I admire how clean cut your landscaping is. In the long term do you picture the yard as being very structured or more casual looking?
If structured is your ideal then you are doing great with that.
One of the problems I run into in mine is getting everything to relate to each other. Each of the planting areas in your yard have a thought out structure with focal points etc. and the items in each area seem to relate and create a 'whole image'.
When you back up and look at the whole you don't see that same 'wholeness'. I am wondering if you don't need a focal point for the entire thing. A tree might have done it but two break up the focus. (I am old but I like things in 1s, 3's, 5's and 7's not even numbers by the way) Perhaps another tree of an eyecatching variety?
Possibly focusing on your entry way might give that focal point. Trellis or arbor or bench? Something larger by the door way might help tie it together.
Another off the wall idea is framing your view. If larger things are planted at the sides and back of house to frame your house it does pull the eye to the house by enclosing it.
I really am not all that good at this but when I do mine I please myself. When I stand back and look at it does it make me happy and smile? If so I win!
If yours makes you happy smile cuz you just won! (and gardening is never ending so next year there is bound to be changes from new ideas that are even now percolating in your creative centers!)

Same goes for me, ymaddox, you're one of the posters who seems to take things with a great deal of aplomb. And that's a gift!

It struck me in looking at your pictures, that your spaces have already been pretty well defined so my plant suggestions were merely ideas for vertical interest, a filling in for gaps, and how to enhance all that nice fencing.

Since gardening is not an exact science, we all bring a little something different to the table. We all enjoy certain aspects of it which is what brought us to these forums in the first place. No one here has a lock on all that is right and correct, but we can surely learn things and come away with something useful.

brent in nova, I agree with what you just said, but,,,,,
If you read my post once more you'll see that I didn't say she wanted JUST kudo's for her garden but also suggestions to help.

I by no means meant to insult anyone for their comments except for maybe this "trolling feline".
My point was,

I go through alot of these forums looking for tips and help with my own garden and it just irritates me how some ppl just think they are God's gift to landscaping.
We all try and some of us are just a little better at things than others. Thus the reason for forums!

To the rest of you (including brent) it's always a pleasure to read your posts and please keep up the good work. :-)

Once again, I'm sorry if I was misunderstood. Stupid ole internet!

I posted the topic so that i got honest criticism. Both to hear the good points and bad points and what to build on. I have taken no offense to any of the postings...although one certain kitty that seems to be a bit in a bad mood whether due to flea infestation or what have you has been a bit annoying...but as they say " some people's kids". Really did not even get upset over kat's comments i think sometimes you just have to look at the source...quite obvious it was meant just to annoy as there was nothing productive to take from it. So i just had a little fun with those particular comments. But honestly i made the subject line in a way that i got honest opinions and i was well strapped in for what might follow...i have read this particular forum for awhile =P, so i knew what may come, although it was not near as bad as having my molars pulled lol.
All jokes aside i do appreciate all the feed back and it has been helpful. I have not taken any offense to anyone and thank those of you that thought others were being rude and pointed it out...although i think the majority would agree it was limited to one poster. again thank you for your time and help it is always appreciated.

Actually I found "Again, remember, it doesn't have to please anyone but you." to be the least useful statement when a person has asked for comments regarding her gardens layout. Taste is for sure a personal matter but a garden can be held to some objective standard even if only for the value of the exercise. I did finally have a look at the pictures and assuming that it is 'principles' we are talking about it is probably 'unity' that is missing.

How about joining the 2 trees in the front yard into one large bed. I have trouble with the slideshow format, the expanding pic makes it hard for me to see the entire view and really study it. If you have the 2 trees as part of one bed, you can add a few evergreen shrubs, some perennials and some annuals for long term color.
Overall, I think you've done well so far and you are obviously a neat person (unlike me). I think the landscape should continually evolve as your tastes and needs change.
Annette

Do you have the photos somewhere online besides the slideshow? I wanted to look at them, but quickly began to feel motion sickness from the zooming. I'd much prefer static photos that I could advance at my own speed.

After a little more thought, I think I can begin to name some principles that you've not ... incorporated, shall we say. I agree with Ink that unity is an issue; I would also name "scale" and "bones" and "framing." Some of those have been addressed in substance in the comments you've had, but they have not been named.

