Last fall (September-October) I literally dug up huge sections of my garden; moved plants around; added bulbs; sowed annual seeds for spring. I'm so happy that I did. While doing all of this, I took the time to add more organic soil and compost to mix with my existing soil. I added more compost in April. I had so few weeds this year!

Here in my area, I've just about decided that fall is about the only time to plant perennials, move shrubs, plant bulbs and sow seeds!

We've had such a dry and hot spring and summer. April was filled with 90 degree days and no rain. May rained. June was the hottest month on record.

I gathered up my existing perennials by colors.

I put together an orange and purple bed -- orange milkweed, agastache 'Navajo Sunset', gaillardia, coneflowers, achillea 'Terracota'. Purple agastache 'Purple Haze', salvias (3 varieties), verbena 'Homestead Purple', allium 'Purple Sensation', nepeta, lambs ear, purple sage.

Where I removed those orange and purple plants from other areas--I also changed color schemes.

I have a yellow-burgundy-blue garden section with coreopsis 'Redshift'/'Autumn Blush', gaillardia 'Burgundy', salvia 'Victoria, agastache 'Blue Fortune' and more.

There is a predominately pink-purple area of coneflowers, monarda, Russian Sage, purple fountain grass, agastache 'Black Adder'/Salmon & Pink/Cotton Candy and much more.

There is a small section of reds (monarda 'Jacob Cline', crocosmia 'Lucifer' and salvia greggii 'Navajo Red' that are now changing over to white, yellow and blue for late summer.

Cameron

Cindy- I was right where you are now...last year. I had put in perennials along two sides of the house, to brighten the place up a bit for an appraisal. Well, I left too much grass in the bed and didn't edge it. By August, it was a nightmare! My husband was actually weedwhacking between the perennials.

I decided to wait until fall and I moved everything out of the beds. This spring, my husband helped me dig everything out (it's too dry to do anything with our clay in late summer). Then we added some amendments and edged the beds. Over the winter, I played around with designs and ordered some roses to add to the garden.

While it's still not entirely finished, it's getting close. Of course, I ordered more roses than would fit into the area, so I had to add a few new beds, but I'm very happy with how it's turned out :)

Great information gals - I am going to reread all of this later and start to figure out a path forward. I KNOW I will be happy I did just like you. And agree that I can take the opportunity to really amend the soil and things will grow wonderfully.

We started this last year and it's a huge undertaking. We also have made several new beds as we enlarged the garden area. For sure won't get it all finished this year and my back hasn't stopped aching in 3 months! However it will be worthwhile - at least that's what I keep telling myself. The watering is continuous because of new plants and transplants. I haven't yet ripped out plants wholesale but will be doing that this fall after everything finishes blooming. Wanted to have some areas, even tho wild, to enjoy. Amending soil as we go.

I too have daffodils that need to be moved. At least I hope I do. I know some of those big black grasshoppers decimated a nice clump of them, and thy are the ones with the big pink cups! A huge makeover is in progress on the older iris bed. I have to get a lot of them into a new space that still isn't ready for them. Then I eliminated the wisteria, so that area has to be finished too.

And it is too hot to do much outside.
kay

I was up very late last night contemplating this very thing.

I was visiting Moosey's website. Spent hours there looking over her old garden areas and how she changed them over the years. I am sending Mary an email to talk to her about it. I love her gardens and she and I garden alike and think alike about gardening and animals, so I know she will have some good ideas that fits my lifestyle, if she will. I made a list of some shrubs she grows that I want to get.

I want to open back up my patio area with a spans of lawn and perennials and shrubs around the sides and against the house. I want a central path through an arch or several rose covered arches or perhaps a pergola to the back yard and do away with all the crisscross paths. It is too much!

I want to replace the pickets and wire edgers with the farm-style post'n'rail type fences. Too much of a pain to trim around those danged wires. The string snags the wires, yanks them out and twists them and sometimes breaks them. Sick of those things.

Also my trees are growing well now, so want to reposition the perennials now that they are getting big.

I may have to just force myself to make drawings of what I want and play with that, and list what needs to be moved and where.

The immediate backyard is the target. It is just too congested! Ugh! The rest will be okay where it is now.

I just don't know if I (myself) can dig out some of those big shrubs in the way and move them to the side areas or something. I may have to take the Maddox to them. I don't know where I want to move them, but I do know I want that area opened back up the way it was originally and more people friendly. It will be easier for me to take care of it too. Moving those big shrubs is my main obstacle. After that, it won't be a problem.

Right now while we are having all this rain would seem like a good time to move them and get my lawn growing. I am going to plant St. Augustine, not that awful Bermuda crap. I have St. Augustine growing on the south side of the house. I love it. I had it for lawn when I lived in Louisiana.

