When I think of a moon garden I think of scented plants first rather than just white and green. I like jasmine, pflox, and brugmansia. I think of a place to sit and enjoy the peacefulness of the night in the garden, so whatever is planted there can be enjoyed while relaxing in the cool air. I like the sound of running water too, not a torrent or a waterfall, just a soft splashing sound and the peeps of frogs and crickets nearby. This is the garden I have, and it's a half-moon shaped area inside the turnaround driveway in front of my house. The long straight side that faces the street of the half-moon is enclosed with a brick and iron fence. The half-circle side is marked out with stone that edges the driveway. There are two entrances to this garden, the main entrance has an arbor, the second entrance is just a little footpath. The paths allow you to see all of it, but also require some back-tracking so you get to see some areas from two directions. One circular path has a stone castle in the middle that is inhabited by fairies, or gnomes, I'm not sure which, since I've never seen them, but their tracks are all over the place. They leave their "stuff" laying around, ladders, chairs, dishes, stuff like that. They're kinda messy sometimes, but I let them stay anyway. Passers-by often pull over and peek through the iron fence since there is enough color and interest for it to be eye-catching during the daytime. Nobody stops at night though, because they can't see how wonderful it is in the dark.

The conference takes place every two years and was last held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada in late July. I was a speaker but had a great time anyway! ;-) If anyone is interested in my experience at the event, you can click on over to an article I wrote for my local MG publication. I can provide the name of the person who organized the event, who may also be able to provide the addresses of attendees, if the interested person emails me directly. Monica Here is a link that might be useful: Article on 2005 IMGC (go to page 8 if it doesn't load there)

Hi, demikaz, $80.00 an hour for a gardener's time may seem high, but it depends on a lot of factors. Namely, how much experience the gardener has, what his target market is (high end residential, commercial, etc.), and how much he values his time, if he's doing all the work himself, etc. I have some container gardener friends who charge up to $100.00 for their design and install time, plus mark ups on plants and materials. Shop around. If you're just looking for advice, paying for an hour of a garden coaches time might be a good investment. Or ask a Master Gardener to come give you a consult. That wouldn't cost you anything. The Master Gardener program is a great place to get a basic education in plant culture, physiology, ecology, and other areas, from disease and pest identification and treatment to design to pruning, etc. It is basic knowledge and not meant to be a degree program, but many Master Gardeners love plants and gardens and have been doing it all their lives. Others are retired and want to learn more about gardening so they can start and better care for their own gardens. I'm a registered landscape architect, a garden designer and coach, and a garden writer, and have taken supplemental horticulture courses as well as our area's Master Gardener program. As a landscape architect, most of my career I focused on site design. When I switched to specializing in garden design, I figured the more I could learn about the cultural aspects of plants and gardens, the better designer I would be. The MG program was one such resource to take advantage of (and now I'm looking at becoming a certified plant professional - the learning never ends!). :) Some MG are garden designers by profession. We're just not allowed to advertise the fact that we're MG for commercial gain. Usually, the MGs who've been in it for a while are the most knowledgeable. A 10 year veteran would be a good bet for a consult. Our program allows residential consulting is one way we get our volunteer hours in. Yours might, too. Call your local extension office and ask for someone to come out to you place. But from your post it seems you want someone to take care of your grounds. Have you called landscape maintenance companies?

pkock: First of all, I wouldn't give up on the idea of becoming a superb garden writer - simply because they are badly needed for many, but not all of the reasons given below. 1. In my humble, one of the best garden books ever written is "Green Thoughts: A Writer in the Garden" by Eleanor Perenyi. I believe that it is still in print, but if not, obtain a copy from your local library either on the shelves or through their interlibrary loan system. In reality, I believe that you should have this book on your shelves and so you might wish to explore either of the two excellent sources of new and used books listed below. http://wwww.abe.com or http://www.alibris.com Pay particular attention to her chapter on "Failure" as well as the chapter on "Pruning". I wish that I had read the later chapter while in high school as it would have made my classes in English Literature far more enjoyable and my few undergraduate classes in the same area more interesting. FYI - the chapter on "Pruning" has little to do with the actual "pruning" of trees, shrubs, flowers, etc., but it has a great deal to do with a philosophy of gardening. Read it, learn, and, above all, enjoy!! In short, it is her point of view and her style of writing that makes this book a very treasured gem. 2. The second highly recommended book in John Madson's book: "Where the Sky Began: Land of the Tallgrass Prairie". I suspect that most members of the gardenweb forums who have read the book would consider this book as essential reading in the area of gardening. I believe otherwise. Having been born, bred, and experienced the tallgrass prairie of Illinois for over five decades before moving to northwestern Michigan, I read this book many years ago and came to far better appreciate the construction of the prairie soil/loam and to better understand the weather and climate of the tallgrass prairie. I can't remember the title on "soil", but there is a chapter on "The Great Weathers". Both of these chapters convinced me of the necessity of planting bare rootstock material in the fall when possible. Why, simply because there is often a rapid upswing in temperature and humidity during the month of May and June. Sometimes it is so rapid that the changes put a great stress on newly planted flowers, roses, shrubs, etc. Besides Madson's approach, his experiences of growing up on the Iowa prairie, his style, etc., I believe that this book's regional approach should be repeated throughout the United States. I gave a copy of this book to some good friends in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She and her husband operate a wonderful B & B just north of Engadine, MI - the Sandtown Farmhouse B & B - and Caroll is a wonderful gardener, who would like to write. A regional approach - like Madson's book - would be most helpful for northern gardeners. I believe that a similar approach could be made for Ohio gardeners, such as yourself. I'd write more, but we're headed to Traverse City with our grandson shortly to visit our daughter, Nicole, who is undergoing a minor operation. Hopefully, I'll be able to contribute a second installment later this evening or by tomorrow. Hope that this small contribution will give you further encouragement. Take care and best wishes! Bill