No advice, but I love your French gothic fencing!

We’re cheering you on, lkayet! I think you’ve got some great potential with this garden. Not sure if it will work for you, but I had a big petrified stump in one of my beds, so I just raised the whole bed up. I like having a higher area now, and I think piling the mulch over stump is helping it break down. :-)

Wow super awesome looking. Sorry I have no advice as I am not much of a planner here, but cheering you on =). Good luck! I looks fantastic and I can’t wait to see how it all turns up.

I set pots planted with annuals on my stumps so no one trips over them. That would be me. Some are a couple feet high, some a few inches, and some under the ground. Without something marking the spot, it's easy to lose track of where they are.

Where in relation to your new lattice fence is your pergola? How did you get those huge sections of cattle fencing in place by yourself? You've done so much, it boggles my mind.

Your picket fence was my inspiration. It took 3 years, but mine has slowly become the silvery gray I was hoping for. Ok, more of a blackish brown, but I'm calling it silvery gray. Maybe they lighten up with age. I like the look of roses on weathered fences.

I like straight lines..straight paths work for me..easy to navigate and you have a vista..I have straight and curved paths..my neighbor replaced a straight sidewalk to the front door with an S shaped one..goes through a lawn no trees..the curves don't go around anything..it looks silly to me..and it's annoying to walk on it with useless twists and turns..

Ikate, my neighbour had a few stumps too. You can hire someone to come out to grind it with a stump grinder from any tree services or you can rent out one but it pretty big enough. I rather pay someone for a job like that. Plus, you get wood chips to keep .

Your place is gorgeous and it will look great with your ideas.

flowers - I pull the sections together gently when I have one end in each side of the bed sort of laid down horizontal and hook them together with pungy cords, then straighten them up. Make sure you have someone to hold them or brace them well as you attach them. I use fence staples to attach a piece of treated deck board the width of the bed before I put it in and screw the board to the surround board. Maybe an extra step but beats all the cussing and screaming when I have to get hubby's help. Just don't over squeeze them together as they will get a kink in them that won't come out. Oh the pergola/gazebo is sadly off the to do list. I wanted to build it myself (like everything in the gardens) but it is too big of a project for me to tackle now that I'm in my 70s - mainly the up in the air on top of the rafters etc.

The stump will mostly come out as soon as I dig a bigger hole around it and get my chainsaw to start. Then I can quarter the stump from the top and cut the big roots off. It usually will come out in pieces then with a spud bar and some grunting.

nicholsworth - I agree with your assessment of the straight vs curved path. Curved paths are great if you are going around trees or boulders and disappear from site . On a flat area like this it just looks dumb. I did however find a blurb that showed how to get the illusion of a curved path from a straight one by the ingenious use of plants which I am already adding to my list of to dos!

Ikayet, you are awesome, and I don't use that word very often.

If you can find some pictures or videos of the Antique Rose Emporium nursery they had acreage planted with wonderful planting ideas all in a theme that mimics your site. They used to have several farm house the brought in to show plantings. I recall several picket fenced areas many paths and arches. It abounds in good ideas. I have not visited them in several years but even if they have altered the area I am sure pictures still exist. Good luck.

Wow what a fantastic area !! I’m so glad you shared photos so we can get an idea of your beautiful space !! I would go bananas with that Amount of space . Cottage plants , tucked in seating and random statues hiding to bring out a smile when you see it .. a bazillion roses and more. There is nothing you can’t do there !!! Please keep the photos coming!

I burn my stumps, working on 2 now. Stump grinding would be the fastest way to go. I like to start out doing things right and not be in a hurry. You have a fabulous space with so much potential! I adore boxwoods - if you can grow them in your climate, you could start with laying out the "bones" of the garden. I am going to include some shrubs in beds I am working on for some green interest. I can just see some beautiful climbers along that lovely picket fence! You can include some benches, birdbaths, concrete statuary for interest.......Right now, I am working on soil on some big beds. When I lay down the cardboard then compost on top then mulch on top of that to "cook" for a number of months, I am putting my potted roses on top of it in big pots - I can see what the colors look like and how they grow. I would do one section at a time - not worry about the rest. I find inspiration when its just me in the garden - I grab a chair and sit with a cocktail and just relax and observe. I jot down any ideas I have and have come up with some pretty good plans this way. Dont let yourself get overwhelmed. A garden is always a fluid work in progress. Have fun and post photos!

