Aggie, the journey can indeed be frustrating and paved with failures. but each failure is a learning experience. What people with experience can do is help you identify the lesson, and maybe also help you to differentiate the possible from the impossible, but don't let anyone rob you of the journey or of giving it a try. At the risk of repeating myself, you are asking a lot of yourself to get both your foundation planting and your flower gardening out of one spot. If colour and seasonal variation are really important things for you, I really would suggest you consider adding a bed somewhere to give yourself more opportunity in better growing conditions - and that is tough to do nicely if you don't make a new bed out of the same stone. But maybe you can do that. The other thing that is a bit uphill for you is that you can only get so much uniqueness when your plantings are in the same PLACE as everyone else's. I suspect in your old neighbourhood, there was variety in WHERE in the yard people put their plants, as well as variety in what plants they had. If I drive through the neighbourhood, everyone's plants are probably at the foundation, and if only the details vary, the overall impression is still very similar. So your bed at the foundation is working against your desire to do something original on two counts. But it can be done... if you haven't already asked in the conifers forum, ask there for some suggestions for specialty conifers that would do well in these conditions. You do need evergreen plants - the bones, so to speak - and they can be broadleaf or needled evergreens. If you want a lot of variety in your flowering plants, you might enjoy having repeats of some interesting evergreens... I keep thinking of Chamaecyparis 'Wissel's Saguaro' but that might just be because I like it a lot. No idea if it works in your conditions. Even boxwoods would look good as consistent, repeated forms to offset the variety. If, on the other hand, you want consistency in the flowers (all purple petunias or peach roses), then go for variety in the conifers. Who knows, you might develop a talent for topiary :-) Some of my favourite yards are amazing topiary confections. I don't have the patience or the discipline for it though. Then you can do amazing things with quite ordinary plants. Pruning makes all the difference between green blobs and interesting shapes. Broadleaf evergreens will also offer some options for you; try asking for advice at a couple of nurseries - not big box stores. I don't know if the Ilex family would work or not, but if so, Ilex 'Mariesii' is a lovely plant - varies in form, can have some fun with it. Whitecap is right that people like me from outside your area may not be much use for specific plant recommendations, but we can help with form, and process. I've linked below to a site that explains the principles of landscape design in a way that I like. It doesn't all translate to the design of a single bed, but you can maybe play with some of the ideas. Karin L Here is a link that might be useful: Principles of landscape design

