Upfront, I don't no nuthin' about such gardens per se. But I do know something about charities and donations-- Sounds like what you could bring to the table is a design and vision--the more you've got it actually sketched out, phase 1, phase 2, etc, according to practicalities, site development, the better. Then what you do is recruit people to donate toward this vision--here's a JM going in over here, there's a bench (with plaque!) going in over there; would one of these be something you'd like to do in memory of your loved one? I take a lesson from laag The Great on this forum (kind of just ribbing there), but he's been so helpful. The more order and strong design you can get into place with the hardscape and larger plantings, you can then tolerate more randomness in, in front of, and around that. Also, you can, and should, even PLAN for randomness- 'cause you can expect it--so you could figure out what areas and what sorts of plants lend themselves to smaller and more idiosyncratic memorials. Think of building or remodeling a church (well, the typical modern-era church)--people don't just bring in stuff from home or that they've gone out to buy or everyone bring his own pew and book. Some folks donate toward the organ, the church ladies's auxilliary funds the new kitchen appliances, the pews may be dedicated to loved ones, folks buy hymnals and a dedication is placed inside. But it's all part of a plan. It's aslo kind of like getting listed with a store for a wedding or baby shower--you're giving some guidance for things needed, with some big-ticket items, but very important to include lots of smaller-ticket items (so really, a good "range"), and also expect some folks to show up with stuff you never imagined. Another aspect might be maintenance. You know how different organizations take on a section of road? Will it be likely or possible that a person or group would volunteer to spruce up or maintain an area? A final aspect is the difference between "memorial" and general public garden. Memorial in terms of plantings implies to me some kind of pemanence (the bench, the oak, the JM, for example). So that could be the kind of randomness to avoid, or you'll have random trees and shrubs competing with each other. But also, cash donations are memorials, just like to a charity, so you'd like to encourage non-itemized donations. So the other aspect to the overall garden is the ephemeral aspect, with seasonal plantings and displays, which will be suitable for a lot of donors who realize that garden plantings come and go (e.g., people subsidize theater, symphony performances that are not "permanent" things). And really, no one has to die (for the garden!)-you will be encouraging living "in honor of" donations as a counter to the need to buy things for people. This approach is very popular with older people who have finally figured out we all have too much stuff.

Sandy, I'm having trouble posting the link for you. Is it Bihai? Look on something like page 5, at a post on May 9, by Bihai, titled "Bloomer in the Greenhouse".

I thought I better get on here and respond before this post gets bumped to page 2. You can tell it's spring by the activity on the forum lately...it's hard to keep up. But I love it! Anyhow, thank you to all who commented. For those who liked the clematis let me also mention that it is wonderful in the evening. Those pure white blooms under the moonlight are heavenly. They really show up! This clematis is only in it's second season here, believe it or not. I am very happy with it and to dipsandtets...you are very wise to get his one. Also, to those who asked about the blue columbine it IS indeed all blue, and as blue as blue can get. I don't know names of any of them since they came from mixed seeds. (Sorry I'm not any help on that). I have a lot of pass-along plants that were given to me or from seeds from others' gardens. I have been collecting plants for most of my life, and oh the story some could tell. Thanks again! Celeste

Hey Dax, Any rewrite of Krussman is way in the future right now. I think you have noticed how obsessed broomers have become and right now there is an explosion of new selections appearing everywhere. A rewrite would be an exercise in futility until things settle down a bit and the market place decides which ones are worth retaining. That is one reason why I wrote the book I did: choice cultivars with interesting stories that are available and mostly proven to be reliable. A second book is probably in my future looking at compact and larger cultivars with sections based on colors and growth habits. That kind of book is more suitable at the present time. After that I will take a hard look at a possible Krussman rewrite which I may or may not self publish. Since I have a comprehensive library of conifer books, I will probably scarf up one of these right away. I hope there is new information in it and it is not just an expansion or rewrite of Welch's Checklist. So many conifer books rehash old information that it is hard to find a good one. I know Aris worked very hard at taking quality photographs and having correct labeling in many different countries. I know that part will be excellent. But don't be disappointed if the book has an European flavor/emphasis since that is the expertise area of the authors. I expect this book to be an excellent shelf reference but of limited use to anyone who wants to use it to design a landscape. The last Conifer Encyclopedia by van Hoey Smith and van Gelderen caused a lot of disappointment when people tried to use it that way. I used to get want lists on a regular basis listing plants from that book that were not in this country and had to explain that it was not an availability list for nurseries. I am just commenting based upon past experience and won't know for sure until I purchase a copy. I know it will be useful for me, and 2-3 cents per color picture is cheaper than I can do them on my ink jet printer. Bob