I'll share what works for me, and you decide whether or not it is appropriate to your situation. I have had great success with composting in place / hybrid lasagna gardening to keep the grass and weeds out of my gardens. I have a few raised beds in my lawn and I keep a border which I think sounds similar to what you have or are wanting to do. I keep it simple and mix my freshly cut lawn clippings with used coffee grounds and a good amount of cross-cut shredded newspaper. I put this mixture down generously (in inches deep) over the area where I don't want any grass/weeds coming up and then I top it all off with loads of hay/straw (I don't know which is what, but it comes in a bale so I will call it "hay") to keep the sunlight out. My thought is that under the layer of hay, the fresh clippings, UCG and newspaper eventually heat up and kill or severely weaken the grass and weeds. The hay seems to prevent any additional germination by keeping out the sunlight. Add more hay as necessary to keep area covered. The sun does a nice job of bleaching the hay in place, so I think it is an attractive mulch that does a great job. I used to think this was my idea since I just took a chance on it out of frustration of battling (and losing to) the weeds and "lawn creep". But, it's not a new idea. Here are a couple of links that I discovered after the fact. Wish I had read these a long time ago... Ruth Stout And Permanent Hay Mulch Hay Makes a Great Mulch

Outsmarting the tree rats (squirrels) around my house is a full time job. This past spring I hit on a new idea. When I plant a container I invert an empty wire hanging basket over the container and the plant gets sun and can be watered but the squirrels can't dig in it. Another idea: I bring in a lot of plants to "over winter" under lights in my garage. I have so many that it is hard to reach my hand under the lights (4 shop lights) to the middle for watering. So I bought a pump sprayer with a long wand and it works great! In late winter I add a little liquid Dawn detergent, few drops, to each gallon of water and not only does the soil get wet easier but the worms that are waiting to hatch into distructive pets just don't hatch. Don't know what it costs me to run those four shop lights all winter but I don't care. It is a small price to pay to be able to "garden" every weekend in the garage. Many people have mentioned that they mark their outdoor plants with a "permanent Sharpie". In my experience there isn't a "permanent Sharpie", they all fade and quickly too. A grease pencil/china marker or expensive "no fade" garden center marker are the only markers I have found that won't disappoint you by fading. Eight years ago I decided to learn about gardening so I tapped into my local library. I checked out nearly every book they had on gardening and learned so much. The Gardenweb forums are also a wealth of information and entertainment. There is always something new to learn and I appreciate all of you who take the time to write in your ideas. One last idea from me...I keep a small notebook on my computer table and jot down any idea I find that's new and I will want to try. Little pieces of paper get lost but I always know where my notebook is and also use it when I order "on line" so I will remember the name of the company and the order date. Tina or Trowelgal

Altho' peonies grow to the size of shrubs every year, they aren't classified as such. Can you name the shrub in the photo above? Depending on what the botanical name might be, you may get more helpful suggestions about whether or not to trim it down. There are shrubs that benefit from being pruned every year whereas others are best left to their own devices. In the absence of a positive I.D., it's probably a good idea to leave it for a season to allow you to observe its behavior/bloom time/flower color. Good for you that the bed is now curved rather than linear. You many find that "ditching" the bed works better than lining the edges with stones but you'll decide what works best for you. The formal beds are ditched in nearly every botanical/public garden I've either visited or seen pictures of which is why I adapted my own garden beds to that method. Sorry I don't have a recent photo to give you a visual. As I mentioned above, I consulted my neighbor prior to ditching the beds and he reiterated that it was much easier to mow around them if they were ditched. I can tell you from experience that weeds/grass will grow up between your river rocks and you'll be hard pressed to kill them without using chemicals or vinegar. You'll find your own garden priorities but I recommend you consider this: perennial gardening isn't a goal with a finite end date. Rather, it's a journey. There are plenty of detours along the way.

Tony C: It is very late in the evening and I am too tired to read all of the responses in your post, but I wanted to at least post something in the wee hours of the morning. The Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis is well noted for having the largest Japanese Garden in the continental United States and is also noted for its Japanese Festival held over the labor day weekend. If you link to the site below, you find that there are various links to take you to the international gardens located within this wonderful gem - one of which is the Japanese Garden. While these links will provide some "inspiration", there is nothing like a 2 day visit to this outstanding garden. While I currently live in northwestern Michigan, I was born, bred, and lived for more than 5 decades on the Illinois prairie, where I was able to visit this garden more frequently. If you plan to head in that direction and are the type of person who enjoys staying at a bed & breakfast, I recommend that you contact Maggies Bed & Breakfast in Collinsville, Illinois. She is a retired Librarian who has traveled in the far east via freighters and other means of transportion. Her rates are reasonable, the conversation is excellent and the breakfast are very delicious. If you're a person who enjoys staying at a motel/hotel, there are several excellent choices in the Collinsville, IL area. Collinsville is located very close to one of the Interstate Highways leading into St. Louis and the MBO - not too far west on I-44 - is about a short 15 to 20 minute drive. Hope this information is somewhat helpful and/or inspiring. Bill Here is a link that might be useful: Missouri Botanical Garden - Virtual Tour - International Gardens