share ideas for http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/design/msg1214085821098.html?3 I guess you are zone 6. "too ambitious"-----I like,dont worry small space,can plant trees small or big,can control tree grow scale by dirt thin rate.dont worry budget,garden plant is so slowly.we only do some every year,but enjoy our design goal. src="http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk80/landscapedesignchina/100_431011.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> src="http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk80/landscapedesignchina/100_431010.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> src="http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk80/landscapedesignchina/100_43109.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> src="http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk80/landscapedesignchina/100_43108.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> other ideas RE: Help with landscaping SMALL backyard Posted by: ideasshare (My Page) on Sat, Dec 13, 08 at 6:01 share ideas for http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/design/msg1214085821098.html?3 I guess you are zone 6. "too ambitious"-----I like,dont worry small space,can plant trees small or big,can control tree grow scale by dirt thin rate.dont worry budget,garden plant is so slowly.we only do some every year,but enjoy our design goal. here link is other ideas: groups.myspace.com/gardenideas RE: Help with landscaping SMALL backyard Posted by: karinl BC Z8 (My Page) on Sat, Dec 13, 08 at 12:56 No reason at all why you couldn't make a nice little ornamental garden here, whether dwarf conifers (head over to the conifers forum for a wealth of photos of plants and gardens) or the less groomed but also attractive perennial/deciduous garden. Almost incredibly, Ideasshare has actually visualized some options for opening up your design options, in particular changing the shape of the pathway. But you don't have to go to those lengths to make the space attractive. I do think I would incorporate some hardscape to give it form; maybe also a meandering path through it - unbroken, even one side is a big space for all garden. I'm still not quite getting a sense of whether you have a slope here or whether the space is flat. If sloped, terracing would be nice but you don't see the walls from above. Nonetheless, it breaks the space up and makes it nice to be in. This being a back yard, are there any functional issues need to be addressed. like a compost, or do you want some privacy? Those should be laid out in advance. I do love those glass balls (I got some in Germany when they were all the rage there) - they have to stay!! :-) KarinL Here is a link that might be useful: One conifer garden thread RE: Help with landscaping SMALL backyard Posted by: nhbabs z4b-5a NH (My Page) on Fri, Dec 19, 08 at 10:58 It sounds like you might want to spend time thinking about how you want to use the space and what you want out of it as well as how you want it to look. Veggies? Lawn? Sitting or dining area? Main entry way to get in & outside when entering & leaving the house? Play area for kids or animals? Privacy from neighbors or city noise? Also, how much work do you want to do? Would you be willing to redo the walkway or the patio? Are you willing to build raised beds or hire someone to do work for you? Because your question is so open-ended, you may not get too many responses. I find that looking at pictures really helps me visualize possibilities in a way I can't when simply looking at what I'm starting with. Here is a link to one designer's portfolio who has done many small urban spaces that seem to be used as outdoor sitting/dining areas. He also has written several books that are well illustrated. He's just one of many designers whose work you can look at to see what you like and to imagine if that type of design would work for how you want to use the space. Your local public library can be a great resource for garden design books as they not only have their own collections, but also probably do an interlibrary loan service that would give you access to other library's collections. Here is a link that might be useful: Keith Davitt design portfolio RE: Help with landscaping SMALL backyard Posted by: bjcoop 5-6 (My Page) on Mon, Dec 29, 08 at 10:34 Wow! With the Holidays, I havent had a chance to check back here. WOW Ideashare. You are a magician with the photos! Lots of ideas here. Never thought of changing the shape of the bricks. Also the idea of how best to enjoy and use the backyard is important. It does need to be low maintenance. It does need to be playspace (and other) for our minpin. Will study all of these ideas. One thing, I plan to keep the gazing balls. Our minpin is stupified by them. (: (: RE: Help with landscaping SMALL backyard Posted by: ideasshare (My Page) on Tue, Dec 30, 08 at 8:27 It does need to be low maintenance------is good idea. Shrubs in general tend to be less maintenance than perennials for many of the reasons,no need for deadheading, dividing, staking, cutting back or cleaning up seasonally and typically require less watering once established due to wider, more extensive root systems. But to decrease maintenance even further, select those shrubs which are recognized as being fully hardy and well suited to climate and growing conditions, drought tolerant (once established), disease and pest resistant and not requiring excessive pruning to maintain health or size. Check with local extension office for their recommendations and visit some of better local retail nurseries in season for ideas. And I wouldn't necessarily want to eliminate ALL herbaceous perennials - some are quite a bit less maintenance than others. A mixed border that includes a variety of shrubs, perennials, grasses, groundcovers and even a few small trees generally will provide year long interest and color with relatively low maintenance. Here is a link that might be useful: share other some ideas RE: Help with landscaping SMALL backyard Posted by: karinl BC Z8 (My Page) on Wed, Dec 31, 08 at 14:57 Just to clarify -Ideasshare is apparently a Chinese forum participant who doesn't have much idea of North American culture or norms but is doing his/her best o join in here with photo manipulation. The results are bizarre but (as in this case) occasionally useful. Unfortunately, s/he has just branched out into giving written advice, which seems to be simply a compilation of plagiarized phrases that s/he probably doesn't even quite know the meaning of - not specifically thought out suggestions for you. Not that it isn't good info, but take it for what it is. KarinL Post a Follow-Up Your Name: Your Email Address: Zone (optional): Subject of Posting: Message: Optional Link URL: Name of the Link: Return to the Landscape Design Forum

