I use both methods, depending on the client and whether they want to pay for a separate design or not. What I do find helpful if just winging it, is to really know your sun/shade exposure, sizes of mature plants, and work with a general scheme that has some overall organizing principle. As an example, I just went into a local specialty nursery and went wild buying plants for a new back yard remodel in the Oakland Hills of northern California. I basically knew that I wanted to play off some existing pale green timber bamboo trunks against an ochre stained concrete retaining wall, and that the client wanted to use tropicals and more color for this area, but also really liked foliage texture and color. Other key ingredients to work around included using a maroon colored Ensete ventricosum Maurellii as an accent plant, a very large specimen New Zealand Tree Fern as another focal point, and a mature existing Windmill Palm/Trachycarpus fortunei. I knew I only had small areas of full sun, and mostly shaded raised beds, and wanted to give a lush, tropical look as seen from inside the house. The client also wanted flowers to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. I also thought I wanted to emphasize mid fall into winter blooms, with lots of orange and purple accents, as the garden is to be installed in the next couple of weeks, and needs to look good for a garden tour on October 20th. With that in mind, I selected some foliage plants such as the gorgeous Hedychium greenei with purple stems and underside of leaves and orange flowers blooming now, and some deep green with even deeper purple underside of leaves Clerodendron quadroliculare to play off the maroon of the banana, and situated them above eye level so that the leaf undersides would feature prominently. I also added understory plantings with a purple foliage theme such as Oxalis spiralis vulcanicola Burgundy and Billbergia 'Bill', along with purple tinged foliage of the compact bushy Euphorbia Jade Dragon to complete the purple element. I also knew that I wanted a good amount of orange foliage and blooms, and could not resist the fall foliage color of a Poncirius trifoliata Flying Dragon as a complement to the Ensete, with a mass planting of a dwarf shrubby Coprosma Evening Glow to pick up this color, and further another Oxalis, O. s. v. Sunset Velvet to trail over walls as well. The orange flowers will come from several Abutilons such as A. megapotamica Marianne and A. m. Halo as well as the gorgeous Abutilon Victor Reiter. Clumps of a narrow leafed compact form of Clivia miniata will also star as mass ground cover below the Tree Fern. Yellow accents for shade to brighten up the darker corners will rely on a Alpinia zerumbet variegata, the yellow star like flowers of the Oxalis spiralis, and the variegated yellow stripes of bromeliads such as Neoregelia Bossa Nova. Greens to complement the bamboo trunks will mostly feature grassy foliage clumps of Dianella intermedia, and various Restios such as Elegia capensis, some slightly stiffer upright clumping Restio tetraphyllus with beautiful chartreuse foliage, and an accent Elegia fistula with very interesting seed heads. Clumps of the Chinese Banana, Musella lasiocarpa will also serve as understory to the taller growing Ensete, mirroring the form of the taller, while also giving some screening of mechanical equipment, and the added bonus of the bright yellow artichoke like flower as summer accents. Some other accent plants to carry the maroon theme beyond the Ensete into sunnier parts of the garden at the raised patio beyond will include the tropical Ricinus communis New Zealand Purple with the deep purple foliage and rosy red flowers, and the tropical vining Purple Wings vine, Dalechampia dioscoreifolia to cover a rear fence. A Grevillea Robyn Gordon for flashes of red and entice the hummingbirds year round will combine with our native Zaushneria also in fall bloom with scarlet flowers and soft gray foliage. In late winter, the Pincushion Protea, Leucospermum cordifolium Yellow Bird will provide yellow accents, and play off the deep purple blooms of the tree like Tibouchina urvilleana. Clumps of the large soft shrubby Salvia splendens Van Houttei are also massed here and there to give a burgundy red tint to carry the red/purple theme throughout the garden. I was tempted to go in several different directions while I was shopping at the nursery, but had to remind myself that I only had so much room to plant, and that each plant had to fit into the color and texture theme that was established by the existing timber bamboo and Red Abyssinian Banana. I must admit it is a pleasure to be able to design a garden for mid fall into winter that will be showy and colorful, and not have to wait until spring for such impact, but it does mean that one has to have a working familiarity with what works with our local climate, and can be depended upon for year round impact without looking ratty in winter. I probably could have done this all in plan as well, but the client always seems to respond better when I just show up with the proposed plants and start placing them in the garden. I suppose it also allows him more input, as we debate the locations and combinations, and end up tweaking my ideas in response to his suggestions. We have enough practice at this by now to be able to persuade him to locate plants with the proper sun/shade orientation and allow for mature sizes. I try to pay attention to his requests to locate certain plants where he insists he wants them, and come up with suggestions that are similar when the sun/shade or size doesn't work for his request. It does force me to put on my thinking cap and be able to suggest similar alternatives that will work. So could you say this is both careful planning and making it up as you go? To me, it certainly seems to combine a bit of both, or would you call it semi restrained anarchy? With all that in mind

