My apologies for the photo bloated post. I'm trying to show as much as I can, but may have gone a bit overboard!

And, here are a couple of the spindly roses I mentioned. As you can see, their spindly appearance doesn't seem to be keeping them from blooming.

What a fun project! Pruning is my favorite part of gardening so that’s what I’d do first. Judicious pruning of trees snd shrubs to reveal just what you have. FWIW I like the gate and arbor their current natural state. Where are you located?

Which direction does the house face? Is it possible they are not getting enough sun?

ETA I meant the roses

Oh wow! You weren’t kidding. I love the mix of textures and colors - it’s too bad it seems out of control now, but it can be whipped back into shape. Does the arbor itself need attention like paint or repair?

Thanks for the quick responses!

We will be located in N. California near the Oregon border where the weather is a typical coastal climate of morning fog and mist and a mix of sun and clouds in the afternoons, although this area seems to be becoming more and more sunny and less and less cloudy. High summer temps tend to be in the high 60's to low 70's with winter temps dropping into the 40's and 50's.

The house faces east, so the roses get morning sun.

The fence and the arbor are solid and in good shape. I want to paint it to protect the wood from the elements, but since some of you like the natural state, perhaps I should go with a more earthy, natural color instead of white. I'll have to give that some thought.

Yes, I think it'll be a fun project too and can't wait to get started! To me, there is a kind of cottage garden feel to it that I love and I think a lot of time and thought went in to it, so I will do my best to take good care of those beautiful plants.

Christopher makes an excellent suggestion to track down the gardener!

That garden is gorgeous -- don't be to quick too heavily prune or yank. Water it until the rains return. You can cut back the perennials when they're done for the season (although I leave mine until Spring), cut out any dead/dying branches, and make sure the pathways are clear. Then put down the pruners for awhile.

Someone put a lot of thought and love into that garden. See how it looks this Fall and Winter, and what blooms next Spring. Take pictures. Take your time identifying each plant and learn about it's growth habit. Eventually you may want to remove some plants that are crowding out the stars of the garden, but take your time. It might be worth it to hire a professional landscape designer for a long-term plan. Enjoy your new garden!

P.S. If you're new to the area check out Great Plant Picks -- a wonderful website. And get a copy of the Sunset Western Garden book -- the gardening bible of the West.

Does anybody recognize the blue flowered perennial, big one to the left of walk and probably a seedling in front of the mailbox with the Chamaecyparis? Salvia? Verbena more likely? I want some.

Christopher C Nc- Could it be Russian sage?

It has a Russian sage vibe, but it's not that.

Thank you, Christopher and einportlandor, for your very kind comments and helpful advice.

It hadn't occurred to me to try and track down the person/company who designed the garden. That is a great idea and I will see what I can find out.

Based on what everyone has said, I think the first thing I will do after we close on the house is to give the garden a good watering. There is an automatic watering system in the garden, but it was turned off when the owner moved out, which is why the plants are looking thirsty. Next, I will do some light pruning and trimming and then I'll just leave it be and see what pops up in the spring and summer and go from there.

as some of the others said..please leave the natural shapes and fullness of your new plants..it's common in Indianapolis to overprune..I hate it..flat tops, meatballs, stubby branches etc..it's so ugly and unnatural..enjoy your beautiful plants..

I would wait about doing too much heavy pruning, especially in the shrubs. Some may be early flowering shrubs and you would be pruning off next years blooms if you do it now. Waiting through the winter to see what you have won’t hurt. A light pruning won’t hurt for the perennials once they have peaked. And if you need to clean up your entry path a little, it would be fine to trim a few things.

It’s a lovely garden and house. Good luck with your move!

Does anybody recognize the blue flowered perennial

Linaria purpurea, a reseeding nuisance plant - the bluish tufts all over the otherwise bare bed area left of the walk in the same shot are the same thing

Well drats. The size and still upright growth of the Linaria purpurea on the left of the walk had me thinking it was something else. It is a rather floppy plant here. It's a wonder the Linaria hasn't already followed me home.

Just seconding the Lunaria id.

L i naria yes. Not L u naria. The LUnaria has followed me home.

Sorry. Fat fingers slipping from i to u. I do know the difference.

nicholsworth, I will definitely keep your advice in mind. I much prefer plants that have been left to their natural shape to those that have been trimmed into unnatural shapes. Of course, there are exceptions such as formal gardens, but I love the look of a garden that's been allowed to do it's own thing, as long as it doesn't get completely out of control!

Thank you, Outside Playing, both for the garden advice and the well wishes. I was already leaning towards giving this garden a full year before I did anything drastic to it and the advice given on this thread has confirmed to me that is the right way to go.

It sounds like I should keep any eye on the linaria lest it start taking over.

Speaking of lunaria, the seed pods make interesting jewelry - these have been preserved in resin to protect the fragile pods:

DawnInCal..I admire formal "old world" gardens..the pruning in such a garden is different than the pruning I see by overzealous landscapers..I do clip and prune..but I'm careful..you can always take off a bit more but if you take too much there's nothing you can do..

I hear you, nicholsworth.

I've been a wannabe gardener all of my adult life, but have never really had the time, skill or location to have a garden. Now that I'm going to be fortunate enough to be the caretaker of this beautiful garden, I don't want to do anything to harm it. I'm listening and taking in all of the advice and comments that have been posted to this thread. I have some basic knowledge, but honestly, I have so much to learn!

I wonder - are there forums here at GW/Houzz that I should be visiting to help me do my best by the garden?

DawnInCal..yes there's lots of forums..scroll through all of the topics..there's lots of helpful information..I think better safe than sorry is the best approach..the longer you live there you'll realize what you love and what you want to change..

DawnIncal, what an amazing property to own! I love the fullness every where! I second what pretty much people have said. Maybe some mild pruning at the entryway would good for now and most things can wait until spring. I love the arbor and gate at your entryway and also love the mailbox color.

As Nicholsworth said, there are many forums to choose from.A couple to start with, Perennials and gardening. Their are others on roses, shade gardening (if you have any) trees, flowers......many to choose from. I wish you luck and please keep us posted when spring comes.

debra

Thank you, Nicholsworth and djacobz for your advice. With winter approaching I should have plenty of time to explore some of the gardening forums and educate myself.

djacobz, thank you for your kind words. It really is an amazing property and the moment I saw it I felt like I had come home. Can't wait to see what the garden does as the seasons change! :-)

OMG I love those photos of that darling little secret cottage- I wouldn't touch a thing in that garden, and I'd stay hidden in the privacy from that very close road. Thanks for sharing those inspiring photos!

Thank you, Sue! You guys have convinced me that my most important job is to simply maintain the garden pretty much as it is!

The beauty of that road is that it's a dead end lane that is shared with just five other houses. The entrance is surrounded by big redwood trees so that's hard to even tell there is a road unless one knows it is there. It's another one of the things that drew us to the property. :-)

Gardens are not cast in stone. They are living and ever changing. It is ok for you to make changes as needed and that suit your wants and needs. Because you will hopefully have such a well designed and well adapted to your climate garden soon, there is not likely to be a need to rip everything out and start over unless you have some major construction plans. You will never have to be gardenless with such a beginning.

This is a garden for you to grow into and refine, a garden to make your own. A new loving eye in an older garden is a good thing.

Excellent points, Christopher. I especially take your last paragraph to heart. I think my task here is to find balance between maintaining and caring for this beautiful garden while adding my own touches that reflect my likes and tastes and keeping it all in harmony.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the garden reveals to me in the spring and summer while we get to know each other. There is no hurry to make changes or additions; I will take my time while enjoying what is already there.