Yes, donnabaskets, I agree. It can take a long time. One of the annoying things about moving to a new house so frequently is that I lose all the progress I made at the last house, and the scale of each yard I've had to work with has been so different from the one before, it's hard to build on the experience I accumulated. Three houses ago I had two 8' by 2.5' full-sun strips to garden in--that's it--my tallest plants were about 24". Two houses ago I still had very small front and back yards but about five times as much perennial border to work with...most of it shaded and chock full of roots, on a water-shedding slope. Now I have a large flat yard with, sun, shade, wet and dry patches. I've got my work cut out for me!

looks good, what systems you got running up there? Any more photos?

All Thank you Peeve for posting my clickable links and thanks to all for responding. Lazygardens - Initially I was thinking Victorian. Then one day walking through a home center, I spotted a beautiful house in a tropical setting on a magazine cover. Immediately changed my mind. That was 8 yrs ago. Yes, it is the turret and the Mediterranean flare that speaks to me. Mrs Pete didn't know you are from North Carolina - always enjoy your comments. Yes you are correct, my choices are tropical and hope NC doesn't have any style restrictions. Understand some building and zoning codes have changed in the past few years. It's funny, I too was thinking about the three bears as I typed. My hope is to make my first choice the 'just right' house by having the designer modify the plan to an affordable size and style. First, on my list is a separate living/dining room and a family room - hard to find. I will continue to look but time is passing fast. There will be two adults living in the house. I will retire before the build is completed. My Beau will continue to work a few more years. The build will be 20 miles from a 'hotel express' is why I want enough space to accommodate visiting family and friends. Okoko - I know what you mean about small spaces as my present home is small which is why Im looking to expand. Enjoy

No, I'm not a counter. I was put on a no sodium diet back in 1969. No, that 'no sodium' is not a typo. The doctor actually meant NO sodium! Including the natural sodium found in many foods, like broccoli, celery, etc. The list of things I could not eat was extremely daunting. And I suffered through it, as best as I could, for a number of years. When that doctor retired, I was blessed to find another who was empathetic and much more understanding of human nature and quality of life. He immediately changed 'no' to 'low'. What a difference! Anyhow, 1500 to 2000 mgs per day has been the recommended amount since. But I have never actually 'counted' mgs. I do read labels on any packaged foods I buy very carefully. I don't eat out very often, but when I do, I try to choose dishes I know to be low sodium. I also try to be extra careful the day before and the day after I eat out, to help balance out the splurge. I don't add any salt to anything I cook. And add only what is absolutely necessary to whatever I bake. This method has worked very well for me for a number of decades now. And I hope it always will! I'm afraid I'd be a miserable failure if I ever had to actually count mgs! Rusty