In process of searching creative ideas. Spend lots of time outdoors. Cost effective #1 and thinking outside of the box for ideas. Can't afford expenisive hardscape. Planning is the most important and working in stages as money and time permits. In the video link I like the trellis that extends the height of the fence. Good idea. Of course love the outdoor kitchen - some good ideas with planting of herbs. I can see doing an outdoor - grilling area under a less expensive lumber(shelter)arbor. Using metal post boxed with wood is great idea for post that won't rot over time. I too have always wanted a special private garden area to escape to and melt my worries away. Would also like an outdoor bathing area included. The grilling area would be the social area for special time with family and friends. Have so many pics I've searched on internet. May link more later. Here is a link that might be useful: Outdoor Kitchen

"To name a plant. ED Brown. I have seen it look bad in our garden and only have around 2 way with 6 buds. And we move it and the next year have 4 way with 25 buds. Same bed. Not moveing it 100 feet. We are talking 5 feet or so" writes Michael. Your making my point for me.. Many plants do show finicky requirements for culture. My point is.. why bother with them. Why propagate slow developing genetics. Yes the many DL's take 2.. and 3 yrs to show in gardens. Again.. why not breed from the best genetics.. for vigor.. ability to withstand stress. Chasing internet faces is why it TAKES 2-3 yrs..even in warm climates.. for some plants to show. Crossing "face" genetics.. slow developers and primarily internet wonders.. with the same type of plants.. only means more of the same. The "GH/Green House Daylily" is a reality.. but how many people owning and enjoying daylilies are going to grow them in GH's......... Thing is... some of us aren't selling the listening group anything.. just relating experience. Others are marketing for all their worth.. some via 2nd parties. Sales.. raking in the $$.. has a way of ignoring facts... often the seller is what is being sold.

I used to garden in redwood raised bed boxes until the redwoods growing in my yard took them back. Boxes toward the front of the picture, redwoods in the background. This one gives a better sense of how big they are, which I'm told is how far the roots go. I gave up fighting with the roots. The planters are "sub-irrigation" or "self-catering planters", mostly Earthboxes, but at least one of them seems to have more space for water than soil. I "smuggled" some garlic from France last year, and put them in one of these last October, and most of the roots are directly in the water. I don't have any real hydroponic set ups though. PS I actually brought the garlic back peeled so it was legal.it is sending up scales as we speak! Non edible PSS I notice the original roll call thread is open again. Is there a mod who can combine them? Original Northern California Roll Call

halloblondie, you've got a nice start to your gardens--and don't worry--one of these days, you'll look around and realize you have a "mature" garden. If it's any encouragement, I like to joke that when I moved into this house back in the early 1980s, all my back yard had was weeds and sunshine. So I immediately planted a couple trees in strategic spots along the western property line--so there would be a little protection from that late afternoon "killer sun" that my zone 6 garden has to endure. However, I have to admit that the previous owner was evidently a talented gardener herself. I still am growing some of the plants (peonies, daylilies, hydrangeas, iris) that she left me, although they have been moved around a half dozen times or so since then. I basically started with the two garden beds she had and kept expanding them a few feet more --a little wider here, a bit longer there--and now, thirty some years later, those beds cover most of my back yard--which is fine with me since I have no use otherwise for a backyard. We will enjoy watching your gardens expand over the years also! : ) Cynthia--I had trouble getting the larkspur started. For two years I threw seeds all over the back garden and would just get a handful of rather pathetic looking larkspur to grow. So I started ignoring them, having given up on that project. Well, that handful of larkspur threw their own seed at the right time and by winter, all sorts of tiny larkspur plants were growing. At first I thought they were a new kind of weed, but getting behind on my weeding, some of them grew large enough that I finally realized they were larkspurs! Since then, I do nothing except when I pull out the plants after they are done blooming, I do shake a few of the plants over spots where I'd like more larkspur next year. They are now so busy re-seeding themselves that by spring, I will have to pull nearly half of them out so they dont' choke out some other desirable plants--but there's always enough left that I get a natural show for about 5-6 weeks in late May and most of June. Here it is July and I still have a handful still blooming out there--but I think this is probably their last week for this year. Siberian Iris--that's easy. They are tough and super cold-hardy--hardy down to -40 degrees! Gorgeous spring bloomers, no diseases, no care. You might be confusing them with Japanese or Louisiana irises that have greater water/moisture needs and probably don't like the sun as much as other irises do, but other than that I think they are all very cold hardy, but I've never grown Japanese or Lousiana irises, so I cant' say for sure about them. However, my mom grew Siberian irises in South Dakota, so I can swear by their cold hardiness. I treat them like I would any other perennial--no additional fussing at all. You do plant them in full sun, don't you? You must try them again sometimes. Sun and not too much water. That's about it. Now, as to Princess Diana clem--mine is always just barely making it. I think that western sun tends to boil mine. I had no idea she was a thug elsewhere. Have you got some pics of yours? I was afraid I'd lost mine during an exceptionally cold winter we had a couple years ago, but she is creeping back again--so I'm guessing it is the hot summer that is harder for her to handle. To all the other posters: I'm so enjoying all the gardens. So many different styles and combinations--and they all look wonderful! Kate