Scale: it's a big yard, too big for those tiny beds you've put around things (perimeteritis is not the perimeter of your yard, as someone suggested, but the urge to plant around everything). I can't even figure out where most of these little beds are from your photos, but on principle I would agree with the idea of making bigger beds that incorporate a couple here, a couple there. More work of course!

Bones: what will you see in winter (even if only as lumps under the snow)?

Framing: your other thread suggests that you need a boundary definition on the right, and perhaps you can also put one on the left if there isn't a driveway that would serve. A fence there with a border of substantial shrubs with real presence, including some evergreen, would help.

KarinL

inkognito, interesting idea about whether it pleases you being a useless statement.
It is always fascinating to see other peoples viewpoints on this sort of thing.
Maybe the thing to decide is if you are doing this for your pleasure or for the viewing pubic. If for the viewing public then I would have to agree with you.
If for yourself then rules are made to be broken IF the result is something you like AND if you can deal with a viewing public that might think you are nuts.
For instance I like long grass. I like my house with the peeling paint look. (bad I know already!) I like a jungley look. It takes me back to my grandparents house and my grandpas garden. Now I know the rustic look had a lot to do with his poor health but as a child I loved it and would like that for my grandchildren.
The point being that what is not good design in one persons eyes may be exactly what another is looking for.

Hello - two immediate thoughts:

Having mulched beds in a lawn with no edging or deep cuts between the two is inviting lots of maintenance issues.

You might ask yourself if you want the landscaping to look similar to the house (long, low, fairly boring) or have something more unique and interesting. That will determine both your choice of plants and the shape of your beds.

I would not disagree with any of that susan but my point included "when a person has asked for comments regarding her gardens layout" and this is the difference. What you have described is your own personal taste which you should feel free to indulge in.

What about the unity?

The grass is well kept everywhere, the red mulch is similar across the landscape, and there are somewhat matching tree straddling the walk.

If there were more 3-D forms (grass/mulch very 2-D), like the screening bushes or the framing Karin mentioned, then unity would be resolved. Also less ornamentation in each bed. They appear to be individual vigenettes as Susan as alluded to. What else...?

ymaddox: I take it by the title of this thread you are not 100% happy with your landscape. I would be interested to hear about the aspects of your landscape that you are happy with, the aspects that you are not satisfied with and what ideas you have for improving your landscape.

Here are some links that you might find useful:
Basic Principles of Landscape Design
SULIS: Landscape Design

- Brent

The basic principles of landscape design is very nice. Very easy to understand yet informative. :D Great link Brent.

Since this is a landscape design forum, the point is to discuss design and design principles and to promote learning about what constitutes "good" design.

Beginners usually make a lot of the same mistakes. Being happy with your DIY efforts is important, but there is a lot more to design than most homeowners and casual gardeners realize.

I can make the analogy of someone who was raised on plain home cooking. It may be nutritious and wholesome, and you may be satisfied with it, but until you go to some really fine restaurants and acquire a taste for more complex fine dining, you will never know what you are missing. Never mind being able to recreate the recipes at home without studying the culinary arts and much practice.

Same with landscaping. There are many levels of quality, and this is not to say that one is "better" than another, but if you want to talk about design, why promote the landscape equivalent of Kraft macaroni and cheese when you can be learning about gourmet food?

I think it would be a disservice to anyone coming here for advice if they weren't made aware of what was possible beyond what they have experience of.

saypoint i guess that is what i am looking for something beyond my experience. Brent i am very happy with what i have done and i add to it every year...year to year my taste changes too. That is why i thought adding a new perspective would be good also. My ideas may be what suits me for now, but maybe you have one or two ideas to teach me and those two ideas turn what i already thought was beautiful into stunning. always room to learn and grow. Brent thanks for the links i will most definately check them out.

ymaddox, as long as you have the desire to learn more, you will continure to improve on your past efforts. In the meantime, you will learn more about plants, how to grow them successfully, what works and doesn't work in your garden, and what really suits your taste. For many gardeners, learning is a lifelong process, and the journey is what it's all about.

