The point about the angle is important. I didn't really take that into consideration. I was able to pull a few pics from one particular angle.

Winter 2010, Spring 2011, Summer 2011, Fall 2011.

{{gwi:644034}}

{{gwi:644035}}

{{gwi:644036}}

{{gwi:644037}}

great job on approaching your blank slate as if it were an artist's pallette. Did you go in with a vision in mind or did you just wing it and let it fall into place? You'd be surprised that both approaches can acheive the same results.

Oh, great suggestion. I will have to do this and make sure I take pictures from the same locations and angles every year . Love that big sweeping curve Whaas.

Wait, this might be depressing and embarrassing. This will show the signs of my dumb brown thumb and the progression of how I'll end up killing everything. Oh that poor Sky Pencil holly. I never meant to murder you by planting you under the walnut tree. I didn't know! He still stands, tall and dead. I'm in denial and haven't taken him out yet. =)

Yup, I'm a big fan of sweeping swoops.

Dave, I 100% agree! It started out as a plan for the backbone but I've been shooting from the hip ever since. Its tough to execute design from paper. Its tough to factor in the various angles and depth. I'm sure I'll be moving plants on a yearly basis.

great job on approaching your blank slate as if it were an artist's pallette. Did you go in with a vision in mind or did you just wing it and let it fall into place?

===>>> is this a serious question??? .. you ought to know me better than that by now ... i wung it ... past tense and all ...

i started by planting the 1500 potted hosta i brought.. making beds in shade.. creating a backbone i presume ...

after mowing the 5 acres for 6 hours and 4 hours of weed whipping every week or so ... the first year.. i created beds around all the big trees not associated with hosta ... and around any other problems in the yard.. like stumps of removed things ... that is called mowing at speed ... the kids were taught to run away from the sounds of the lawnmower.. not towards it .. lol ...

then ... having learned in suburbia.. that beds are designed with the riding lawnmower .... aesthetically pleasing means nothing.. if you have to finishing riding.. get out the push mower .. and then the weed whip .. lol ..

then i thought i would need basically roads .. to drive the pickup around ... and that is how the various paths were defined ... [never actually did that.. but its come in handy when tree work is needed ... though as the conifer grow.. my roads are shrinking ...]

and then .. the electric company started line clearing .. and i got a couple thousand yards of mulch for the asking ... they would come in two or 3 times a day to empty the truck.. because if left overnight it would freeze solid .. it was winter of course ... and they did have to work the next day ...

so i started creating beds between the paths ...

then i used my hosta logic.. a green.. a yellow.. a blue.. and a variegated in each bed.. keeping in mind what little i knew back then about shape and form ... then throw in a twisty.. a curly.. a ground cover ... a pendulous.. etc ...

then.. wait 10 years.. and ipso presto.. what you see ...

filling 4 acres pure mineral sand.. with a plant that was basically sun proof.. drought proof and otherwise carefree after a year or two .. led me to either daylily or conifers/trees/shrubs ... and i already had a labeled collection of hosta.. i didnt really want to go into daylily.. those peeps are nuts .. lol ..

i think that about sums it up ...

vision... schmivion ... dig hole.. insert plant ... throw mulch around to make bed .. reduce mowing to about two to 3 hours total .. and throw out the push mower and the weed whip ...

and it was real insight from God.. to find roundup.. and then its generic ....

hows that for a plan ... more of a jackson pollack thing.. rather than a monet ... lol ... [ i did honor him by grinding cigarette butts into my artwork.. just like JP]

had i been a golfer.. i could have really gotten carried away .. but i dont think many golfers are hardcore gardeners ... [in fact.. is there such an animal.. a hard core gardener.. who does his/her own garden work.. AND GOLFs .. i bet not ...] but i digress ...

ken

ps: i do live 15 minutes from hidden lakes.. so there was inspiration of how to do it all in the back of my mind ... in fact.. if you got satellite pix of both.. you can see that from space ... my yard linked here.. HL in post to follow

Here is a link that might be useful: compare to link in next post ..

compare to the other link .... above ... the view from space ..

of course i did not have satellite coverage 10 years ago ... to delineate this all.. i just wung it ...

and i wish i had the hot house ... lol ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link to HL

BTW.. i was not bright enough to figure out that studying professional scapes might lead to inspiration ...

the MI hosta club holds and an annual work day at HL .... so one year after lunch.. i notice these signs pointing to the CONIFER COLLECTION .... and i walk around the corner.. and down a ways ..

and the the clouds parted.. and the angels sang.. harps a'blaren .... and i found conifer world 101 ....

i would like to think i planned it .. or somehow take credit for it ..... but it was God's work ...

ken

Ken, that is a really great idea to take a lot of photos from similar spots to see the changes that take place each year with the conifers. Thank you for the suggestion.