The aspect of rearranging a multitude of plants (of unknown quantities) you already have into other parts of the yard would be very complex, and therefore, difficult. It's not probable that you could get much comprehensive help by remote. You definitely have a knack for creating, ambition and some stock to work with. Even though certain aspects of the plan are a little funky looking by professional standards, what you've done nevertheless has charm and a certain homespun appeal that many people enjoy immensely. I don't mean any of that in any negative way. There are lots of lovely things around the world that are created like this. I would like to give you some food for thought as you progress with the project. Essentially, you are creating a functional piece of art. Because the main function is that of being a space that one is able to move through, it is easiest to think of it as a room or series of rooms (as you determine) that just happens to be outdoors. Therefore, it is made primarily of plants, dirt, trees and rocks ... those things that hold up well outdoors. Like inside, the room is made of "floor," "ceiling," "walls," "windows" and "doorways." If you were creating an indoor space, though you might have general ideas about them, you would not begin by dreaming about specific lamps, drapes, tables and chairs. You'd begin by thinking about window and door placements, wall textures and colors, trim and molding, floors and finishes, and how the ceiling will handle light. Later would come objects that go in the room that blend with the room itself: tables, chairs, lamps, rugs etc. For some odd reason, when we are creating outside space, people have the perpetual habit of falling in love with things ... objects (usually plants) that go in the room and start cramming the room full with their "pets" before they give much thought about the and architectural framework of the room itself. Outdoors, a tree or arbor creates a ceiling. A tree's canopy can not only seems like a roof, but also a very tall wall. Woody plants and vines can creates walls of whatever height one wishes. Sometimes they need extra support. Sometimes only trimming. Low growing, spreading plants create floors (as do rocks and earth.) Before thinking about irises, peonies and daffodils, it would be better to forget entirely about all the plants and concentrate on the forms, arrangements, heights and sizes that will define the room itself. You've all ready got a good start with a floor made of rock. Maybe it should be (visually) extended somewhat larger with a low growing, woolly looking mat of vegetation. It looks like you have begun a low wall already to separate the view into the neighbor's yard. Maybe a higher elevation "floor" (of plant material) should transition form the low floor to that wall. There are some good looking, freestanding "columns" (clean tree trunks ... very nice! ... almost palm tree like) to one side of the patio. Maybe each would look good resting on a circular base. You could begin by envisioning these "architectural" features of a plastic, formless material. (I once liked to think of everything being made of bread dough since it can take on any form.) Once the overall forms shape up, one could begin thinking about the specific character that will make up the forms. One might turn a ball of bread dough into a big leaf hydrangea, or a hedge of them. A pizza form that has been rolled out and placed next to the patio might become a bed of wild ginger or vinca minor ... it depends on what you like, what you have, the light and moisture conditions, and what you're willing to put up with. (Some plants have bad habits but they are so beautiful they must be tolerated!) You call the shots. I've gone on enough, but I think you get the general idea. Fall in love with the plants AFTER you know what you need and get those that can fill the bill. Sometimes a hedge can be a single plant material ... or it can be mixture of similar-sized plants, depending on the character that is desired. Usually, plant lovers can find a way to squeeze in -- in a sensible, artistic way -- most of the things they love. But if you don't do the architectural exercise first, you run the risk of creating something with a hodgepodge, cemetery-ish appearance ... with things sitting all over the place. It's good that you recognize the faults of the arbor. If it was at least 2' wider, a foot taller and made of beefier wood -- and painted! -- it would work better. I'll return with a hardscape suggestion when I get more time.

You've got a nice selection there - it'll be a great garden all together! My mistake when I first began WSing was to make the groupings too small (3 seedlings, sometimes 5)because I wanted to get things started in so many different beds.I'd put a littel bit of the jug here , a little bit there... I've learned to go with 7 or 9 to make the group really show up visually. But watch those black eyed susans and purple coneflowers - they will spread in the coming seasons so leave a litte room. Both look good with annual zinnia. I plant both annuals and perennials very tightly (maybe 6 inches between things)as I don't have time to spend hours every week weeding (work full time)and plants crowd out the weeds. But be sure to put foot paths in the garden so that when you do need to get to a weed to pull it, you can get there! I had to learn that one too..... Best of luck, Nancy

The client who has the lower rate probably won't be asking -- you might raise that rate, too. If the client with the higher rate was a referral, chances are the friend revealed your rate, which you'll find out if you quote a different (higher, but not a lot higher) one. So you can explain your rates go up periodically, and then, say, describe your recent continuing education or professional honors etc. -- some specialized thing that makes you different from other fine gardeners. (I've observed colleagues leverage high-profile volunteer gigs this way -- the pro bono stuff gets them name recognition, which gets them more referrals, which enables them to charge more...) If the client with a higher rate happens to have a good friend who is one of your other clients, same thing: rates go up periodically, they're still getting a good deal because (cite your skills, knowledge, etc.) and (cite your projects, pro bonos, awards, etc.). Jobs are different, too. I've charged more for steep gardens with poison oak (where I sprained an ankle on the loose steps) than for level sites where it was easier to haul things around. I've heard the same kind of anecdote as INK, where someone tries to set the price too high to force the client to say no, and instead gets the job. The one I heard was a photog, tired of traveling, who quoted what he thought was an absurdly high rate for an annual report for a bank in Asia. The bank had wanted a conservative, dull report, with photos of the suits. The photog said, if I were to do this, I'd take pix of the people in native costumes at specified sites all over the country, and not only my high rate but also first-class travel and accommodations and a big expense account. On the one hand, he was thinking, this would make it worth doing and be sort of a vacation, but on the other he went so overboard that he thought, there's no way they'd go for this. They did. (One of Rick "Day in the Life of..." Smolan's stories.) The art is to set your rate so you can be selective and do mostly jobs you love for people you like.