I would urge you to see if there are gardens that are open to the public that you can tour. Some of the larger nurseries will have display gardens which are a good place to see mature specimens of the plants that are lined up for sale in little containers, and ways to combine them to make attractive plantings. Check the Garden Conservancy Open Days schedule online to see if there are gardens near you that you can visit on the days they are open to the public. Also, check with your town, or surrounding towns, to see if they have garden clubs or historic locations where gardens are maintained. The ladies who maintain the garden at my local historic society have a wealth of information and experience that they are always willing to share (along with plant divisions) in return for a little help with the weeding.

I agree with Brent's suggestion that to look at the landscape as a full view is something to consider. You can often get an idea of how someone views his garden by the way he frames his pictures, in my opinion (his or her - I'm getting tired of writing both and was I taught that his was the default when I learned English, but I feel bad when I do it).

These pictures are framed very tightly for the most part and the compositions may work in that context. But most people take in the bigger picture - sometimes consciously and sometimes unconsciously. It is the bigger picture that is not very well addressed in my opinion. I would guess that is where Ink sees the lack of unity as well.

If you think of it this way it might open up a new perpective. When you have just a plant, its beauty is itself and nothing more and nothing less. When it is put into the ground you began to build a composition around it to enhance it. It started with the plant and worked outward with the plant being the starring attraction. You may essentially be landscaping the plant. Another way is to look at the property as a whole and finding the starring attraction(s) that are present to begin with by virtue of their visual power.Most times the house is the most dominant part of that. Working to enhance what is good about those features as a whole and mitigating what might not be good with them is the progression that treats the landscape rather than the plant. Working from the big toward the small or concept toward detail is the other way of doing it or seeng it.

I must say that this thread has allowed me to look at things different. I was out riding yesterday and i guess before i always just looked at the flower beds, but yesterday i looked at how the trees accented the homes, although i read that tree's behind a short home made it look taller and i dont really see that but what i do see is it gives it more interest. I looked at flower beds, not so much at the flowers i may or may not like in the garden as i would have before, although i am sure if there was something that caught my eye i would remember it. but i looked this time more at placement of beds and flowers than at the types of flowers itself. I live in a historic town so downtown has alot of beautiful old homes with very established gardens, although the yards are much smaller than mine...it is easier to critique a more established garden even though i have had mine for a number of years i am talking gardens that have been there for probably 50 years or better. It is good to look in that area to view symmetry and things of that nature but because it is a mostly shaded area hard to look at the plantings because they may not work in my yard as it lacks the shade that these homes have. But it was good just to look at design and almost made me look at that strictly because of the fact that the flowers may not work well in my garden.

What i am finding hard to do is critique my own yard/home, anyone else have this problem? there seems to be unity, balance, and repetition in my space but maybe to the point of monotony (thanks for the link brent =) ). I think transition and proportion is where my problem lies and most probably just some visual interest problems in general. I cannot view the home itself as a focal point i dont believe, because it is in a row of cookie cutter homes that only the brick facing is different. Therefore, i have to look at landscape design and since the tree's i have are well established most probably that is not going to change as well, with the exception of maybe adding a few ornamentals for interest.

so maybe the interest i need is in bed placement. I agree i need to add more vertical interest in the existing garden and any new ones. what about since the bed across the front is a square bed, accenting with beds other places...i think there was a suggestion of hooking a large bed around the two center tree's. Maybe a curvy oval bed?

also i thought about a bed down the right border since i want to somehow create some privacy between the neighbor and i, here is a link to that area:
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t201/yvnmaddox/100_1467.jpg

...should i continue with the box look down through there or make more of a curvy bed, and should i make it directly off the existing bed or come off the end of the privacy fence, if i make it off the existing bed it is going to be a huge flower bed. If i make the bed down the right a square bed it is going to box my yard in, so i am wondering if this is going to look tacky. Although i could set it off with curvy beds in the yard around the two tree's and maybe one along the front sidewalk up to the door entrance or is this going to be too much?
here is a link with a view of my front yard and a little shot of the right side as seen in the pic above:
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t201/yvnmaddox/100_1466.jpg

Add a few short growing ornamentals for interest in the front and side yard, although i have not decided placement, but maybe one at the corner to the right for visual interest i also read that short tree's or tall shrubs at the corner made the house seem taller.

