Steve, it would be easier to refer you to the photos of this same garden showing the entire area, to illustrate how a vignette relates to the larger garden. I was trying to use the analogy of the human body as a metaphor for how the similarities of the plants as a repeating element link the entire garden together when one steps back to see it as a whole. From a greater distance, it will be the massed repeating forms and color more so than the textural contrasts that unify the garden, which I think of as the "skin" that ties it all together. I also find it a natural linkage between plants when they are similar in their needs; in this case, all had to be both shade and root competition tolerant because they were being underplanted below existing mature Coast Live Oaks, and also tolerant of drier soils between irrigation cycles, as our native oaks are intolerant of continually wet soils in summer. I also switched out the irrigation system on this front slope from uniform spray to targeted drip so that I could keep the immediate areas adjacent the oak trunks completely dry. This wider view of the front garden is not really at a point where I would use it as a portfolio photo, as the limited irrigation for the oak's health has meant that the plantings have yet to really fill in. Typically, after a year's growth, almost any of my recent garden installations would be completely filled in; this section of the garden has been a tougher one for the new plants. I think you will be able to see that the vignettes of those two plant photos are just a subset of the entire garden, but repetition of plant forms, foliage colors, plant types(multiple layers of different succulents in this case), and repeating the monochromatic house colors with the choice of rock for retaining the slope by the sidewalk all reinforce a common experience. While the individual plants selected have nothing whatsoever to do with a native California Oak Woodland understory plant community, they are all quite well adapted to the conditions, and look "woodsy and shade tolerant" without screaming "exotic" in my opinion. Does the additional photo explain what I mean more so than the text? Browse the other photos in the various Drager Garden sets on my Flickr account if you want to see how much the garden really varies from area to area. The east side of the house with the most sun is the most radically colorful portion of the landscape,(lots of orange against the copper house siding), and the rear garden slope at the back of the house/patio is also less monochromatic in use of plant colors, but still uses a lot of the same plants as here in the front garden. Fire safety issues and deer browsing tolerance as well as gopher tolerance were also prime selection criteria for plantings in this garden. Here is a link that might be useful: Wider view of Drager Front Garden

I have been here since the beginning of Garden junk when we separated from Garden accoutrements. Back in the late 90's. All the records were deleted, and the oldest membership now showing (on 'my pages') is 2001 I think. I get in trouble sometimes for sending folks to the 'conversations' side, when they post things other than garden junk on the 'discussions' side. There have been several times when POTM's were done for awhile, and then it would stop for awhile. After I was unable to post photos (who knows why things changed and I couldn't do that anymore) I did not always participate. I always like to see what others made, and sometimes 'borrowed' (copied! LOL) the ideas. Someone would always make a suggestion for the month, and others would 'do their thing' with it. Lots of different ideas with the same theme. It's like the junk train-it runs awhile and then everyone 'rests' for awhile. I say we can Go With It, pick a theme and see how many want to work on that. Nobody HAS to participate if they don't want to. I was not first to post BB's but was the first to make BB stands out of lamp bases and posted those pictures. And things grew from there -Grin. http://members.cox.net/nonacook

I have some very simple starting systems. I have a few DWC system with aquarium bubblers. They are made of whatever junk I could find. (like styrofoam cooler from dumpster lined with plastic, holes cut to hold yogurt cups that hold the lettuce and perlite.) They have been very sucessful at keeping us in very nice salad since last October. Very simple easy set up for beginners to start learning with. I have also built a few solar powered gurgle gardens that have worked very well for my Snow peas and Chineese Kale. They are much like the gurgle gardens you find diagrams of on the web but I substituted the plug in air pump for a little DC air pump and a couple solar cells so that I don't need to worry about running extention cords. Only drawback is if no sun then I have to manually scoop nutrient from below and drench the medium every so often to keep things from drying out. Once the roots grow down through the holes this isn't as imparitive. Below is a link to a sight where some of the photos are. I will post another follow up with some more of the photos. Here is a link that might be useful: Hydroponics forum

Ginny, that's a great comment. I have no ornamentation in my garden for three reasons: (1) When I have tried it I was not successful, because (2) I have not had the time to be creative nor the money to buy something substantial that DOESN'T look silly, and (3) I do not understand how to place or plan it well. Truly something I appreciate when somebody has attractive ornamentation, and you're right about having too much. If I could only afford an amazing large stone or iron sculpture...one day. I love the perpetual motion machines made by artisans! Like the ones at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens that cost as much as my house. NHBabs, when you say plants lean away from the building are you talking about phototropism (a big word I just learned last month)? Repetition is something I've been thinking about lately, spurred by your photos above. I've certainly read about it many times in books and online, but sometimes it takes a while to get to a point where it can settle in to a meaningful spot in the brain. I always thought about the large massing of a plant type and then moved on to the next plant group. I'm trying to work more with repetition. I'm going to post a photo on this thread, hopefully this weekend, with some future plans for a long area, and I actually did think about repetition over the long space. Textures is still in formation for me, and visualizing plant heights needs work. I spend quite a bit of time just walking back and forth now looking OUT IN FRONT OF ME trying to visualize instead of looking straight down at the ground where I'll be planting. Even though the garden is about the gardener, I do know that when I see a WELL designed garden is just evokes a sense of peace. I will say that I went to one of the top botanical gardens in the US earlier this year while on a trip. And, it was certainly well designed, but not the design that spoke to me and evoked peace and rest. The design leaned more towards the formal European geometric plantings. Beautiful it may have been, but I think in my busy life I appreciate a garden that leans more towards the natural feel. it says nothing bad about them, just more about what I need/want in a garden. I'm mesmerized by Piet Oudolf, almost zone out just looking at pictures. What would it be like to be in the middle of a garden like that! He inspired my large drifts of different echinaceas I put in this year. Crossing my fingers that next year they look natural! He uses grasses so beautifully, but I am NOT going there yet. Haven't figured them out!