CMK, I have periods of time, when I will avoid the garden, because too many problems are calling my name too. That has been the case for years and my solution was the same as yours, tackling one project at a time. I like to focus on one small area in the fall and the spring, and make it just the way I want it, so I have at least one area that I can go and sit in front of and be happy looking at it.

Always exciting when something you start from seed grows, let alone blooms, so great job on the cyclamen!

What am I enjoying at the moment?

-The Mums, Sedums and Aster along the street edge of my front bed are about to bloom.

-âÂÂJulia Childâ Rose is full of blooms again and the foliage is clean without chemicals.

-one area under a large Maple is finally growing a few things after trying many things without success and I got that area weeded just this morning, so itâÂÂs ready to get mulched and ready for spring this week.

-I just noticed, that finally âÂÂMidnight Wineâ Weigela has started to grow taller and fuller and now it is in just the right spot and I may order another one.

-I just ordered spring bulbs for an area that didnâÂÂt have enough of them and IâÂÂm looking forward to that.

While I'm not as adventurous as others...

Turtlehead - SO happy I grew both pink & white from seed. The bees just love it.

Persicaria virginiana/Virginia knotweed - grown from seed via WS a couple of years ago. It's come back now each year ever since I planted it. I love foliage so am really glad it offers such a contrast to Jack Frost brunnera, lungwort & hosta.

Stokesia - also grown from seed via WS in 2011. The plants are healthy and had multiple stunning blooms in July. I can't seem to get enough blue (& white) in the garden.

Spirea - never thought I'd enjoy a shrub so much. Again, grown from seed via WS in 2011, all the plants bloomed this year and I enjoyed the untroubled foliage along with the delicate blooms.

Am impressed with ornamental strawberry foliage growing in part sun. It's attractive & different and, yup, grown from seed via WS.

I don't feel the need to coordinate much beyond complimentary colors but also don't hesitate to mix & match textures. Every garden is unique, suited to the gardener just as it should be. I like to think mine has turned out to be an asset to the best of what my landscape topography has to offer in terms of growing conditions.

Mine is kind of strange but.... I have a pretty decent sized back yard and running along the entire fence line (two sides and the back) is a long winding border garden. For the most part, at this point, the only plants are some ornamental trees and shrubs, ditch day lilies, a big hydrangea clump... AND WEEDS!!! Lots and lots and lots and lots of weeds. I haven't put much (or any) time into these areas because I have three very active dogs and they run through these areas, trampling anything. I've got to figure out a way to plant things in a way that they won't get destroyed... we'll see. At any rate, a few weeks ago I spent a weekend out there pulling weeds and redefining the edges of the borders. It was close to perfect and it was so satisfying to see that, yes, it can be done. Now its all overgrown again (not nearly as bad as before) but I still see how nice it could really be if I can just get it all pulled, mulch the hell out of it and keep the dogs on 3 foot leashes.... :-/ I live in a fantasy world...

I'm not big on "the bad".

At least in our growing conditions and with our variety of perennials: Excepting some deep rooted perennials that don't like being disturbed, I think mixed perennial beds do better if they're dug up and replanted every five or so years.

With that approach, they look at their best in the third or fourth year. By the fifth, the tougher plants are eliminating the weaker and the bed is losing its overall variety and vigour.

I'm able to keep up with this by following PM's strategy; namely, focus on one area at a time. In our own small garden, that means renovating one section of a bigger bed or one smaller bed each year.

That way at least some parts of the garden are meeting expectations every year.

We got rain this year. Lots of much needed rain. I don't have a thing to complain about. Its dry now but we have some in the forecast a few days down. Keeping my fingers crossed and my toes.

Sunnyborders, I hope you are right about the vigor thing. I need some vigor in an ugly area where I am persistently fighting some vigorous plants with some hopefully way more vigorous plants to win a little plant war out back along the border with a neighbor. May the best plant win. Actually, I am working on a long row of native Lantana fighting Vinca Vine. I put my money on the Lantana winning hands down in a couple years. Its from Texas. Its green, blooming attracting butterflies and pretty right now, although still sort of small. The Vinca Major is crispy brown...... and ugly.

I think thats a taking the good with the bad or maybe fighting the bad with the good?

This post was edited by GreatPlains1 on Tue, Sep 10, 13 at 0:40

It has been a very tough gardening time for me this year. Everything has gotten out of hand.

I do all my work in the 16 small beds from a scooter. At the beginning of spring when things start growing, I get a great deal of help from DH and in the past he has been there to offer whatever help I need at least a couple times a week.

