I’m overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.
3 years ago
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Design process questions (long, with pictures)
Comments (7)Hi tree, Hmmm, looks like you have a nice, traditional home with a nice traditional lawn, in a nice traditional neighborhood. My guess is you want to spice it up a bit, but not to the point of sticking out too much. The house faces north... Looks like this would probably be a couple of years project as a do-it-yourself. So, for the time being at least (maybe even permanently) I'd leave the strip between the sidewalk and the street alone. Probably, the first year just focus on that area between the driveway and the house walk. I'd also limit the plants selection initially, like Miss Rumphius said. One of the things I'd do is open up and lace the big tree in front a bit. As far as the bushes in front of the house--I'm not really into boxing and hedging stuff. I'd let them grow more naturally and open them up a bit too. One of the things that would be a concern to me, is that your front yard sort of slopes down to the sidewalk and driveway. I'm not sure how you want to deal with runoff issues. I'm a gardener, so I take things strictly from that perspective. I have a tendency to cram too many things in...but I guess I like it that way. Remember too it takes usually at least a year for a plant to 'take'...and yes, sometimes they don't take but just die. I like the different forms of Rosemary a lot. They don't require much in the way of water, they always look good and they don't require much in the way of maintenance. BUT, they can be slow to establish sometimes. Another group of shrubs I like a lot are Cistus. Just about the same requirements as Rosemary and there is a huge difference in the appearance between the species. Yellow & blue go really well together. Red, yellow, & orange can freely mix. I also think you can experiment with succulents and agaves too. The finer leaved shrubs and plants can soften the succulents up so you don't get too much of that desert/cactus look. I'm always hesitant to give suggestions because sometimes posters want a nice looking yard, but aren't really into gardening. Seems like you did your plant homework though. I'm not familiar with south-central Texas weather but doesn't it get really hot and wet in summer? Anyway, instead of babbling on, here's a pic of yellow Leucospermum with spiney stuff in the back and a big Cistus bush blooming. Don't be afraid to experiment. Once you're taught what a box is...thinking outside the box is like building a house without tools. -Ron- You can right-click the mouse on the image to view a bigger image....See MoreI don't know why, but bulbs totally overwhelm me.
Comments (5)I'll tell ya what's the BIGGEST pain w/ bulbs. And this error in judgement was made our first planting season in our home (which is our 1st home). Hubbie insisted on landscaping fabric. Because as much as I LURVE gardening (read: addicted) from time to time, I get too immersed in other aspects of life (family, work, etc) and can't get around to weeding for a couple weeks. So, like I said, he insisted on landscape fabricing ALL the garden beds. Which is great in theory. A gi-normous PITA (pain in the *BLEEP*) in practice....particularly when it comes to bulbs. 'Cause low and behold, some bulbs seem to multiply. Like, crocus bulbs. And, apparantly, daffodil bulbs. So this past spring, I happen to notice these mounds of mulch in my beds. What's that?, I say to myself. Move the mulch only to discover tenting of the landscape fabric 'cause, yep, I've got new sprouts from new bulbs desperately trying to find their way out. **sigh** So this fall, I've gotta dig up ALL the bulbs I can find and transplant them to non-fabric'ed areas. And I must admit, as much as I love tulips, I haven't been all that jazzed about having them in the gardens. For what I planted in the last couple years I haven't exactly been thrilled with the result. I also think I made a BIG mistake w/ bulbs in general. I wanted color "here and there" in my very new garden beds (which equates to most of our yard). So I spread them out a bit. I'm finding that's not the way to go. So when I transplant, I'm going to do so in clumps. The lone bulb here and there (be it crocus or whatever) just doesn't paint a good picture come spring. Honestly, what I'm really considering is focusing on early/late blooming perennial purchases for the front yard and moving ALL my bulbs to the back yard. Having 'em all over the place doesn't appeal to me for some reason....See MoreHelp! Need Ideas for Photo Organization & Storage!!
Comments (15)Camlan: you are one awesome ~ and super organized~ person! You've inspired me and I love your ideas and system!!! I'm following your system. After I read your suggestions, I ran down to the local Dollar Tree where I picked up 10 large plastic shoe boxes, ($10) which will temporarily hold my photos as I sort through them. I also bought 2 packs of (20 total) manila file folders ($2) that I'm going to cut up into dividers for each box to categorize the pics by year and then subcategories for events, holidays and whatever. I like your idea about scanning the best onto flash drives. I can store the master FD in our safe deposit box, I guess. I'd like to create DVDs with special events, holidays, vacations on them vents on them and then make copies for our two kids . . . eventually. I just went back to look at my intimidatingly huge box of photos and I'm so glad that I now have a plan of action to deal with them! Thank you for taking the time to put your ideas down for me and for many of us here who are in similar situations. I really appreciate it! Now, has anybody created their own DVD's from their scanned photos? I do want to make up some myself. I'm too frugal and too creative to have some company do it for me . . . but is it very difficult to do if you have a good photo scanner? Did you use any special program? DLM: I totally agree with you, I know many people that would love to hire Camlan to do this for them. Goldie: good luck with your own project. And, yes, definitely archival-quality albums and photo boxes. Eandhl: good idea and one I'm going to use: get rid of all copies (and similar) photos right away. Thanks! Dedtired: I'm right there with you regarding the albums. I've run out of space for more! Lynn...See MoreLooking for new couches (and other furniture)
Comments (8)To start with this big project, first you need to know which kind of style you wanna buy or what's the style of your room. To get a good sit for your buck, you need to have several tests. Check the frame (sturdy frame with joints connected), Test the spring, Test the fabric ( Cotton and linen are winners). Hope my thoughts give you any ideas to focus on ya....See MoreRelated Professionals
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