seedsvr - the Pondmaster 190gph pump/filter/filters pads and sponges, and bell fountain kit cost about $50 to $60 (today). Don't remember what it cost in 2002/2003 when I bought that one. All plants are in small pots except the floaters. No soil, only aquarium gravel. I am in MD and I throw my WH on the compost pile at the end of the season where it continues to bloom and then dies either from drying out or if cold weather comes. I haven't had any WH for 3 or so years now. I'd actually like to get some more but I refuse to pay the high prices people ask for that weed. I have two other ponds now and the Pop-up sits in my garage as I don't feel like fooling with it (or my ponds for that matter:-) It was fun and I enjoyed it while I had it up and running for two seasons. I'd get a big tub if I had it to do over again (like suggested by another poster). I've never seen a clear pop-up before. When they first came out they were copper or dark like mine. Clear I would think would encourage algae with the light which means you probably won't see the plant roots or fish for long unfortunately.

Small town life sounds good to me. As does living in the country. We had a few acres when I had horses and other animals back in the 60s and 70's. Phoenix is soooo big, too much traffic, and I hate driving even if it didn't cause my leg to go on the warpath. I was born in a small town, in Ala. I don't really going places alone either, and won't go out at night except to family gatherings at one of my kids. I'm waiting the arrival of my toile plates I just bought. Tho heaven knows what I can find to do with them, but will try just because of all the support I've gotten here. Any table settings I do will be just for ONE, maybe two if you're lucky. LOL. I'm going to be a one-trick pony, sorry about that. I just can't do full tables for many reasons. I've been 'planning' my Christmas decor. Really planning this year. Thought it might take some of the load off me being so over-whelmed with it when I go to unpacking a zillion things in the middle of the floor while telling two cats NOT to help me. A zillion times! One sleepless night I started plotting different places to put things this year. I want my newly begun collection of Nutcrackers (started last year) pretty much together. But I think the purple one should go with the Santa. And I have two golf Santas and two golf Nutcrackers that should stay together. Last year they were with my two other special Nutcrackers, a policeman and a fireman. These have a lot of meaning! I'm going to put my Village in the antique china cabinet in my entry hall this time I think, instead of Painted Pony Cabinet in familyroom. Tho I still have to move over a 100 statues from BOTH. I was thinking of putting Xmas horses and reindeer in the pony cabinet. I have quite a few of both now. Anyway, its fun to mentally decorate. It also doesn't wear me out or hurt my body. LOL. I think I'll start my Village next week in fact. First I have to make room for all those dog statues to safely go on closet shelves for the next two months! Ugh. hugs, Karen

Yes. I was sitting in the living room, no sound except from tv. All of a sudden.....wow, from the computer and more than one ad. Don't remember which ads they were. Guess I was too shocked to remember. Creepy for sure. Have also had voices while I was working on the computer so I've had it both ways.