A landscaper and a contractor usually like to finish projects so they can be enjoyed and seen by others. But a resident might want to take more time to figure out, for example, the exact number of square feet of the kitchen garden. So one's yard becomes a work in progress: a dynamic landscape but not finished. My experience with my own yard is, one wants more kitchen garden space than one estimates at first. You could save some money by getting ideas from walks and drives in your area, looking over the fences of others' gardens; and also by doing some of the work yourselves. For example, you could have loam and manure trucked in, but spread it yourselves. You could have your fences put in, but do your own new-garden rototilling. You could certainly plant much of your own new plant material except for large shrubs and trees. And do you have to present a large lawn to your neighbors? (maybe there's a HOA rule about this.) There are better eco-ways to cover your acres, that would use less water and look more interesting, and -- who knows? -- be edible too. So my general advice is to take your time, don't do it all at once, and do some of it yourself. Carol

Hi Mike, I wish the big city near us would do a little decaying. haha! I think a certain suburb north of it is considered to be the fastest growing area in the country. Lots of beautiful rich farmland now filled with wall to wall houses, malls, highways. It makes me cry. I do have trouble living in the human world. So much of human development (economic and otherwise) is all about distancing ourselves from the animal world. We constantly expect "more" from us, than just being animals, and that's where all the problems and disconnects arise from. I've always thought I was a tree whose spirit got accidentally put into a human's body! It leads to alot of internal confusion for me! I think if people would try to view themselves as part of the circle, then they will be less likely to destroy life for everything else. Its a real balancing act though....especially if we are raised in a culture that puts superiority and domination as the only way to live. I realize that plants and animals do the same thing, but for some reason, it all gets balanced out. Humans (at least in more advanced countries), don't seem to have any checks and balances. Talk about decay.......my brain just isn't what it used to be, and I may not even be making any sense! Speaking of balance.........I need to figure out how to balance all those snails that are eating my water lily pads! Nice talking to you, and never worry about rambling. Its one of my favorite things. :)

Hey Susanlouise, I have a suggestion that has worked for me in the past and its usually free! I have a very hairy pug and a moderately hairy lab. I brush them vigorously in the areas that have rabbit problems. The hair and dander smells and scares away the rabbits...If you wet it after brushing the hair clumps will stay put better and smell even scarier! I like to clean out the brushes and place the clumps right along the edge of the garden and in the middle of particularly vulnerable plants. Additionally, if you do not have pets, or your dogs are not the incessant source of hair that mine are, you can contact dog groomers for their clippings. I used to live on a much bigger property, with many more furry pests. This is a way to get a very large amount of fur if your garden is too big for one dog to manage. This is of course a temporary solution, you have to "reapply" periodically to achieve maximum results. But it is also organic and you don't have to worry about hurting the rabbits, the plants, or neighborhood pets. Hope you get lots of Butterflies this summer!

Yeah these aren't the most forgiving plants, but there's no harm in trying. "Heel it in" in a shadier than would be optimal spot, after a couple years recovery you can always move it again. Tease the roots out and water but do not overwater. If any of it were still green (or purple!) I'd be more confident you could save it, usually plants have a way of "orderly killing off" their branches to try to save their own lives. (way over anthropomorphizing, but the analogy is useful) when the last leaf turns brown, that's often the end. If it's any consolation it's very easy to misjudge that if you think something was getting rained on...in fact that reminds me I need to go water now since we got stiffed in the last 48 hours of convection! Also you have to remind yourself that the amount of water that lasted x days in late April is now lasting 0.3x.