Or have i missed the points of the posters all together? i really am trying though, please bear with me!

My favorite local gardening writer, Don Engebretson, has some great design information on his site "The Renegade Gardener" (link below).

Although I wince just a bit recommending this particular part of the site because of its name, check out "Don't DO That!" and scroll down to the Don't DO That Archive link. He has a long list of archived articles with titles like:

"Don't cut live branches off evergreen trees!"
"Don't design straight lines into the landscape. "
"Don't use rock as a ground cover around trees and shrubs."
"Don't circle trees with stuff."

And then he goes on to explain, with words and pictures, what's wrong with each Don't and what he suggests you do instead. He can be a little... blunt, he's a man who doesn't mince words, but the information is extremely valuable!

Here is a link that might be useful: Renegade Gardener

ouch lol, well isn't he cute =P.

I wanted to throw this out...I get the best ideas when instead of thinking about the shape of planting beds I think about the shape of what is not a planting bed. For me it is the paths, the patios, the seating areas, the lawn, and such that should drive the design.

For some reason I find myself thinking about this thread often. I think that is partially because when I look at your landscape it reminds me a lot of my landscape 4 years ago. This forum was a big reason that I was able to progress. I still have a lot to learn, but I definitely have better design skills than I did then.

I also find myself thinking that it is hard to give real critical feedback without context. If you said you paid $50k for a professional design and installation I would say you got ripped off. If you said that you have been an avid gardener all your life and that you have lived in this house for the past 15 years I would have expected more from your garden. Looking at your garden I have to think you are a relatively new gardener or at least new to the idea of garden design and that you don't have a lot of money to throw at your landscape.

- Brent

brent you hit the nail on the head...long time gardener for what i knew and that never consisted of design in the least...maybe what i at the time considered design. I think you always look at your things with rose colored glasses until it is put in front of you differently. Your right i don't have alot of money to throw into my landscape, i do things as budget allows. It is a stress relief for me, probably some of the hardest work i have done but most definately the most enjoyable.

"I get the best ideas when instead of thinking about the shape of planting beds I think about the shape of what is not a planting bed. For me it is the paths, the patios, the seating areas, the lawn, and such that should drive the design"
...i just want to sit and cry but i am not sure i know how to do that and it is so frustrating!

do you have pictures of your landscape i can see, at least it may motivate me to believe i can do it.

Saypoint's got a point. It's instructive to ask what's wrong with your landscaping but the journey is a slower endeavor. After you've read some books and maybe toured some great gardens and as the money allows, you'll be able to slowly improve your design. Some good suggestions have been given - maybe you should go through this thread and compile a list of what's been suggested. For better prices on plants, look for sales by local garden clubs or a community college horticulture program.

My unprofessional 2 cents?
I'd loose the store bought knickknacks and florescent mulch. Try some curves and increase the size of everything - the planting areas and plants. Let nature into your ideas. Clump stuff together; put away the straight edge and ruler. You may decide you like classical designs, like Versailles, but be careful because you need the house to go along with it. Elements of classical might work but to me it takes a real skill to incorporate them into a suburban site like yours.

One OT design suggestion - your writing will be easier to read if you use appropriate capitalization.

I am not sure my landscape will inspire you but there is a link to my flickr account on my member page with pictures. Some are getting a bit dated and it sure seems like my landscape looks better in person than in picture. I moved in April 2006 so I am starting over.

Don't cry! I am currently working through ideas with my front yard. Front yards can be tricky because often the purpose is not as clear as the backyard. In my backyard I want lawn for the kids and dog, a play set, a patio, a veggie garden and such. Laying out those items dictates 90% of my backyard. I am not exactly sure what purpose my front yard serves.

Removing most of the grass in your front yard would be an option, but it would be very ambitious, time consuming and costly. I like the idea of a large bed that connected the two trees and I could see a foundation bed that was at least 8' deep that included some evergreen shrubs.