This year he has been so busy with other projects that demanded his attention that I have had to overlook much of the out of reach weed pulling, trimming, cutting back, relocating etc stuff that he would have been glad to help with. I feel guilty putting any demands on him for my selfish needs to have everything the way I think it should be.

So I am overlooking as much of the chaos as I can. I can't see things being any better in the future as we both age. I am greatful that I am able to do what I can and that I have a husband who tries to fulfill my every wish, but there comes a time when reality must be recognized.

I do so enjoy going out probably 5 or 6 times a day to tour the yard, taking pictures of the many bugs that love my flowers even if they aren't in picture perfect conitions. Nature in general greatly amuses me. I marvel at the way things grow, at the changing views each day of everything around me. There is much more to living than a picture perfect yard.

Makes complete sense to tailor down garden expectations to match physical capabilities and available help.

RE DH, Gazania: I remember my sister and I helping my mother weed, when we were quite young. I don't remember every resenting doing it. I'm sure we thought it was some strange adult activity, but we were happy to do it because we just liked her and getting it done made her happy.

Spouse and I are planning for the time when we can't garden. There's lots of other interesting and fun things to do that don't require hard labour.

-PM2, yeah it was a happy surprise to see those two little cyclamen blooming!

What things did you plant under your maple tree? I must agree that is one of the most challenging situations in my garden too- planting around trees and large shrubs. There are a handful of plants that seem to do well there. Then I also tend to plant 'invasive' things in such areas and they tend to be kept in check some, lol. This topic might make an interesting thread on its own...
CMK

gazania, I have help from DH in the garden too and you can only do what you can do within time restraints. I never expect a picture perfect yard either and enjoy whatever we are able to accomplish. This year, IâÂÂve also been looking at what I can change to reduce the amount of work as it is only going to get harder to keep up with. I love the seasonal changes too. Even going out in the winter, just walking out the door into the crisp air or the smell when snow is on itâÂÂs way. ItâÂÂs great!

SBorders, what interesting things to do that don't require labor? :-)

CMK, cyclmen bloom this time of year, I guess. It's on my list to look into a little more. Photo?

Under the Maple....well, so far what seems to be working, are Solomon's Seal, European Ginger, Epimedium, Hosta, and I finally have a Rhododendron that seems to be hanging in there. It's grown a little and I hope I can encourage it to grow a little more. I'm moving some Arctostaphylus to an area right outside the dripline where it will get a little more sun. It's still not looking very good but I'm encouraged. I am going to divide more epimedium and Hosta and add those fall/spring. I did add a running epimedium last year, but so far it's just sitting there. I was wondering if that Blue Oat Grass would manage right outside the dripline too and I'm thinking of using that Golden Hakone grass. That area is not that visible to where we use the yard the most, so it's last on the priority list, but I'm ready to pay a little more attention this fall. I'm also thinking of adding Leucojum.

One thing I can think of, PM2:

Sitting out at the Sloppy Pelican (St Pete Beach, Fl), looking over the intercoastal, drinking Corona and socializing!

That's the kind of hard work that interests me!

SBorders, LOL...ok, now I get the picture! Is that near Venice Beach? Can't get tired of looking out over the water, for sure. Porpoises and Pelicans are a delight I'd never get tired of either. I can see that I've been thinking in the wrong direction. :-)

A bit north, on north side of Tampa Bay, PM2.

I do see pelicans fishing, but they really know how to hang around, while others do the work.

-PM2, you ought to try cyclamen there too! From what I read, they actually ENJOY dry conditions in the summer.

Pic below of the pink one (the other bloomed last week and was white, no pic). An observation- they act a lot like Autumn Crocus, sending up foliage in spring, going dormant in summer, and then coming back to bloom in fall. Those plants that are not blooming have regrown foliage...which is lovely silver mottled.
CMK

That's a sweet little flower, CMK. You started them from seed, I think I see bulbs on sale in the catalogs too, I'll have to check them out. I love to keep trying different plants under that tree to see if I can find something new that can tolerate it. Thanks!

Too little rain this summer. Spring moisture was good, but the past 6 weeks have produced less than .25" of that needed moisture. I really hate watering from the hose, I much prefer stuff from the rain barrels, but I ran out of that a long time ago.

Lots of big cracks in the yard and spots in the flower garden. Many flowers are ending too early. High in the upper 90s today in central Illinois, not much relief for several days with the temps. Rain? That's a bad four-letter word to our weather people!

Jim