Thank you flowers for your compliment! I shouldn't have mentioned the gazebo because now my mind is back on it! I don't want anything formal or fancy just a rustic sort of small enclosure maybe 8' at the peak. I had the offer of one of those big old satellite dishes years ago but could never get my husband to help me drag it home. It's still laying there after 20 years and I think about it everytime I see it! I mentioned it to my husband again last night and all he did was roll his eyes and stare at me!

When you are in the country all this space is overwhelming and I have a tendency to set things too far apart and then it's difficult to bring it together. Hence why I am now stuck with the tasks of trying to pull things together with actual dedicated pathways.

I have tons of outdoor decorations that I never put out. I started a thread last year called "Are you a garden bling junky?" after making a list of all the stuff I had accumulated! Hopefully as things start to fill in they won't look so out of place and I can add them in.

Lilyfinch - I know you would have a blast and if you were doing it, by the end of summer my gardens would probably be all done and you would be bored looking for something else to do! LOL!

The way that I have been working on my yard has been a section at a time.

When we bought this house the backyard had 50 dead shrubs, blueberries raspberries, grapes and trees . What a mess. The fence was only held up by the dead brush so we had to replace that.

We spent the first three summers clearing the yard and putting in French drains, irrigation, a deck a fence and a lawn .

I didn't think that I would ever be able to plant anything lol

So when I finally got the go ahead I was overwhelmed with this huge space.

The only way that I could do it was a section at a time

Because areas of the yard have soil that even a pick can't break into I had my husband build me 4 boxes that are 4x4 x 4 and a raised planter 20 x 4

I am just now in year 6 finishing the last planter bed in the back yard and the last additions to the front

That was the only way that I could financially and physically do it

I have purchased and hauled enough soil to build my own island

Good luck to you on your pathways. Mine are still under debate but at least I have the majority of the plants in.

Kristine.."a section at a time" is the way that I work too..it's practical..I heard this on a gardening show.."little by little a bird builds it's nest"..only they said it in French which I can't do..what a lovely quote..

alameda..so true!..and birds probably don't change their minds..then undo and redo completed work like people do..pushing the finish line further away..Lol..

I have planted and replanted the same area a couple of times

me too..I'm glad our house came with some big stones..but we took it all apart and redid it..not ONE rock is in the same place :-)

I vote for curved and straight paths. For example, let’s say you have a loaded up wheelbarrow at the bottom center of your third picture. Just above the ‘I hope I get….’ , would you prefer a curved path leading to the far raised beds on the left or a straight one going towards the far fence on the right then a 90 path off that to the raised beds? I’ll lay you odds you would use the curved path… lol AND, yes a straight path would get you their quicker but do you really want it coming that close to your raised bed?

Off that curved path you could have another one going to the arbor, then a straight one to the back fence. Once through the arbor another curved path to the beds behind the new fence. Wild flowers planted along the paths would really set them off.

Another thing you may want to consider is to block people from viewing your whole garden from one spot. Block their view with structures or plants such that they have to walk into the garden to see what is there. Then continue to block their view such that they have to go even further to see more.

In your first picture instead of having a long open space why not add a feature/plant that is framed by the arch about 20 feet or so away. The path would curve around both sides of the feature. the feature could be a rose tree, water feature, bird house, what ever. You want it to draw their attention to see what is beyond it….

Have fun……

toolbelt..good information..I have both straight and curved paths and like both..one thing I should've said..most of my paths are wide..the narrow ones are short and not the important ones..a turn from a wide straight path can function like a curve..

toolbelt - good eye! As I look closely at my photos I can see my 'tracks' where I have been taking my wheelbarrow and garden cart to the raised beds and a curve in the path or an outbranch is definitely required there. I am going to use gravel in and branch off to mulch paths for now.

