Sticking to a plan requires having one to begin with :-) A detailed plan would account for proper siting and spacing of plants so the frequent need for transplanting is eliminated. That means researching the plants you have included.

Lush gardens are a factor of suitable plants for the climate and good growing conditions (plenty of sun, rich fertile soil, adequate water) and of course time - it is hard to get around the need for time :-)) If starting with seeds or very small started plants, you simply have to be patient for a couple of years until they mature and put on bulk. You can always fill in blank spots with fast growing annuals like cosmos or nasturtiums.

Thanks! yes actually i have a plan (mapped out and everything to allow for spacing) but i think i'm a bit too literal in my gardening (much how i live my life!) i've left so much spacing to allow say viburnums to get large that it all looks quite bare.

in my mind, i can completely see the finished result. but i fret over tree positions (i.e: what if they start to grow & shade out a spot where a sun lover once was?) my DH says gardening is constantly moving things & pruning. i sort of want a low energy involving garden (where i can do a bit of pottering around but the natives all grow over & into each other where they are supposed to.

how long do you think .. you say a couple of years? i'm on year 3 and start to see some "shaping" but not much to my garden.

Depends on the plant - perennials take about 3 years to reach maturity, shrubs 5-7 and trees of course much longer, usually around 20-25 years.

Obviously the easiest things to transplant are the smallest - the perennials - and they often need dividing anyway but try to plan on permanent locations for trees and shrubs.

Good advice above.

Try to look at your garden as an ongoing hobby and place of refuge. My garden at this house is 20 years old and I'm still changing, replacing, seeding, babying, getting rid of, and some days, just enjoying deadheading, smelling the flowers, and collecting seeds. It's my sanctuary.

Insects and plants come and go. You'll move things, buy new things, cry when the voles eat the roots off and kill a plant, get frustrated and you'll enjoy. You'll watch some plants grow for years and some that will last one year.

A garden is never finished. The pictures in the magazines have been carefully tended by many people to look perfect in the photo shoot. You can plan, dream, watch, work, wait, but enjoying the process is very important. Stop and smell the roses.

And...if you're feeling overwhelmed, take a 6 foot space each day and make it perfect, without worrying about anything else. Very gratifying, for me, at least.

wonderful advice thank you. i will refer to this page alot.

And the best advise (I think), is the plants don't need constant fussing over them. Benign neglect is better, especially with natives. Worry about crowding if/and when they start crowding. Btw, I applaud your natives approach, I garden about 90% native myself.

dbarron- thank you for the applause i appreciate that. it's very exciting (albeit a bit overwhelming) for me!

"I also have a really really bad habit of transplanting over &
over because I worry about over crowding plants &/or putting in
wrong spots.
How do you stick to a "plan" and let things grow? How long before I will start seeing a lusher garden?"

Well, every time you move a plant, you set its growth back by a year or so ...Move them often enough and you have a sort of free-range bonsai.

If things are sparse, fill in with annuals while the permanent plants grow, and include the transient solutions in your plans. Pottering about with them - starting the seeds, planting them and tending them may give you an outlet for your need to "DO SOMETHING" while the garden grows unmolested.

Or grow vegetables.

I'm right there with you, we landscaped our half-acre back yard just over a year ago. The landscaper moved the dirt around and did the hardscape, but I have been responsible for ALL of the plants!

I did most of my perennials from starts and most only begin blooming in year two (this year!!!!): echinacea, columbine, lupine, Shasta daisies. My fruit trees are still tiny sticks. Bulbs are nice because they're "full sized" the season after you plant them. But I had the most gratification from adding annuals between my tiny perrenial plants. Most bloom all season long. Some (like sunflowers, larkspur, California poppies) grow really easily from seed, so they don't have to break the bank. With annuals, I could have my lush garden to enjoy while I'm waiting for my perennials to fill in.

Hang in there! Stop transplanting your plants, it stresses them out! Grow some herbs! I'm right there with you when you describe being able to see it all there in your mind. But plants need space and time, so find other things to fuss over (native annuals?) while you wait.

This might sound corny but I keep a gardening journal (it was a gift) and since I'm new to outdoor gardening and sometimes feel overwhelmed, and sometimes impatient, I find it helps put things in perspective.

It's organized by season, and the pages have general advice for each season, but the pages I find most helpful include lists for plants purchased, plants that are thriving, plants that are not doing well, and even pages for drawing out the garden. Whenever I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, I return to it and realize how much I've accomplished, and how much my garden is changing. Hope this helps!

Many hobbyists stick to a plan too long e.g. they may keep the plant after it is diseased and should be trashed to prevent spreading and to remove the ugly thing. Changing your mind can sometimes be used for good.