kt, Since I don't have to design for anyone but myself, I really have grown to the point of having as much fun as possible and not worry about it too much. [g] I don't have a setting or a piece of property that would allow me to end up with a work of art anyway nor do I have a reputation to maintain, so I feel a lot of freedom to do what pleases me. That is hard enough to do. lol I have always found the tension for me to be between the part of me that is the 'plant collector' and the part that really loves a good cohesive design. In my own situation, I find lots of obstacles to creating a great design. My setting, budget, manpower, etc. etc. So, I go as far as I can go with those constraints and then I let out my 'plant collector' to play. [g] Once I got the stucture all settled...where the walk/sitting area/borders etc would be, then I play in the borders. I don't usually hit that right the first, second or third time. I think it is because I really fall in love with certain plants and am determined to drag them home and make them all play nice together. Which is easier said than done. So that is my rather simplistic approach to design. Which I am sure wouldn't work if I were designing for someone else. On the other hand, I might not have the budget/setting/manpower constraints either though. I used to get frustrated when a design or a border wasn't working the way I wanted it to. I don't have to think about whether it is or not, I pretty much know. Knowing 'why' it doesn't work would be my challenge. But, I have been pleasantly surprised to find that I can enjoy my garden 100% even when the design is not working out the way I want it and is still a work in progress. For one thing, every day that I can go out to the garden, my thought is always, 'ooohhh I am dying to see if 'such and such' a plant is in bloom', or 'I wonder if there are any butterflies on the butterfly bush today' rather than 'how is my design looking today'. [g] Secondly, I am planning into the design other things in addition to the way it looks as a whole, for instance, is there fragrance, is there always something in bloom, will it attract wildlife, will it be good and not cause me extra work or problems. If it does these things, then I have those enjoyments to comfort myself with, when the design falls short of my expectations. If I could get the design to look spectacular, well that to me would just be like 'the holy grail'. But, if I did get it all done and settled just the way it should look best, I have a feeling I would need to move and start a new garden very shortly after that..lol. What would I have to tinker with and plan and plot? You are in a different situation than I am for sure. But I have a feeling you have just as much fun as I do probably more..lol I wonder though, if you feel pressure to get it right the first time. To me, you have answered your own question, that you can rely on your own sense of taste. If you look at something and it looks cluttered to you, than it is. Of course, you can't really wait until it is all in and find it isn't working. So do you use your own garden as a lab and try out new ideas there first? I'm sure you change and continue to develop and refine your own style over time. That is a very personal process and I guess I would hope that if I were in your situation, that I could just relax with that and go for it, whenever circumstances allowed. Sounds like that is exactly what you are doing. :-)

ANd.....just in case its today.....Happy Happy Birthday. Im not smart enough to post the cute frilly little things....so pretend there is cake and balloons!! Marla

And Vataal who posted her awesome travel photos hasn't been around for a while.

Audrey, I am amazed that you still have the list from when you were 16. Actually, at that age I never thought in terms of a "bucket list." We travel a lot, but as I get older, it gets harder. I have relatives from Wisconsin who have been to all 50 states and to over 100 countries. We are a long way from those stats. I would like to learn how to work with metal. Would also like to take DH to see the Northern Lights. I saw them by chance when I was about 14; he has never seen them. PS I rode a horse when I was 12; did not know how to tell it to stop. Was scared silly.