Thanks Konrad. We did quite a bit of hardscaping, and will be doing a little bit more with the patio cover, arbors and the fountain. But, it will be very pretty when it's done, and we'll have a peaceful place to take a nap and for company to spread out. The orchard you see in the background behind our property is a lovely older Valencia orange orchard that sadly has been abandoned. It has been in the family for 2 generations, possibly 3, and the cost of water in S. California has put them out of business. It just breaks my heart. The oranges are the sweetest Valencia oranges I've ever had, and they make the most delicious juice. Patty S.

Thanks Cher, that's much appriciated =) Ken - Most definetely, I'll get some better pics this week and post in a new thread. I have a semi round bed to the right of the arbor that I'm working on for fall plantings. Right now I have roundup down waiting for the grass to die. coniferjoy - You never know... I'm not sure how large this project will get 15-20 years from now =)... If I run out of room in my backyard, it'll be time for more brush cutting lol. I have another 200 x 500 feet on standby just incase. I actually took my yard back 50 feet just to make room for those beds. I'm relieved I didn't spell any of the other names wrong. Will get Wingle's Weeper fixed.

bump for Dougald. Thank you for introducing me to this book, Dougald. There is no email address on your GWeb profile page, so I hope you see this add-on to the thread. I'm in process of reading the book. It is not one you read quickly, so I read a chapter and think about it. The addition of rocks and mountains is something I'll have to think about for a long time. It is the way they also incorporate water into the garden. Since things are always symbolic of other things, I trust it will be in line with the Chinese style to find a suitable work-around in my garden. It won't be classical, but it will be as close a substitute as my location (and budget and capabilities) allow. I'm at that chapter about Chinese landscape art--paintings or scrolls, not actually in the garden--and that is where I'm lingering for a while. It must look natural even though contrived. What for me to do! I get the ideas of "borrowing views" and creating long views, multiple changing vantage points with openings in the shrubs and trees, always framing a lovely prospect. Some architecture....provided by my Teahouse wall, the new latticed screen going in to break up the western sunlight and block the glare of two noxious street lights uninvited to the scene. Of course there are no large expanses of land here. Mine would be no imperial site since it forms a personal and private garden on a city lot. By Friday afternoon, the tall latticed 40 foot wide screen will be installed, and I can proceed to prettying up the last section of my walled garden. I am adding no gates....that is mentioned in this book too...but instead I am locating objects or features which will be framed in the two gateways and serve to invite one into the garden. Of the two views through the openings in the latticed screen, one is of a crape myrtle (now in bloom) beside a pole with a bluebird nestbox on it. I will be able to see the comings and goings of the bluebirds building their nests and feeding their young, from the low deck off our bedroom. The other opening serves to reveal the darker territory beneath a sasanqua (camellia) where I recently located a white (plastic) tiered fountain. This fountain will not have water but will have ferns and tall spraying liriope planted, with pots of small hosta nestled in their midst. A Limelight hydrangea will provide more greenish white flower balls in that vicinity as well. This ungated opening near the door to the Teahouse is also visible from the deck off the back of our house, be it from the spot off our bedroom, or the area behind my kitchen. The entire back of our house--when the remodel is done--will be a wall of glass. It gives me an uncompromised view of the garden through the latticed screen....and privacy from all outside eyes. Except maybe for the small aircraft which pass overhead. So thank you Dougald. I hope you see this. The book is delightful.

I wandered around the yard today too. I'm not discouraged yet. I still think it's too early to tell. I did see some things that encouraged me. Daffodil foliage in places where it has been established for awhile is starting to come up. One area where I planted daffodils last fall is showing tips of foliage but not others yet. I can't remember if I put in early or late bulbs there. No sign of 25 Leucojum that I planted in the fall and only one crocus so far. I still have another 9 days before I could consider them actually later than other years. I did see foliage at the base of chrysanthemums and new growth on sedums, buds on lilacs, and on Honeysuckle vines. Can't tell yet about Clematis or the roses. The Viburnums all look like they should. But this is that time of year that everything looks it's worse, before new growth starts showing and there's a lot of clean up. Bottom line, I'm not worried. I will have a lot of work to do this year, but it's like that every year for one reason or another. I always have grand plans and schemes and this year is no different than any other in that regard. I decided to sow seed under lights this year. But I wasn't able to start them as early as I intended to. I just started sowing yesterday, so I'm off to a late start, but it really looks like we will have a late spring. DH suggests we may not have a spring, that it will go right from winter to summer. That will really disappoint me if that's the case, but I guess I wouldn't be surprised. I guess I think that we all have to become as flexible as possible because every year it seems the weather surprises us more and more. And it's not just us in the north, where we are getting cold and snow. I would hate to have moved south to get away from this weather only to get hit with it down there as they have in Washington D.C., Georgia, even Florida this winter. And gardeners in the plains states and in the West are still dealing with record droughts. Even in England this spring, they had record flooding. So we're all in the same boat. I think we have to adjust and find a way to use whatever weather we get for growing something in the garden that we love. I'm looking forward to buying a few annual geraniums this year for a pot, based on photos of all of your geraniums last year! I love the spring season, but, I'm trying to have something for every season so I have something to look forward to, if one season is a dud. I'm looking forward to spring vegetablesâ¦peas and lettuces and greens, broccoli and bok choy. But if it gets hot too early, then I've got peppers, tomatoes and squash to get into the ground earlier than usual. And there's always containers of annuals. And plant shopping!