If you wanted to create one new bed this year I might suggest an L shaped bed that ran along your wooden fence and extended out to block the view of the neighbor's driveway. I am thinking of something similar to my "North Garden" photoset. This would give you a chance to play around with shrubs, evergreens, perennials, grasses and such and address the trash issue.

I have to mention that the "peonies around mailbox" picture confuses me. Do you have more than one peony planted in that tiny spot? Unless you have some sort of dwarf peony, be sure to give them about 3' of space. That rose stuck right up next to the base of the tree looks odd to me as well.

- Brent

Brent,
I have both the blessing and curse of having a berm located about 1/3rd the distance from the road to the front of my house and again about 1/3rd of the distance from one abutter to the other. The berm is actually a WWII navy kitchen garbage dump that is chock full of Navy flatware, dish, glassware, and god knows what else. My well is about 50 from the berm and for that reason I do not want to greatly disturb this mound. Over time I came to realize this berm allowed us a corner of privacy in our front yard that most folks on smaller lots (1 acre) arenÂt afforded. Not only do we have this quiet corner but our seating (Adirondack chairs) face the front of our house where we have invested a great amount of time and effort on both the home and garden. All of this front dressing is usually for the benefit of the passerby, and as much as I would never recommend creating a berm, you might consider designing a quiet corner in your front yard. If I have been vague let me know and IÂll post some photos. kt

What a great thread! This may sound strange, and there is certainly no judgement meant by this humble suggestion, but I think I'm seeing a more maintenance minded homeowner. My suggestion would be to plant a long, irregularly curved, clipped hedge to unify the front of the lawn and incorporate the trees (perhaps yew?). In future years, as the budget allows, the inside of the curves could be planted with boldly shaped, floriferous or contrasting shrubs of various heights and perennial flowers to taste. Maybe even some topiary type forms inside the beds! I can hear the Real Estate Agent now: "just look at the fox jumping over the hedge followed by all those foxhounds!" Your house would stick out.

This would satisfy the unity and privacy problems, give many microclimates for future experimentation and satiate the "perimeteritis" tendencies. And, finally, it would lend itself to the urge to "manicure." If only I had the perfectly groomed grounds that you have (sigh). I'm the one with the foot tall grass in my neighbourhood!

I have to agree with Bill G Web, formal designs need fairly formal homes to truly be successful. While I can appreciate the formalist urge (true southerner) it is not applicable in every instance.

brent ambition is not a problem...i shoveled 4 1/2 ton garden soil into a raised bed for my vegetable bed...i'm not worried about the work and i can spend hours working in my flower beds on my days off. My biggest dilemma is the design, motivation and ambition is there...but now that i have read a little on the design process i dont want a bunch of square beds i want variety, i am glad i have learned alot from so many people nice enough to share their thoughts and time...now i have to really stand back and incorporate them. Then really think about the plants to place for variety, winter interest, vertical interest etc... i am excited about the whole endeavor but it can be a bit overwhelming as well. I have looked at alot of different garden designs on bh&g websites, lots of good ideas there as far as shapes and it gives you a great idea of height and texture etc...to the plants they have planted...for instance will they mound, spread etc...

I'm still new to the shrub and small tree idea because i am not a big shrub fan...i don't particularly care for a bunch of shrubs in a flower bed, to me flower bed says just what it should be...flowers! But i can also see picking the right shrub to place and give height really livens a flower bed up, and i can also see different grasses to give interest whereas i did'nt care for them before. I would also however like to have a few conifers in my yard one in my side yard and one in my front yard to decorate at christmas time...not something that is going to get huge just something nice to decorate and something that is going to continue to add interest beyond that particular time of the year. I guess this thread has allowed me to think more outside the box. I see how design should pull you different places, interest you into journeying on to see what is around the corner, and although a square bed has it's place it does'nt do that...so it better say wow all on it's own.

