Good point about the asymmetry, David. And I like your suggestion about the evergreens.
Hey Cinta, it's your house...weigh in here or David and I will be debating your plans ad infinitum

O.K. this was a super quickie to see how they might look and just for fun! Don't be mad Cinta....Just playing!






.....Your house can pull European Cottage Garden well! In time add a few more little beds and before you know it you might have even more plants!

foraygardengirl said:Good point about the asymmetry, David. And I like your suggestion about the evergreens.
Hey Cinta, it's your house...weigh in here or David and I will be debating your plans ad infinitum

I am sorry I was outside trying to pack these boxes for the succulent giveaway. I have to remember I am not good at multiple box packing.

David mad are you crazy I love the help. I agree what I did was wrong. I was focusing on evergreen structure bushes like that you posted and I let my plan on the ground I guess when I purchased the plants.

I purchased evergreens that are weeping and Threadleaf Arborvitae these bushes are not structure enough. Then I got silly and wanted color and purchased Sandcherry bush another non structural bush. I kept buying bushes that did not give me the structure I think the house needs.

I like that idea about outlining the walkway with plants. I did start one on then other side.

You are doing great just the way it is. A few years will show your talents.

Wish I had more time to look thru all these threads. I was looking for Pollinator Hotels & found this.

I'm taking a Low Water Usage Landscape Class 2 nites the next 2 weeks. I'm happy with my front beds & they get watered when the lawn does. Now the back is a different story. I'm moving 2 of my raised veg beds to the far side of the yard (where they should have been originally but I ran out of time & energy & put them closer to the big pile of dirt). I want the back to "look like David's yard", so that will be my Fall project.

I need a couple small trees with a more open canopy. Poss Drake Elm & Chaste tree?? Way too much sun out in the back yard.

*tiptoes in, pulls up a stump, opens a bag of popcorn, gazes around side to side expectantly*

Hi!

Just thought I'd join in. I told someone today that I'm aspiring to jungle but in the beginning I like to sort of know what's what and where's where. It doesn't last long!

This part will become jungle:


This part is old jungle that needs some significant sorting:


Design-wise, these pictures are of sections of the sunnier of two long narrow strips of garden on either side of a long deep yard. That is going to change this winter with an expansion. More interesting beds are in other parts.

I just moved here mid April and didn't start gardening til about June -- it's my cousin's house and I had to find out how far she'd be happy letting me go for it. Turns out she's glad I'm doing all the things.

Just thought I'd introduce myself a bit.

Going to have some fun, Kyla.

Yep!

I really only posted here because the thread title made me happy.

Tomorrow it begins, unless it has already begun, but really it begins tomorrow, because tomorrow, I create the expanded bed(s) in that long back yard.

I'm doing the lasagna method because, frankly, neither my body nor my budget permits anything else, meaning I'm not strong enough to remove all that sod and can't afford to pay somebody else to. Plus which, I think it's better for the health of the soil doing the topdown thing. And I have lots of cardboard and three bales of straw.

Once I get that part laid down, I can spend the rest of the winter acquiring and spreading soil amendments and stuff, and by spring it will be excellent!

I'm excited! Tomorrow I will see the shape of it, and that will make it so much easier to think about where all my wintersown and intended-to-purchase wonders will go.

Watching and waiting to see your new creation.

Me, too.

Well, as of now it doesn't look like much. I got cardboard down and straw on top and it's sitting there waiting for the next steps.

Also I overestimated how much area the cardboard I had on hand would cover, so the shape isn't as pleasing as it was in my mind's eye. I expect to expand it further once I get the stuff to do that with.

While I was working on it this morning, there was an encounter between a racoon and the dog next door, which wasn't all that sweet to witness! Though I don't think anyone was hurt - the dog got called inside pretty quick. But the racoon continued to make distressed noises for quite a while. I have not seen one around here before. I think all the creatures are thirsty, we've had so little rain.

Anyway. I'll get a picture later on of this stage.

The nice event was just now I was out there and a beautiful butterfly was puddling on the moist straw. I am not sure what kind, not a Monarch but almost that big, and very similar colors - maybe I can get a picture of the butterfly at some point today.

Okay, for what they're worth:


Because of the slight rise of the ground, it's hard to get a good angle on this. The second one is from the side.

I really wanted there to be a more graceful angle or arc toward the existing bed, but this is going to require more cardboard. This shows the sort of abrupt turn toward the existing bed. Where that gazing ball is is roughly where I would aim the edge, and will once I get the stuff to do it with:


Also because of the rise in the ground, there is not much of a view of the garden from the other side of the yard, where we have some chairs. This is another reason I plan to add some depth to this new bed, so you don't have to get right up on it, to see it!:


Were this my yard I'd plunk the garden beds right down in the middle! But, yanno, other uses for the space have prevailed heretofore.

Also, it's pathetic how dry the place is now. That very dry part is under a huge crapemyrtle, but it would not be so desert-like had we had any rain to speak of. It's been an extremely dry summer here.

My next step in this project is to lay some stepping stones and create some paths. I expect to continue to add layers over the winter; next will probably be some topsoil though I would prefer to be able to lay down manure.

I look forward to progress pictures.

I hope David doesn't mind my using this thread for such! Like I said, the thread title is irresistable, and it makes me smile whenever I see it.

Kyla, if David were to mind, he would speak up. Think it is fine and I am happy you posted. Looking forward to seeing the evolution.

I've been known to drive around the nite before trash day looking for heavy cardboard boxes. I'm always thrilled when I find the person who got new appliances. With the nasty weeds we have in FL, smothering them with cardboard is about the only way to smother/kill them.

I'm in the process of re-doing the back yard. Guess I should take some before pics so I can remember how overgrown & lacking grass it is!!!!! I'm hoping it looks much better this time next year.

I always forget to take "before" pics. Nearly always.

Hey Kyla, I like the title of this thread too. I also like the lasagna method, and many of my garden beds are lasagna gardens. Never, not one time, did I have as much cardboard as I needed. You can ask stores for boxes, or you can use several layers of newspaper as long as it's not the glossy ads. Can't wait to see the results!