Let me just say - my suggestions were not for Mr. Toad to plant ALL those plants and flowers I listed, but a list of some plants he could choose from of old English gardens (I've gleaned from reading Gertrude Jekyll's books and my family's gardens, as well). My Grannie grew them all and more. She also grew lots of succulents and cacti. She liked fussy gardens, no spaces between plants and often spilling over into the paths (dirt paths), and so do I. But I was not trying to impose my ideas on dear Toad, just suggesting plants I know are grown in English gardens. It all depends upon what YOU want, what delights your senses, what can grow in your climate, your soil & lighting, &etc. You don't have to have a lot of plants if you are trying to keep your work load to a minimum. As for paths - I like the grass paths best, too. I like soft, green paths better than brown, hard gravel. I like to walk barefoot in my gardens. It's cooler, prettier and only needs the occasional haircut. :) I do have some stepping stones and brickwork in various places, but I have three acres! There are Formal English gardens, formal Cottage Gardens, and the informal Cottage Gardens. There are even English Country Cottage Gardens. Some only have small plots, with the yard paved in front, so they use a lot of potted plants and just shrubs and trees. Some are clipped and sculptured and some are not. Some combine both. There are monochromatic schemes where perhaps only one kind and color of flower is used, and some choose a more colorful palette. No two gardens are alike. But one thing that is constant in any English garden is the use of greenery - lots of green plants, trees, grass. Where I now live in Oklahoma, having year round green in my garden is not possible. Grasses, lawn, trees, and plants go dormant in all and Winter, except for evergreen type plants and trees. But in Spring and summer, most of my garden is alive with greens of every hue. I love green. My garden is not the typical English garden, by any sense, but I like to use elements from English and French gardens, and not afraid to use other cultural ideas too. It's my garden. So, please know that I wasn't pooh-poohing your ideas, or anyone elses, Mr.. Toad, only offering suggestions for plants or elements you "might" want to try. Plants are very forgiving - they don't mind too much when we move them around. My garden is ever changing - it never looks exactly the same way from one year to the next. It's YOUR garden, and you have great beginnings already! ~Annie

Grab a pick axe and start digging. You'll find more than enough rocks to make a border. Cultivate your flower beds to the depth of a few feet and you should be able to build a fortress with what you've pulled out. There is no soil in this part of the country, only rocks and stuff in between. If you're not feeling up to the labor, I'd recommend calling your local highway department and asking them about telephone poles they may have replaced over the past year. The poles are treated with creosote so they'll last a good while.

OK, looks like everyone is as busy as I am. Hate to let my sister down, as I said I would check this board every day, but alas, Tomorrow starts two (2) weeks of the state high stakes testing. The pressure and stress is sooooo heartbreaking. I teach 5th grade, I had 2 boys crying on Friday over something really insignificant, but you know it's the pressure of these D**** tests. They are so worried they wont be able to go to middle school with their friends. I've been in meetings all week signing my life away that I wont look at the test, etc. Now I have to turn in a seating chart of my testing environment, signing that they were 3 feet apart and not able to cheat. Sorry for rambling, but I really get angry, our politicians have forgotten these are children and not all children are college material. I'm going to give the next two (2) names, because this will really be a busy week.... first....triciae then... hostabuff thanks for letting me vent, hope everyone has a great week. It is starting to look like spring here, so the next couple of weeks should be great. Patty

What breeds of dogs - both yours and the neighbours....? Dogs will be dogs - running the fenceline is inevitable behavior that your garden needs to accommodate - if there's not a path along the fence, they will make one whatever you do! The first order of business is to do some training - the all-purpose command 'Leave it!' is one I find useful and dogs learn and respond to quickly - it means 'whatever you're doing, stop it!' Barking at the neighbour''s dogs is a Leave it! moment that works well here - both our current and previous dog(s) and guest dogs when we dog-sit for friends and family know it and respond to it. The next order of business is to plan your garden with paths to accommodate their needs - paths along the fencelines are a priority. In my experience dogs are inclined to literally follow the path of least resistance - with some limits.... If the paths mostly take them where they want to go, they will usually stay on the path when it deviates a bit from purely following the fenceline as long as their other needs are met. For instance in our 'wet corner' area, the path keeps them away from the wettest area, but there is a place at the edge, near the compost bins behind the shed, where they can sniff noses with a neighbour's dogs. Similarly, on the other side of the shed the path is not against the fence because there is a small bank of earth against the fence and the path runs along the base of that. The plantings there are low and the dogs can see and sniff noses with the small terriers behind us. They all are inclined to bark there but Leave it! - even said from the house - is sufficient to quiet all of them! Here is the general plan of our backyard: (The red Xs indicate trees removed a few years ago...) The rectangular lawn has a path all around it - it has become a popular dog racetrack :-) (Neither of those dogs are ours - one is a guest we were dog-sitting and the other belongs to a neighbour up the street....) Here's a view of the backyard in spring (mid-May last year) from a people's perspective :-) Your backyard proportions are different than mine but maybe there are ideas from here worth incorporating into yours. The keys are to (a) train your dogs, (b) consider and realistically accommodate their needs as well as yours!