I've been too busy to spend much time on the computer lately, but this particular post I couldn't resist. Designing a new garden or landscape is super exciting, but can be daunting at the same time. If you are a book lover I highly recommend checking out the 'better homes and gardens complete guide to landscaping.' In my opinion the most useful thing in the whole book is the 'landscape checklist' because it really helps to organize your needs and wants right in the beginning. I found it helpful to come up with a theme for my landscape in the early stages, inspired by the oaks trees I decided to try to create a place with the feeling of a woodland meadow. At the same time I wanted a cottage flower garden and outdoor living spaces, so I placed them close to the house and then went with a more naturalistic look farther away. I'm most proud of my spiral garden, I love having a nicely shaped pathway that provides interest even in the winter when the plants are less showy. I always feel that paths are one of the most important things in a garden, not only providing access but also bringing beauty in and of themselves. Also, if you need a shed it can be made into a feature that is beautiful. I love the big shed that my boyfriend built, it screens the view of our neighbor's large metal building and I think it's an attractive feature in the landscape. When we got our house the yard was a total mess, things are coming together now so I have some pictures I can share but it's still a work in progress. First I want to say that we were also limited by having a septic tank, as well as a grey water tank and two mature valley oak trees whose root zones took up most of the yard. Most of the plants are in their first year and I'm still in the editing stage, so things don't look nearly as good as everyone else's photos... but I'm still proud of our improvements. This is my little cottage flower garden, I came up with the idea of a swooping spiral path out of the necessity of hiding from view while still leaving accessible three different covers for our septic and grey water tanks. Another view of the spiral. Golden Buddha, happy in his spot in the spiral garden. This is the dry creek that wraps around the side and back of the yard, it serves as a solution for the ponding issues we used to have as well as being very pretty. I love rocks. Please ignore the weeds. Our oaks and the far corner, I have several large species and rambling roses planted back there though they are hard to see in this picture. With time they should grow to cover the fences and provide some privacy. I'm sure your landscape will be totally different than ours, but I hope that some of the things I found useful can be helpful to you in your planning. I don't really have any 'destinations' in the back, but I think that would be a great thing for you to use as a starting point. What will draw you (and your family) all the way out into the back of the yard? Have you considered planting any fruit trees or edibles? How about bird baths and feeders? Does your family enjoy playing outdoor games like boccie ball or badminton? Lastly, be sure to create some shady spots to cool off and/or rest in, they provide visual interest as well as respite from the heat. Well, I should stop writing now... have fun designing your new landscape!

One photograph... What about the shots of the originator with Empress Wu? Those pictures solds thousands of plants! For me, Komodo Dragon is faster and will probably be just as large, if maybe not quite as tall... but the leaves have character... I might be the only person in hostadom who keeps looking at EW and saying "homely." Chopped up my Toy Soldier today and a few leaves are showing a little of the third color. I'll have to wander down to Deja Blu one of these days and see if anything is happening. I keep getting saved from having to process and post photos... Paul has all the good ones I have - and great photos... I can just leave it up to him for the most part...

Now, see *I* wouldn't buy a house in a sterile, taupe-beige-ecru, homogenous neighborhood with "covenants" and "open floor plans". I would rather live in a box on the street - seriously. Those cookie cutter places make me throw up in my mouth a little. But, I also live in a college town with more than our share of, well, character. (One of the older areas of the city has victorians that look like fallout from a Crayola plant explosion.) My neighbors might hate my gargoyles, but I don't really care for the bowling ball garden or the bathtub grotto down the street, so we're even. They are, however, the nicest people you'll ever meet and when we have a blizzard, we all get together and help each other dig out. And we have great cookouts come summertime. Are your neighbors nice people? I went to an open house this weekend (just for fun, as we were walking by), and the seller had placed little signs throughout the house pointing out things and/or giving extra information e.g., "look - original hardware!", "don't forget to check out the linen closet behind the door". I thought that was really creative, as most people just lack the ability to see past the most basic things. Perhaps a little note in the house or the listing details mentioning the "eclectic character" of the neighborhood and how sad you are to leave such a great community of people or something. Or, just invest in a nice, big ol' fence. ;)

Thanks Kelley! I'm still on the fence about how well my tree is doing but so far it doesn't look like there's any large infestations or obvious diseases. The only explanations would have to be root rot, lots of fungus gnat larvae, or not enough food for the tree. And I'm hoping it's not the root rot! With your mix, it might be due to the fact that each of those materials hold water very well. From all the research I've looked at online, vermiculite and perlite are usually recommended to be chosen for just one or the other in most soil mixes. Or a mix of both to equal 1 part. The only time I've seen a mix include both as separate parts was IVOrganics on YouTube but I didn't stay updated on how the tree fared. If your vermiculite was a larger, coarser type then it might be ok? I've read vermiculite tends to hold water very well due to absorption while perlite just gets wet on its surface. Is your lime also on that same mix? It probably is just the mix's drainage...I think an expert should give you a more informed opinion on your eureka. I've had my first lemon for only a month now. My advice would probably be to not listen to my advice lol