As far as the peonies, they were given to me by my grandmother before she passed on and there is two huge bushes in my back yard. I don't know what possessed me to put them around a mailbox realizing now that the bloom time is not that long. It would be great with a large bed there and that being one of the flowers in a conglomeration of alot of other flowers. I just placed them around and this year there was a ton of them there so i moved them around to fill in. I will just let them grow and thin as i need to. The one's in my backyard are huge and you could not get your arms around them if you wanted to...they are absolutely stunning!

nippersdad i love your idea i just have to find some shrubs etc... that really catch my eye as i made mention they are just not something that ever caught my eye before...but definately peaking my interest more and more. Thanks for the maintenance minded homeowner compliment... i do take that as a compliment. If you knew how many times i told my dh that this or that had to be picked up because it looked like a bunch of hillbillies lived here, he gets so mad at me and swears there is not one area on the whole place that is his lol...i'm just funky about my yard...actually moreso than my home, kinda weird huh? Probably why you see alot of clean lines in my yard, just because that is the way i think...working on that as well though.

bill, lol, are you a english teacher? I giggled when i read the capitalization comment, i promise i will work on that. Although, i probably slaughtered this post =).

I am wondering if this particular design of bed along my front walk would soften up the square bed across the front of my house?

http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jsp?storyid=/templatedata/bhg/story/data/convwalk.xml&catref=cat10004

Not too bad, but except for the evergreens against the house and one ornamental grass that will persist through winter, there is nothing there for winter interest. It will look like a dead garden.

You could make the garden a bit larger to give you space to add something that will still look interesting when the snow flies and the perennials die back. Red or yellow twig dogwood, other ornamental grasses, Winterberry holly, there are lots of things you could add.

Google "garden in winter", then click "images" at the top of the page. You'll find some photos of winter gardens that you can study to see what makes them attractive, even better if they're part of a website that explains what they did.

As far as using shrubs in a perennial garden, see if your library has any books by Christopher Lloyd or his garden at Great Dixter. I've linked the website below. Books with good photos and explanations of what's planted and why might give you a new appreciation for the use of shrubs in a mixed border, as opposed to a strictly perennial border.

Also, see if you can find a copy of Adrian Bloom's Gardening with Conifers to see what can be accomplished using evergreens. The gardens are fantastic.

While neither of these gardens may be what you are looking for, there is much to be learned by studying what others have done, and borrowing the bits that will work for you. I was inspired by both of these gardeners.

P.S. Good for you, for putting yourself out there for a critique of your first efforts. Some people get mad and run away when everyone doesn't love what they've done. You have obviously given a lot of thought to the comments and advice you've received here, and have come away with a better understanding of what is possible.

Keep it up. The more you learn, the more beautiful your gardens will become. It may take a lifetime, but as I said before, it's about the journey, as humbling as it can be in the beginning. I think you are on your way.

thank you saypoint for the words of encouragement. I had no reason to run away, other than one poster that i chose to overlook, all the criticism was constructive...good people trying to be helpful and teach me some good idea's. I'll admit it is hard to allow others to critique things you have worked so hard on. However, after i stood back and thought about it and really saw what others was saying and what i could incorporate and what fun i could have it really is all worth it.

Hello:
I'm glad that you took the maintenance thing as a compliment, it was meant as one. Gardening ideas, indeed ideas of all sorts are easy. It is the application over time which differentiates the vision from the reality. Visionary gardens are started every day and abandoned just as often...the key is to create something that can grow with your tastes; something that you can build upon. Have fun!

Hated the slideshow zoom-in thing, hard to see what's there and what's not.

Pluses: everything looks neat and clean and well cared for and weeded. Maintenance is an unsung hero of gardens. It counts for a lot! So you have a enormous plus there.

Minuses: garish, unnatural color of red mulch detracts from natural beauty of plants. Scale: seems like you've either got big (trees) or little (bedding plants) with nothing in between. Think about adding some medium.

Suggestion: if you decide to add some planting beds, work from the size of the plants, instead of just making a shape in the lawn and removing some grass. Pick out some plants you like, figure out their mature size, figure out a pleasing layout and determine the bed size and shape from that. Just try it as an exercise: pick 3 or 5 or 7 large evergreen shrubs or small trees, add some medium perennials to surround them, and some little plants as edgers, and play at arranging them in different ways. Use buckets or sticks as placeholders to help visualize. It's fun.

