Uhmm! WOW.... I need more time to look, but at a glance I was stunned by the beauty. Thanks for sharing(and add friend!). :)

The pond and bridge are already stunning. Just wait until you mix in conifers around there!

Hopefully you hang on to some of those perennials otherwise I'm taking a road trip and loading up on divisions of those plants!lol!

Beautiful garden, Lady Lotus!

I see you like birds like me!

Wolfgang

Amazing work... it looks like something that would be in a magazine or art for the wall. Just cant wait to see what it will look like once conifers are added to the mix. Don't toss out the perennials... send them my way =)

Your gardens are beautiful. Adding some conifers will look lovely but I sure wouldn't take out much.
Cher

Awesome...simply awesome. What a great use of that space.

tj

You guys are very kind. Thank you for the beautiful comments about my gardens.

I will be keeping some of my favorite perennials. But I will be giving a lot of them to the garden club here. I would gladly give my plants to you guys, whaas and Rick. I was doing a lot of hybridizing of peonies, daylilies, roses and lilies. I might introduce a few things that look nice and get rid of the rest.

I do need to begin reducing the amount of work. I have a couple acres in gardens it takes a solid month every day after work to cut the foliage down and I just need to cut back on all the work. If my gardens don't look really good, I don't invite anyone over to see them. I think if I had conifers and not so much deadheading to do I would have more people out, sit on my deck with friends and enjoy my yard a little more.

I understand exactly where you are coming from. I am cutting back on perennials also. Going to mostly flowering shrubs and conifers. Not as quickly as I would like with the finances, but am slowly converting.
Cher

Cher, mine will be a slow transition also. Conifers are expensive. Grafting is just as expensive because one has to buy the understock and then heat a dern greenhouse over the coldest months of winter. In addition, you never know if something will take or not. oi oi oi. It is the challenge that peaks my interest. The bigger the challenge the more crazed I get to accomplish it. Crazy!

I see you garden in Ohio. A beautiful state. I was there for a National Daylily Society convention and toured MANY yards. You guys know how to garden out your way!!!

Have you thought of possibly having a garage sale and selling some of your perennials? Take that money and buy conifers. I am tossing that idea around for myself. Also, I traded a lot with people around here for my perennial plants. That was FUNNNN! We would go out to lunch sit down with photos of our garden plants or lists and decide who wanted what when.

Do you have a lot in flowers now? Good luck in your transition.

Cher, one more thought...Have you thought about rooting cuttings of conifers? It is REALLY easy and it would give you a lot of conifers for almost nothing. I would send you cuttings of some of the ones I have growing. I don't have many but would send you what I do have now. Hopefully, one day I will have a bigger selection. LOL

You sound like me. As for plants I am really bad about starting lots for people and giving it all away. Gave away everything I dug out also. :) I put in lots of flowering shrubs and have been rooting lots of them for people. As for conifers, I have a small yard and have to stick with the minis and dwarfs or weepers, and from what I've read not many things can be rooted and most has to be grafted.
Thanks so much for your generous offer ladylotus.
Cher

Sensational gardens, thanks for the tour!

It will be interesting to see how things change over time as you incorporate more conifers into the landscape.

You're making a good choice. As beautiful as your gardens truly are, you'll be better off as you age *gracefully* and won't be able to maintain such a large garden. You know whus up.

Just follow Cher and many of us who bring shrubs, maybe sunflowers, etc- to feed our bird friends. My landscape is geared as much for enjoyment from myself and friends as I want it to be for all animals.

Dax

Thanks again everyone. I will add friends. LOL. I just started facebook and don't use it much but will add anyway.

I started my garden with the sole reason of attracting wildlife. I have a lot of fruit trees and shrubs, anything that will grow that develops nuts and usually leave my perennials up over the winter to give the finches and other native birds seeds.

My favorite animal around gardens is a mother fox that has had her fox cubs kits in dens right behind my greenhouse the last 5 years. They are very fun to watch. They will run up and down my paths in my gardens, jump up on the benches like they are playing king of the hill. It is a hoot to watch.

Also, I love purple martins. I have houses up and have enjoyed their aerial dancing and singing while I'm working in my gardens. They are pretty social birds and almost seem to enjoy humans.

I will miss my flowers terribly, but agree Dax that it is time that I begin to think about enjoying some R&R before I get taken to the great party in the sky.

Thanks again for looking at my photos. I have only had one tour of my yard and swore I would never do it again. Perhaps I will change my mind once I have less to maintain.

Lady,

Several important things here in your favor.

You have the God given talent to put things in order and balance.

You already have the new conifer design in place and by the way I am impressed. I know...a lot of hard work and time to bring this off.

Things to think about:

Draw a to scale plan of your existing design. 1/4-1/2 inch to the foot should work. With that in hand it will be easier to plan your conifer accusations for balance, color and height. Each island should have 1-2 focal point conifers depending upon size of the planting area.
Some of the best advice I can give is to purchase any you have listed in your island design when you see them for sale. If you pass it could be years before you see that cultivar for sale again.

As big as your garden is it will take years to develop with the right plants. So don't get in a hurry. Once your conifer garden is established it will become a full time job. Believe me I have arrived and sometimes I wonder if I have taken this thing to far.

Finding a plant source.

In your case you will have to plan for a annual trip for new plant stock. If you limit yourself to all 1.gal offerings it will take years for the garden to come around. Try to find 3.gal. offerings with an occasional 5 gal. to get this thing going. If your are ever down this way in late April I can take you to a nursery that has 100's of rare and interesting conifers. The price will be right also (:>). Got a pickup? That's not to say you should not mail order. Especially for the smaller plants.

2nd best advice:

Find you a nice heavy duty 2 wheel cart.

I have rambled enough. Have fun on your new adventure.

Dave

Your garden is beautiful that is a lot of work keeping it looking like that. Wow!

ladylotus,

I am in awe. You really have a gift. I so appreciate you sharing your pics, stories and the journey you are on. Keep going!

Barb

Gentlemen's gardens may be great,but Ladies gardens are infinitely more sophisticated !Thank you for the wonderful tour! T.

Thank you all for the lovely comments.

I appreciate the advice Dave. I will not be purchasing any really large conifers most if not all will be the small 1 gallon containers or grafts that a couple friends from Iowa are sending me scion wood for. But that is ok. God willing I have nothing but time to see these grow on.

I know I really need to draw my gardens to scale. I've tried doing that when I first started gardening with very little success. Perhaps I should give that another shot.

My back garden is probably 500 or more feet long. So, I may have to adjust from inches to 1 square = 5 ft or something. I will have to do some measuring so I'm not shooting at the hip when I say 500'. If you knew me you would know I have NO clue what 500' is. Let's just say I have very large gardens. I really do appreciate the information you always provide. Thank you.

Ah, I feel special in a sophisticated way. :)

T...you are a charmer. LOL

Dave

And I wasn't even trying!!! LOL! T.