It is also interesting to see how paths have crossed between not only cousins but families. For instance, in the 1850-1870 census my 5thGG was living next to a Dibble family in Flint, MI. When I was growing up in Flint, MI our neighbors were Dibble! Last year I decided to research a branch of my family that had migrated to Battle Creek, MI. There was quite a bit of info on this family in the local library and I decided to bring the research forward and contact some of the remaining family members. Not sure if anyone remembers the movie "Bitter Harvest" directed by Ron Howard? It was about the horrible problem of PBB, a fire retardant, that was accidently mixed in with dairy cattle fed in MI. I remember seeing that movie in the early '80s and I've talked about it several times over the years and it has always stuck in my mind. Come to find out it was my cousin that discovered the contaminated feed and it was on his family dairy farm! It is odd that I referenced that movie so many times and I had a connection to it other then drinking the contaminated milk! I ran into some birth records in IL for the same surname as my GC. Of course my interest was peaked and I did his genealogy back to the early 1700s. There was tons of info on his family at the local library so it was not difficult at all. His 4thGGM was named ELIZABETH but used the nickname LIBBIE. My GC has a daughter, 3yo, named ELIZABETH and they call her LIBBIE. I asked him if he had named Libbie after his GGM and he said he had no idea about his family history. Oddly enough both used "IE" instead of "Y" in Libbie. This is not the first time I've seen this either. Actually, what I started my family history research was my Mother wanted a copy of her father's birth certificate and had tried to find it but was not sucessful. I remember thinking that this was something I could do for my Mom and set off to find the BC. I finally did track down the BC but before hand found many interesting documents like his WWI military record, school records and so on. Well, that is all I needed! For me doing my family history is finding out just a bit about how my ancestors lived and what decisions they made along the way. My most precious record is that of my 4th GGM who one an award for hand spun wool at the 1854 MI State Agriculture Fair. I do tons of needlework and do weave and this connection was absolutely a thrill for me to find!

Stacy, my daughter & I were in Amsterdam the 3rd week of April last year. It was still cool (low 50s) with showers almost every day, but the trees were budding out & the grass was greening. I didn't see any mention here of the tram/street car service, which is very good. Lots of routes & they run about every ten minutes. It's not inexpensive - a day ticket is a better deal rather than a single fare. Almost all the tram stops have route maps on the backs of the stop shelters. The Rijksmuseum had just opened when we arrived & we spent a couple of hours in the Dutch masters area. They do close at 5 PM. There is a very pleasant-looking restaurant in the center of the bldg. English is spoken everywhere - we never had a problem. Be sure to try a Dutch pancake with butter & powdered sugar - a national treasure, & big - about 10 inches across. Yum yum. There's a local restaurant across from the flower market that has good ones. Many sidewalks, especially along the canals, are cobbled - my ankles got tired of holding me straight. Wish I could tuck into your suitcase - you will be enthralled.

"Hire a pro if you can afford to" After you verify their competence. As I wrote in another thread, my next door neighbor hired someone to trim her JM and I stood and watched them do it with hedge clippers. It is now an ugly toadstool. I can't imagine many rural and small town type areas have JM pruners in the yellow pages- hell, the best nursery near me sells only Bloodgoods, Crimson Queens and Viridis, only this year they were feeling very progressive in offering a Trompenburg. Cutting edge varieties! The best advice I have is to stare at this tree for a long time and try to visualize things twelve ways from Sunday before you cut. I only have one JM in the public area of my garden (dozens out back) and I am sure neighbors have taken pause at me standing there staring like I am trapped in a never ending fugue state waiting for either inspiration or certainty to strike. I stare at trees a lot. I lay under them, I crawl behind them. I stare during winter when I can see the structure clearly and I even take photos and make notes about limbs I intend to remove when the right time rolls around. I might also suggest driving around your town looking for trees that have been aesthetically pruned in the correct manner. I stop at houses quite often and have never run across a homeowner who doesn't enjoy talking about how great their plants look. They could give you a pruning reference, or even come over for coffee and perhaps give you some tips and even find it impossible to resist helping. The beautiful waterfall look you are after is in there. All you need to do is acquire the skill to uncover it.