Another suggestion: what do you see when you look out the window of your favorite rooms? What do you want to see? Make your views beautiful. It makes your home a more beautiful place to live, and it increases your home value too.

i know the slide show was a disaster but i don't know how to post that many pictures without it being in a slideshow...new to photobucket. It does kind of make you dizzy. anyone want to tell me how to do it so that you can just look at pics without the slide show?

deeje,
thanks for posting the links to the Renegade Gardener. He had me LOL more than once!

It must be something in the water up there, so many humorists: Al Sicherman, James Lilleks, Dick Guindon (dating myself with that last reference).

Below is a direct link to his "Top 10 blunders " list. Mea culpa as well, but like they say, ya gotta break a few eggs...

-VW

{{gwi:33482}}

Just read the 10 blunders and now I've gotta go tear out the Aureolian Circle I just put in. I thought it was a good idea to hide large surface roots of the grand old Sycamore and eliminate the grass which I figured was hogging the water that the tree would like. Plus, the mow & blow guys were dinging the exposed roots, a moot point now that I stopped using them and their noisy machines.

A couple of neighbors have some nice looking tree circles though - nothing as unnatural as the renegade gardener shows.

What's the consensus here on tree circles?

Bill

Well, I don't think you'll find anything like a consensus, but here's an old thread on the topic.

*gasp*

Guindon?! Sicherman?! view west, you're my kind of people! I'm so going to miss Uncle Al's stories of going to the hardware store four times and never getting the exact thing he needs. Or his two-day adventures in baking popovers, trying to make them flop.

Sorry, I digress... Don E (Renegade Gardener) drives around the Minneapolis suburbs to take photos for his site each year, and I've recognized neighborhoods in his pictures. I keep praying he won't find anything to mock in my yard!

It's funny - if one person in a subdivision cuts a circle and plops a wishing well in it, next year four more people do the same. He'll always have sources for new material!

Hi Ymaddox
Starting a garden is an adventure, its trial and error. I know that when I put in the garden at this house, I would plant something then say the next year, I have to move this or that because its not working.
To me gardening isnt necessarily about rules, but about pleasure. I guess there are certian rules to try to follow but most of all, it has to be pleasing to the eye.
I learned a lot by joining a garden club & going on garden tours in our area,observing what other people are doing in their gardens, reading and researching the internet.
I do have to agree about the red mulch, Personally I prefer a more natural look. Again its all in the eye of the beholder.
good luck and enjoy Gardening.

Ymaddox,

First of all - good for you to even be gardening! It relieves stress, is good exercise and beautifies our surroundings. And it's your house, so do what you like!

(And really, katt, get a saucer. We're supposed to be supportive here.)

Personally, from what I could see in quick-zoom slide show, it seems a bit disjointed: an expanse of gorgeous grass, then a tiny red circle with one plant in the middle. Then more grass, then another red bed around one tree. The garden-schmutz (little statuary, figurines, etc.) is not my taste, but if you like it - fine.

What I'm not seeing is unity. You've got a hosta, a rose bush, a tree. Do you have some plants that you particularly like? Then load them into a naturally flowing bed (please, not a perfect red circle). Plants seems to look really nice when massed. In the shady areas, you can do a hosta garden. In the sun, you can plant several roses. Don't be afraid to spread out a little more. It feels a little uptight, as we used to say back in the day.

And I agree with those members who cautioned about the red mulch. It has to be dyed and heaven only knows what toxins it contains.

So to sum up: I have no idea how many design elements you slaughtered. So what? Maybe you'll come up with your own list of design elements that pleases you. Think about unity; about what you want your garden to say about you. Keep playing, and don't let those "kitties" get you down!

"I have no idea how many design elements you slaughtered. So what?"

Sorry, but this the the Landscape DESIGN forum. We're here to talk about design, not gardening, which is a different animal altogether. If someone wants to be congratulated for sticking plants in the ground any which way, they need to go to the annuals or perennials or regional forums, where the topics are about the plants, not the design.

This is not directed at the OP, who came here to learn something about design.

I for whatever reason seem to have kept things stirred up quite a bit around here even when i'm not here...this poor post just don't want to seem to die lol! I do however appreciate all the support...everyone has been really nice.

