I was lucky enough to have many folks who contributed to my love of gardening. My folks had no interest in gardening (other than my mom planting marigold seeds with us when I was 5) but took us to the local arboretum frequently. My grandfather was a gardener and I loved wandering through his rural garden on our annual summer visits. Walking between the rows filled with feathery asparagus fronds was a particular treat. We picked tomatoes, apples and bouquets of sweet peas and pansies. Mrs. Sherman, the cranky lady at the end of our block, had stunning mixed borders, but I was too afraid of her yelling to do more than drool over her yard from the safety of the sidewalk. The parents of my dearest friend managed to find time around working and raising three kids to have lovely mixed borders. They often wanted to show me the latest rose or a bed that had been revamped, since my interest must have been obvious. The primary school I attended had part of the schoolyard given over to a community garden with small plots filled with flowers and veggies, though actually going into the garden was strictly forbidden. I didn't work in any of these gardens as a kid, but starting as a teenager I began planting things in my folks' yard, teaching myself through reading. I know that I still have those gardens and gardeners in my mind's eye as I plant and tend my gardens each growing season.

I have plants like astilbe, flipendula, rodgersia, mimulus, brunnera, iris in my bog garden and there is not difference in germinating them. If you talking about some other'special' plants like carn. and such-I have never grown them. Plants for water areas like lilies need to be started in water or in soil covered with water.

emilykemily- I like to plant flowers so that there is a succession of bloom starting in early spring. For example, right now. late winter- Helleborus orientalis blooming, in shades of purple and pink, and it self-sows. Pulmonaria starting to bloom, variegated foliage, colors from white, pink, rose, cobalt blue/pink, purple/orange, needs some shade and light summer water P. 'Excalibur' Early daffodils starting Muscari Snowdrops- Galium Spring- Daffodils Species tulips- tougher than hybrid tulips, smaller blooms Muscari Hyacinths Pulmonaria Anemone nemarosa- delightful patches of low foliage and myriad blooms, goes dormant in the dry season Hardy geraniums, G. Sanguinum makes clumps that look like bouquets, some trail, low water usage Bleeding hearts Perennial forget-me-nots, Brunnera, can self sow a little, need some shade, medium water usage. Biennials, which do great here since they grow during the rainy season and bloom before things dry out for summer- Lunaria- silver dollar plant, purple or white flowers, heart-shaped leaves, makes lovely dried arrangements, self-sows Forget-me-nots, blue/pink flowers, look great initially, but can sow invasively and have to be pulled out, I tolerate them but they look bad at end of season Columbines- can be grown from seed, self-sow, cute grey-green foliage, tall double I have looks like fairyland when blooming in beds, a chore to cut all the flower spikes off later when dry. Daphne odora, where drainage is very good, shade Irises- succession of bloom from dwarf to tall bearded to Siberian and Japanese Summer- Hardy Fuchsias- tougher ones have small flowers, like 'David' F. 'Edith' with some surrounding Columbine foliage Hardy geraniums G. 'Anne Thompson' Roses- check out rose forum, rosesant forum Phygelius, Cape Fuchsia, tall almost shrubby, tubular flowers that hummingbirds like Runner beans- have red flowers that hummingbirds like, do better than regular pole beans in our cooler summers, eat when not too big as they get fibrous Heucheras- many with lovely foliage, some with nice red flowers, low to average water usage. Hypericum frondosum, kalmianum- yellow flowers, low water usage, nice fall color, shrubby Hebes- check for hardiness, smaller leaves usually, nice rounded mounding plants Hebe pinguifolia 'Sutherlandii' Daphne "Summer Ice", long bloom, nice round shrub, low water, good drainage Heathers- some bloom in winter, various seasons, low mounds, low water usage Thyme- great on slopes, low water usage, flowers, culinary Variegated Marjoram- " Oregano- " Dwarf Greek Oregano is low, some can 2-3' Rosemary- " 3-5' Dahlias- can succeed left in the ground but do better lifted. Malvaceae- edible leaves, Rose of Sharon, Hollyhocks, Hardy hibiscus, etc. Sarcococca hookeriana 'Humillis'- very fragrant flowers, I don't quite remember when it blooms Favorite ground covers- Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, esp Massachusetts Symphytum grandiflorum- Ground cover comfrey, good in dry shade, banks, under trees in orchard, tougher than grass and weeds Geranium macrorrhizum- dry shade, banks Epimedium- choice for shade Vinca- major can be very invasive, taller; minor is low, variegated forms not as invasive and can light up dry shade, low water usage. Ceanothus gloriosa 'Point Reyes'- low, spreading, low water usage, blooms Campanula poscharskyana- trailing, heart-shaped leaves, blue flowers, fills in well in shade Well, just a smattering of things that have done well for me. I use tunnels to set out tomatoes, squash and cucumber early, and grow peppers in pots. It's not warm enough for melons, basically, though some try. I've seen large Moon and Stars watermelons at Fort Vancouver. Beans usually do very well, and greens like collards and kale, which can overwinter as well as turnips for early spring greens, if planted by July 15.

Hi Ahelaumakani, If you put a raised bed directly up against your fence, then yes, you would have to worry about rotting it out. You would have to make a bit of room between the fence and whatever you used for the edging of your raised bed to prevent rot. St. Augustine will grow in the shade. Bermuda won't grow in very shady areas (Bermuda can be a gardener's nightmare because it's very invasive. I have it.) I'm not crazy about either of these grasses because they take a lot of water to keep them green; however, these are the two most used grasses in Austin. Others are Zoysia, Buffalo grass (native) and Turfalo. Winter Rye is also sometimes over-seeded into other grasses in the fall. It grows all winter, but then you have to mow in the winter or so I've been told. :-( As edging for a raised bed: cut dry-stacked limestone would be pretty, but might be too expensive. Wood boards work, but will eventually rot. Cinder blocks and bricks would also work. Lowe's and Home Depot also have various concrete pavers & scalloped edgers that might work as well. Or- instead of doing a raised bed, add lots of compost to amend your existing soil or create a lasagna bed as suggested above. Containers also work well as act-upon suggested above. Containers can be arranged and moved around in a variety of configurations, which is a plus, and you can stand one pot behind another and make it taller by putting it on a brick or cinderblock or place several pots on a wooden shelf or two supported by cinderblocks or pavers, if need be. With our heat, I would suggest you use the largest containers possible because they will dry out quickly. Clay pots generally dry out more quickly than plastic but in my opinion, clay pots are prettier. I have plants in clay pots, wash tubs, plastic pots, and one copper pot. Even ugly black nursery pots can be painted with spray paint or house paint in fun colors to make them pretty. I actually put mulch over the soil in some of my container plants. You can intersperse different kinds of containers/pots in a garden bed and that can look good too. You might also purchase or make a trellis for a vine and you can hang a plant wall-pocket or two on your fence to jazz it up. As for Hostas, I haven't seen many grown in Austin, but that doesn't mean it's not possible. Treelover is right that raised beds do dry out more quickly.