What you are asking for is the essence of the art of gardening, boiled down to 25 words or less :-) As Ken has indicated in his inimitable manner, there is not a lot you need to worry about. The emphasis will always be on 'right plant, right place' and good soil conditions. A loose, well-draining and fertile soil with a slightly acidic pH is the most desirable for the widest range of plant types. If your soil is not at that loose, fertile and properly well-drained stage yet, mulching on an annual basis will make it so over time, especially if you use compost. Make your own or purchase a local commercially prepared compost, often the product of municipal yard waste recycling. Mulching will also reduce the need for a lot of watering (reduces surface evaporation and increases moisture retention), helps keep weeds in check and if compost is used, can go a long way in increasing disease resistance as well as elimintaing the need for additional fertilizers. Group plants requiring the same growing conditions (sun, shade, water) together and select varieties based on their optimum mature size and site accordingly. This should reduce pruning requirements to the minimum of removing wayward branching and dead or diseased wood. Watering is a factor of soil conditions, weather and specific plant requirements - there is no set rate or magic key for watering. You just have to pay careful attention to the plants and the conditions until you get the hang of it. Typically after establishment (or the first couple of growing seasons in the ground), the need for supplemental irrigation for most plants is greatly reduced. No garden is NO maintenance-free but by doing some effort before planting and researching the needs of the plants you want/like ahead of time, you can reduce the amount of time you need to spend tending and increase the amount of time just enjoying. I think this may be a bit more than 25 words!! :-))

LOL. Rouge, you are my kind of gardener. Yeah, I planted a few extras on my neighbor's side. He didn't mind. Too bad most of them gave up and died, lol. I would very much love to see your stealth garden if you have pics. I tend to feel the same. Spots of the garden can look good for years before "something happens" to make your opinion of the area change or there is an obvious need for overhaul/improvement. It is in those interims that a gardener kind of twiddles their creative thumbs (not to say those thumbs are idle with all the maintenance that needs to be done)! Knowing there is no room left is especially hard for those gardeners that love collection or composition. For those that collect plants it is a sad fact because that means they are not able to get all those cool new varieties or plants of their favorite group that they can never have enough of. It is hard for those that like composition because there is something enriching about the artistic/creative part of designing totally new spaces. Sure there are swap outs here and there and tweaks in the design, but it is nothing like a brand spankin' new space! Art gave a great idea about annuals. I tried that awhile back, thinking that may satiate my "must plant something new but have little space" dilemma. Turns out I have a love/hate relationship with annuals. Some years I like them and others I am sick of having to re-buy them or go through all the hastle of seed starting (yeah, sometimes it IS a plain hastle!). Veggie gardening is another alternative- you can try out new ones every year, plus you can EAT EM'!! I have fun with that. I'm thinking I may do a bit of container gardening next year. There is still some spaces that I can cram potted plants into ;-) CMK

bumpety bump!

thank you