I have learned alot from this post and have at least three large beds in the front i want to place...mostly curving to add some flow and charm to the already existing square bed. Just trying to figure out in my mind at this point how much would be overkill or if it really is ever overkill, yeah i am sure at some point it is overkill lol. This does not include the plans i already had in my mind for the backyard...so i may get it all done on my 80th birthday lol!

I am also looking into some conifers and ornamental/flowering tree's. I have gotten some great advice from someone on the conifer forum to add some winter interest. My big thing is to find things at this point that you just don't see in every other landscape...i don't want just any old boxwood you can buy at walmart that everyone in the neighborhood has...i want to sit my landscape apart from the rest. I also really like weeping cherry, and may incorporate that somewhere along the way.

My landscape will always have a bit of a country edge to it, just because that is what i like...i just made some tipsy pots that is in a flowerbed as you enter onto my back deck. That is who i am, and for this year i love the red mulch...i add mulch every year so next year i might go back to a regular cypress mulch, who knows.

But after reading everything on this post and also looking at some garden designs on the better homes and garden website i have learned a ton. But when it is said and done and you pack it in at the end of the day, it is about personal taste...fortunately this particular post has allowed me to broaden that...so thanks so much for all the contributions and encouragement.

By the way i have decided i dont like the renegade gardener. I think i incorporated at least 8 out of the 10 blunders he speaks of, in my already existing landscape. Who pulled his chain anyway lol ;)!

Hi again ymaddox,

I'm glad you've gotten inspiration from these posts. I thought that was what this whole website was supposed to be about.

To those of you professionals whom I have obviously insulted, I'll just slink back to the "gardening" forums, where folks seem quite a bit more friendly.

playsinthedirt20: "To those of you professionals whom I have obviously insulted, I'll just slink back to the gardening" forums, where folks seem quite a bit more friendly."

No doubtthey can be brutal here, in some discussions, not only tearing apart landscapes (which, I suppose, is to be expected and in many cases, invited), but the homes they surround as well. Many of the posts provide a friend of mine who is a landscape architect (and arborist but who does not post here) a stream of free comedic entertainment. To maintain the friendship, we agreed long ago that we would not regularly counsel each other in our respective fields. Given what I've seen in this forum, it was probably a wise decision.

playsindirt, if you mean me, I am neither insulted, nor a professional. It just seems that to come to a design forum and say that design principles are not important if you like what you've done is just silly. People come here to talk about design (OK, some come for a free design consultation, but that's OK). If this was the kitchen forum, and someone was planning to put the oven and dishwasher where their doors would bump into each other, would you tell them? Or the decorating forum, and someone asked for opinions on a truly hideous paint color? Ever take an art class? The critique portion is the most valuable part of the exercise, IMO, and helps you do better next time.

Folks here are not unfriendly, but some can be quite blunt and direct. It takes all kinds, but overall, a lot of very good information is disseminated here, and people really try to be helpful. I think the OP was very open to suggestions and constructive criticism, and is going to go on to improve on what's already been done. I'm sure there will be more mistakes, and more learning, and more improvement. That's how it works.

Being "nice" and saying, "yes, what you've done is lovely, as long as you like it" is not helpful.

ymaddox your yard looks great. i guess some of these older gardeners forgot that it takes a longggg time to learn and grow in gardening. ive been gardening for quite afew years and i still make mistakes. i still move every thing around and put plants in the wrong place.and whatever you do, dont put anything flowering near that front door as been suggested (clematis) or u will get bees. just enjoy your gardening. i love that mulch. i have it to. i also have a small circle in the MIDDLE, the very MIDDLE of my yard, i love it and it looks good! and djee i thought uncle al was only in ohio. u gettin old djee.lolololo. ohgirl

Please post update of your yard.
The main thing holding it back was simply a little age - giving the plants time to spread and the on-going process of adding plants that everybody does. I am not crazy about the colored mulch but its not that bad and just a part of trial and error. (Whereas at the time my beds are empty unplanted dirt-I'm even more not too crazy about that). A 4ft very open wire trellis with a whispy vine could be your vertical interest and by now your statues must be peeking out through the leaves.
Please give us another chance and recent photos. Thanks, Sally.

I would get some nice edging around those beds, that don't have any..