I rip out and redo several beds each year. I did four huge ones this year and have another bed just for the extras which is also filling out nicely. You need to do redos every few years, if just for your mind alone.

I will be doing some culling of non-performers, but the chaos will remain since I like it.

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I've ripped out a couple too. And nearly every bed will be redone in the fall/spring. One of the nice things about sowing is you get to try out alot of different plants cheaply. Just because a plant doesn't perform well for me in my zone maybe somewhere else it will do better. I can trade/give those seeds to someone who could use it.

tiffy, your chaos is lovely.

Bonny

I'm always pulling up plants that I either get sick of, don't bloom well or just become a bit to aggressive. I post an ad in the local Freecycle or Craigslist and always manage to find homes for all. I hate tossing them in the compost pile. I don't bother to pot them or anything. I just sick them in a bucket of water. I get rid of my extra potted plants that way also. BTW Tiffy, I agree, your chaos is quite lovely.
Karyn

Hi, webkat. Good to see you post again.
I have been ripping out a lot of excess seedlings too and pulled out many things.
Tiff, I love your chaos. Mine is more chaotic, though and not as lovely as yours:
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Tiffy: I think your garden is beautiful, not chaotic at all. It looks well-planned.

Pit: Your chaos is also looks great. By summer's end I suspect no one will be able to find your house! What do you feed those this, steroids?

Karen

Nuttin other than horse manure & shredded leaves. :-)

WOWSERS Piti!!!! Yours is beyond belief and truly beautiful!! Oh I so love it! No, no, no... Your pallet of chaos surpasses mine by many miles!

How in heaven's name do you get to that bird feeder? And those poppies - are they perennials? I just started sowing perennial ones last year and I have one bloom coming up this year.

Had to cull my Lilies. The Lily Beetles were too hard on them and I couldn't keep up. Just have a couple left. Truly appreciate seeing yours'.

I'm making notes on all these gorgeous gardens just in case I win the lottery. You are on my visiting list should I ever win!

Tiffy, if my chaos looked that good, I would love it!!

Unfortunately, they start out looking good, then we get a few bouts of 50 mile an hour winds which lay many plants permanently flat...

Some just aren't up to mustard...good thing they are cheap!!

As a newbie, it's this kind of chaos that I'm aiming for. They're beautiful. Tiffy, I could not bear to rip out my lilies and I found the beetles were more aggressive than usual, but then I did not do my usual treatment which I got from the horticultural college here in town: just when the lily buds start pushing their heads through the earth in Spring, spray them and the surrounding earth with a 10% solution of household ammonia. It does not hurt the plants, but seems to kill of the beetle eggs/larvae. I have done this over the last several years and had only a few beetles, but didn't this year because I was too busy with WS and I had quite an infestation. However, I saved all my lilies- they have always been my favourite flower. Strangely enough, I had none in my front flower-bed where I have a collection of "Infiity" the so-called green lily, nor in my new bed against the western fence where I have all my trumpets and 4-5 footers (removed from the front). I guess they haven't found them yet!!!

Thanks for the tip on spraying, northerner. I'll try that next year. We haven't seen those beetles here...yet. I still have a lot of lilies, early - mid season and late bloomers. They all are opening up much sooner than usual this year.

Tiff, thanks, actually there is a space around the bird feeder. lol. ...barely.
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The poppies are annuals. I just spread some soil over the existing bed of perennials then sowed leftover seeds over everything. I am too greedy to leave any bare soil unplanted. That's why my garden never looks the same twice. lol. Next year it'll look different depending on what annual seeds I spread around. This year it pleases me very much. I'll do a lot of poppies again for sure.

I can hardly see the garage even now, Karen. I need to thin out my Viburnum, though.

Yep, thanks for the tip Northerner. I have used that solution on my Hosta gardens and other areas that get severely affected by slugs, but never bothered with the Lilies since the slugs don't go for them.

Webcat,
Living close to the Atlantic Ocean. I feel your pain about winds. The Peonies are about to bloom, so we're due for a good one. That's what the old folks always say around here. LOL!

Piti,
I like the idea of taking leftover seeds and spreading them on bare earth. 'Tis a very good idea! :O)

If my gardens looked like either of your gardens I would truely think I was in Cottage Garden heaven - both are absolutely beautiful - I love a riot of color. Thanks for sharing them with us......

Lynne

Haven't ripped out any perennials...yet, but sure have been ripping out some gigantic larkspur. Some of these were blooming even!! I just didn't plan on these re-seeders being so much taller than the original plants. They were hiding my Gaillardia and other smaller plants...some babies; some not.

Vera