Here in central Pa, there are unfortunately many deserted, ruined farmsteads. Unfortunate in that so much of the beautiful farmland is being "developed". It seems so rampant that very soon this will all disappear. Only subdivisions and malls for miles in any direction. Your home and property are beautiful and that the barn "ruin" was left is truly amazing. You've obviously worked hard to achieve all that is presented in your pictures. It's beautiful! Many years ago the city of Philadelphia discovered the foundations of Ben Franklin's home - only the foundation. Because they couldn't possibly reconstruct the home, they erected an "outline" in steel of the home's dimensions. Along that line, I was wondering if placing some trellis panels between some of the post footings to provide a shelter and an impression of barn walls - perhaps to block winter prevailing winds. There are pictures of old barns and their interiors on the web. I searched and found pix of walls and doors of stalls that would make useful, complementary trellis panels - not the usual 6x6 squares or diamonds. Also some pictures show uprights that have "y"-shaped brackets at the top evidently to support a roof overhang. I'm certainly not suggesting that the whole outline be placed, just an appropriate area, perhaps to view the gardens in winter or on a sultry summer day. Since many barn ruins are seen falling down at the edges of meadows, I wondered if native plants would help the mood like Virginia creeper or native scarlet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) or clematis on the trellises, or clambering over the footings, Alleghany spurge for ground cover, etc. There are so many thoughtful responses here from experienced, creative people for your consideration. What an engaging way to spend a long cold winter. I hope you'll post updates on what you decided to do and the project's progress.

I started the garden in my very wet back area by buying very cheap bareroot shrubs & perennials from a catalog specializing in wildflowers & naturalized planting areas, selecting from those that were recommended for wet areas. The shrubs were whips (literally sticks with roots) of 12, 18 or 24 inches , depending on the shrub. As these shrubs & perennials proved hardy for the area, I then sometimes purchased larger ones (or more ornamental cultivars) from local nurseries. This method kept the costs down considerably. If you are interested in planting shrubs in your wet area, I second the idea of Itea & Clethra. I am especially fond of Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica), either Henry's Garnet or Little Henry (a smaller version). Both varieties are easy to find in the trade. Itea has wonderful very long-lasting fall color (I have posted pictures at various times) and in early summer it has creamy colored scented flower racemes. Clethra alnifolia (Summersweet) comes in pink and white varieties in various sizes. Hummingbird, which I have, is a small variety which has late summer creamy white scented bottlebrush flowers. It has a more sprawly growth pattern than the upright iteas and is nothing special in fall, but it is tolerant of almost all growing conditions, and the bees & butterflies love it. Another shrub/tree that I purchased from a whip & like very much is Cephalanthus occidentalis, Buttonbush. It is sometimes used as a flood plain tree. It is a bright green well-shaped shrub/tree with white tubular summer flowers in a very tight globe shape. There was a nice article recently in Fine Gardening about using this as a fine ornamental tree because of its shapeliness, & since it will also grow well in ordinary garden soil. It is also a fast grower, but does not get huge. In nearby damp areas (not as wet as the above shrubs grow in) I have found that Arborvitae, Twig Dogwoods, Viburnum opulus Stirilis (very fast grower, very floriferous but not scented), Viburnum Juddi, Carlesi (slow growing with bluish foliage, red fall foliage, but wonderful very sweet flowers), and probably many other varieties, although Shasta & its replacement Marie's Vib both died on me, Aronia melanocarpus (Black Chokeberry - there is also a Red Chokeberry), Cutleaf Elderberry (Sambucus) & Physocarpus Diablo and its kin do well. Along with the shrubs I have planted water iris (both pseudocorus & versicolor)in the wettest areas, Ostrich fern (in full sun -doesn't mind as long as it's wet enough), Lobelia cardinalis, various water-loving primulas (japonica, x bulleesiana, pubescens), Lysimachia punctata ' Alexander', Physostegia 'Vivid', Filipendula nana (dwarf Meadowsweet), hemerocallis fulva (ditch or roadside daylilies) & some early (50s & 60s hybrid) daylilies, Carex elata Bowles Golden (wonderful glowing gold yellow color) & astilbes. Another wonderful perennial for damp areas is Hibiscus moscheutos (Swamp Hibiscus) which, although a perennial, will grow from nothing to 7 ft tall each season and put out very large blooms in late summer to frost. My variety is Sweet Caroline, a deep pink, but there are many to choose from.

Hello: I have some english ivy as groundcover in the backyard and I wish to grow some in a bed in the front. Is it to late to transplant and what is the best method by which to transplant some of it? Thanks Darren

I have a mature maple on my parkway. This thing produces the densest shade possible. The grass has gradually died to the point where it is mostly bare dirt. I’d like to get rid of what little grass there is and put in a groundcover, but what? I don’t like pachysandra or vinca. The area is about 6 feet wide and 15-20 feet long. I was thinking about english ivy; I’ve seen it on the “ivy lawns” in Missouri and Kentucky, but I don’t know how well it work in Zone 5 (Chicago). In my zone will it fill in? I thought of ivy and gradually dotting it with cheap hostas and other shade plants as I find them on sale. Caveats: This is not an easy area to water. I could get it started, but it would not get much watering attention down the road. It is the parkway, people would undoubtedly let their dogs poop and pee there, unless they are nice enough to direct the animal to the grass. This is a lot to cover, so cost is a factor too.