However I have become side tracked on that gazebo thing again and am going to temporarily lay out a base just in case I feel frisky and go for it this fall.

I want to get that lattice garden done but the weather won't cooperate. I started it late last summer and the last wood I bought was so wet I could barely lift it. I need to get the cap boards (now nice and dry in the shed) and finials (unfortunately discontinued and I am short) on the top and pull up the tarps to put in the center bed and the paths around it. I have deemed that my first priority since most of my bareroots and peonies, etc will go in there. I know I will be way behind because it will probably start raining everyday about the time all the plants arrive. I'm afraid I will have a lot of pots sitting around this summer which thrills hubby near comatose!

We have the never ending debate on walkways. When we moved in the paths were alli crushed granite. The was okay but has since been broken down in to the .soil.

Ideally we would love brick or pavers but my husband doesn't think that his knees are up to it anymore and the amount of paths that we have would take us forever to do.

We have a neighbor who has a cement business and poured us a parking pad so we could hire him to do stamped concrete but it would be about $ 5000. That would be the best solution. no more weeds but it would be so expensive

Bark is out because of the dogs and gravel is out because of the baby.

We are considering lawn but if you saw our lawn you would wonder why we
would even consider grass because it is so horrible.

Ikayetwvz5, I'm curious about the stumps with the spud bar. Do you just dig around the stump to get some room to work, 1/4 the top of the stump and then work from there? straightforward in that it's pry and cut roots? What's the biggest stump that you've worked with and about how long? I have some that have to be removed and burning is not an option. Thanks

I was just adding some tips to my "cleaning tips" list on my computer and reading through them - ran across one that said to get rid of stumps, drill holes in it, pour epsom salts in the holes, moisten the salts. Drill about 8" if stump is big. I have never tried this - I burn my stumps - light a bunch of charcoal brickettes, they will simmer and keep piling wood on there - takes a few days but very effective.

alameda - usually we hatch the top of the stump both directions with the chainsaw when it comes down. I think we did this to this one but the top notches have all been knocked off by hitting it with the lawnmower. I remember hubby painting it with florescent paint in the early days. Yes you can drill holes and I have heard use high nitrogen fertilizer like ammonia nitrate or a 30 N and cover with black plastic. Never heard the Epsom salts.

Linda G - if you can't burn or get a grinder then grunt work is all that's left. I haven't done a new stump, only ones that were older, the newest ones were 3 years old that I took out for my lattice garden. I have my redbud stump that I would like to remove the stump and roots so I could plant another tree because these bushes aren't cutting it for me. I am going to try the drilling with it because we never crosshatched this one. It's about 18" across at the top but the root line is of course much larger. It may take a year or two - I know it's never a quickly done thing.

Kristine - " I have purchased and hauled enough soil to build my own island" - isn't that the truth! Hubby is never thrilled with all the dirt I buy each year. But he doesn't complain too much as long as he isn't paying for it or has to handle it in any way. Although he did help me unload sand last year so I could get a second load in one day. Wowser! That was really appreciated! These pathways are becoming a real burr in my side. I started thinking this garden area with the lattice takes me about 20-30 minutes a week to mow and I will spend probably 2-3 hours weeding paths, even if I use crushed limestone which packs well. I have proof of how poorly that translates in a few years. Plus the cost of materials. But grass requires trimming and edging or it looks all ragged even if I just mowed.

lkayetwvz5, another suggestion is to build a fish pond. Using the dirt removed from the pond area to bank the raised beds so all you see is the top edge of the boards.

Have you laid out your plan on paper? If not do so then modify the paths such that you would always being looking at the ‘features’, be they another flower bed or a structure as you walked through the garden. In other words, stop worrying about betting from point A to point B when using the wheel barrow, worry about what one would see as you walked with them throughout your garden.

Remember, you are the artist and the roses are your paint……lol Have fun….