Isn't it funny how so many of us are thinking of making some big changes in their garden right now?

~Annie

Annie..want to share Moosey's website information? Don't think I have seen that person post before. Is Moosey the username?

I can't imagine having as much property as you have and moving a lot of the plants to another area but it probably is much easier than if I wanted to move stuff from my Foundation type flowerbeds. I think I could get a better vision in my mind with a lot more land to play with. But more land, means more work, more maintence, expense. This is my first attempt at creating a cottage garden look. I know it looks like hodgepodge this year while I'm waiting for the wintersown plants to fill in. I don't have a lot of patience..want everything done yesterday and you know it doesn't always work like that. I know next year the beds will be more established and look better and I'll have a better understanding on how to achieve the look I want. Hubby likes a more compact look, doesn't like sprawly, tall flowers. Hoping to change his mind about that.

pippi,

Moosey's Country Garden is on a website. Mary (Moosey) and her husband, she calls the "nongardener" live in New Zealand. She is quite the lovable lady and such a card!. I just adore her wry sense of humour. I have been one of her most ardent readers (and unknown students) for many years. Now she is known the world over and her website has grown into a massive thing. I liked it better before - was more personal, but she needed help with all her letters and questions, so her son helped her by building the new website and setting up blogs, and etc.

You can sign up for her e-mail newsletters that will be sent directly to your email address. They are just wonderful. She has a wonderful writing style. Her English ancestry is apparent in her gardening and in her wit. I am sure you will love her...maybe almost as much as I do! ;)

I am quite sure you will be spending hours on her website in the next few days, getting to know her and her gardens...and all her pets.

She is my greatest "living" inspiration.
Long live Moosey!

~Annie

Here is a link that might be useful: Moosey's Country Garden

Yes! There is a large chunk of my 'Main Garden' that I want to re-do completely. Not counting the filler plants, this area doesn't have much planted in it.

A few years ago I had to take down an apple tree (ok, no one get on my case about it again!! Didn't want to do it, but it had to go). I have planted a lot around where the tree was, but behind that is mostly vacant. There used to be shady plants here, but those had to be moved once the tree was gone.
Ever since then I have been SO stumpped at what to plant there and how to plan it out! It is hard because some areas have shorter plants near the back (they were nearer the front until I expanded the garden a couple years back). Not sure I want to move them since they are mature, but they have always been annoying to me since they don't 'fit' so I may go ahead just for my own peace of mind, LOL.

I really want to get this area done by this fall- it has sat empty for too long!! My plan is this: Once the temps cool down I will move most of the filler plants out- over the summer I will come up with a list of full sun plants and order them (or check local nurseries and plant sales) for an early fall planting.
CMK

There is a lot of comfort in talking about it with an understanding audience with similar challenges! I went out and looked at it hard - generally I keep my head down and weed don't just try not to think about that area when I'm out there.

Those hibiscus have got to go - I can move them down to the bed by the pond where they will look great and their height will work well. Do you think I could move them in about September after the blooms wind down - cut them back to 2' or so and maybe root prune and soak the area well and move a few weeks later? After the asters bloom they are outta there as well - all of them. If something looks particularly excellent this fall I'll keep it someplace but I'm going to get them out.

After that I can kill off the plumbago - I'm going to cut it down to 4' or so and hit it with roundup - I don't know if it will kill it at that time of year but then I will cover with cardboard and let it sit until spring.

I did get some bulbs ordered now that I think about it that I wanted to use in there - maybe I can plant them before I put down the cardboard what do you think? Water well?

This is rather cheating - the right thing to do would be to really dig it all out but I think I'm going to give this a shot and see if I can make significant progress.

I'm really not sure what to plant in there - it needs to stay at 18" or so no taller but I want some continuity with the rest of the front borders. I'll think about that next.

I suspect I will NEVER get rid of that $*#($#) plumbago. I think that stuff would be great to cover a slope or something - it emerges late and works very well with daffodils. But it does not belong in a flower border.

Cindy- You sound so much like me last year...trust me, take the time to do it right :)

First, moving all the plants you want to keep is a good idea, then pull the rest. The plumbago sounds like a nightmare, so why not cut it to the ground, dump in a lot aged horse manure (if you can find it) and cover the bed with cardboard. All good ideas, but I'd skip the roundup, if possible.

Next spring, turn over the soil and start with a nice, healthy bed that will work well for you for years. That next fall, plant any bulbs you may want to add. It does pay to be patient and do things right...shortcuts almost always lead to MUCH MORE work!!! Please, learn from my mistakes. (LOL)

Why, oh why, did I get on the Cottage Garden Forum tonight? Annie, Moosey's site is fantastic, but I need another "favorite" site like I need another thumb. And I was so getting better at turning my computer off at midnight. (This one will be a great one during the Winter, won't it?)
Pat