your zone, or go one zone colder to be safe in an unusually severe winter. You can experiment later with fussier plants. Hardscape is expensive. Fortunately, if there isn't a good reason to have a walk or other feature included, you can skip it. If you know you'll need a walk to make access from front to backyard more convenient in wet or winter weather, include one, just don't put it so close to the house that you end up with the dreaded 3' bed. Leave 5 or 6 feet for shrubs or groundcover, or a flowerbed if the location calls for one. I wouldn't put in a walk and focal point just for the heck of it. If you find that once you get started a walk seems like it makes sense from point A to point B, add it then. You can always wait to see where you wear a path in the lawn. All of this can take a lot of time and thought. If you're patient, you can start small with whatever ends up at the top of your priority list. If you're impatient, you can always hire a designer to do a full plan or give you some direction.

I've just been lurking here so far, but couldn't resist this thread as it looks like you've got a great lot and house to work with! Beware: I'm no pro, just have some ideas for you :^) I agree with Brent that you should start with having your walkway layed out first and let the traffic dictate the layout. I also think that with 'beds vs. plants first', it would depend on what you have a better idea of. Sounds like you definately know you want deep beds around the house, but plantings you're not so sure of? So why not start with your beds and let the placement and soil dictate your plantings? Seems logical (and so much easier when you're telling someone else how to do it!) I love conifers myself for all season interest, but you can have too many and definately plan for mature size! Why not stick with something dwarf in your beds but place a few larger varieties out in your big beautiful yard to create a park like setting interspersed or grouped with something deciduous? They can be useful to create some much needed shade and privacy areas in your yard. You mentioned placeing 4, one at ea. corner of the house? I'm thinking 3 or 5 with it being a corner lot (triangular) your 'anchors' would look more appealing and fit nicely into the overall layout. The same when designing your beds...I think curvy would go nicely with a corner lot. I don't think you can go wrong with curvy beds. Deal with the basics now and the details will follow! Hope this helps! Are you putting in a vegetable garden? Looks like you've got lots of space to work with. Make sure the conifers don't shade any veggie areas too much.

Interesting! I have been researching another matter and can give you some shortcut answers to your question. Looking into my crystal ball I see a vacation trip to the U. of Delaware Library in your future. The first successful nursery in the States was started in PA. about 1811-1903 by David Landreth and Sons. Google the nursery name and you will find all sorts of helpful information and leads to search further including the fact that the U. of Delaware has a complete collection of all the old nursery catalogs. This is where anyone researching early plants should begin such a historical project. There are, of course, books on the subject which you will find listed as you Google. May I also suggest, due to your proximity to Gettysburg and the age of the property that you might think about purchasing a good metal detector. It is very possible that you may be able to locate old wells, privy spots, dump areas, battle sites with all sorts of treasures. Neighbors may also give you permission to check their properties. A world of fun. Wonderful hobby.

Lots of natural stone can have green flecks or striations (sp?). You're right about not needing a sideboard or cabinet in that area. I was confused by your post. I wouldn't match the furnishings, they should complement one another but not all one matching set. I like the wood table. Looks a bit like weathered barn board colour. Is there enough space for something that big? They style and colour will look good with the beadboard on the walls. Instead of getting a matching sofa / loveseat combo, you may one to do a sofa and some chairs. It's hard to tell from the pictures but it would look like it would be a tight fit with both. Also putting chairs instead of loveseat gives you the option to do some coloured or patterned chairs. I love the idea of yellow, but I am biased. I love fall colours and tend to gravitate towards them. Yellows, reds, greens would all look great with rustic furniture. Definitely nothing frilly on those windows. I'm sure someone could help you out with styling them, I've never had tall windows like that so not sure where you'd put them when you have windows over the fireplace. Perhaps just shades with simple sheer drapes that run on the bottom windows only. Sheers can be coloured if you like, don't have to be white. Or you could just leave them completely bare. Trim is very easy to paint. Tape off where you don't want paint going and prime it and paint it. You may need two coats of primer. They also make a plastic product that you place on the floor when painting. It slips under the baseboard and you move it along as you paint so paint doesn't get on your floor. I've used it in the past and it worked well. So since you own some artwork already that's actually a great jumping off point for you. What I would do is figure out where you want the art and then use the colours from those peices as your accent colour or finding a complementary wall colour. Grab a bunch of paint samples that you think you'd like and compare them next to the art.