O, bravo. I know this dance rather too well...the optimistic laying out of beds which get overtaken by thugs...becoming more inaccessible and demoralising over the years. This is where selective vision becomes a gift. But still...as you say, available time has become...well, available and plant desires never go away. The infuriating part is having the time with diminished energy...but balanced with a lifetime of garden knowledge, reclaiming space is not so onerous (it is to be hoped as I am also clearing out an area which had been colonised by gigantic vicious roses (and conveniently obscured from view).

I will think of you when I am grappling with massive tree mallows, couchgrass and bindweed. Have you got plans or are you winging it?

I am going to a spring plant fair in a couple of weeks...and this is definitely lending my spade and arms a bit more urgency and optimism. Do post updates - I may need a fellow gardeners struggles and triumphs to spur this well-intentioned but basically idle gardener to keep at it.

Bon chance, SB.

wow, you've made fantastic progress! I've dug out large dense patches of ferns and other noxious things, so I know what back-breaking work it is. I had to research salmon berry -- it sounds tasty. :)

Quite the ambitious endeavor SB! The bed looks wide enough to create just about anything! What are your planting plans? Decorative borders or edibles?

" I had to research salmon berry -- it sounds tasty. :) "

Not really. They are kind of bland - a bit like an anemic raspberry but tarter. And like our non-native but ubiquitous Himalayan blackberry (which is delicious, btw), they form extensive colonies that can take over some serious real estate. Zero shelf life so you will never find them in the grocery. But attractive magenta flowers!

You're making great progress! I sometimes feel overwhelmed with the amount of work I have to do out there and things get neglected, but once I put my mind to it and get the job done I have such a satisfying sense of accomplishment.

I do have a plan of sorts. First get it cleared, then leave it for a week to see what weeds pop up and remove them, then top with a good layer of rich compost and then start planting. This spot is on the north side of the forest so gets about 3 hours of morning sun and then very shady the rest of the day. We have one macrophylla hydrangea in a spot that gets several hours of hot, mid day sun and it wilts. This will get moved into this bed. I'll get a few more hydrangeas and other shade loving shrubs for the back. I have several hosta, Epimediums, Podophylum, Brunnera, Astilbe, grasses, and some cornus canadensis. It's a large bed, some 80 feet long, so it will be years before it really fills in. Hopefully we can continue to add a bit here and there over the years. And of course regular weeding, :o)

SB - it’s going to be beautiful & floriferous!

I am so impressed, SB. You are an inspiration.

I completed the removal of the first layer of weeds and...gunk. :o) now for a few days of letting the ones I missed show their heads so I can lop them off.

This bed is one of two that are along the access road to our field. One on either side of the well house you see in the center behind the rock.

I worked on the one on the left last year, it looked very much like the one above. It was planted last year and is now in it's second year. Still a long ways to go to looking full, especially this early in the season as many plants are just emerging. The fence you see behind it is 8 feet tall to keep out the deer. It does not stop bunnies, of which we have many. I am not a fan of bunnies.

And this is the field they border. You can see just the corner of the bed I reclaimed last year on the left.

What a pretty piece of property you have SB. So lush and green.You mention adding Hydrangeas, hosta, astilbe so this sounds like a shade garden. Does the stretch have enough sun to add some rhodies & azalea for early spring color & and evergreens? Or camelia? I’m admiring all of those that are in full glory with their blooms around here in Vancouver area right now so it made me think of them. I’m a lover of dwarf conifers too & I have many in my front yard. They’d be great in the front of your beds.

@KW PNW Z8 Yes to all of those suggestions. I hadn't though of small conifers. Do you have a few recommendations for shade loving dwarfs?

I have always loved camelias, but for some reason this year is the first one we've planted. Will be looking for more.

I do love Hinoki - specifically yellow toned. That is, the new growth is strong yellow. Those do require sun to color up well but they also like protection from hot west sun. Cryptomeria is another kind with many kinds of texture & color. Do you know this site for plant selection for PNW? Great Plant Picks? Here’s link https://www.greatplantpicks.org/search/results

The list under the plant search Conifer is pretty good. I live under giant firs on the property behind my house & that’s why I love yellow toned plants - the brightness & contrast yellow creates. I also like Yews - both shrub / globular shape & taller fastigate. Much more interesting than the standard Hicks yew. The negative is poison berries but the Standishii fastigate yew doesn’t berry heavily.

I do know of the Great Plant Picks site and will give it a look. I also love variegated plants, Aucuba is one of my favorites, great for shady areas that need brightening year round.

I love Acuba & have a large one next to my greenish brownish color home on the north side. I had 3 & we took out the left & right ones in pic & left the middle one with the best color - it’s Mr. Goldstrike. This bed, though on North & against house, does get afternoon sun in summer. The yellow is brilliant in shade! I also took out hosta & replaced with Japanese Forest grass along front of the Acuba & I have ferns on left side - sword, tassel, another with interesting fronds & a couple hellebore. The one Acuba left has filled out nicely since the other 2 removed. They just needed too much pruning to keep to size in the confined space but the one left does great.

Somehow i missed official name for ”salmon berry”..and havent a clue.

the latin names

-off putting to some- are helpful when the common name just isnt enough to go by.

i rest my case.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_spectabilis

Next stage. Spread two yards of compost on the bed. Will probably till this in and spread another two yards. Will help make this bed a richer home for all the plants I have ready to go in.

I did find several hosta and an epimedium that somehow survived nearly 20 years of neglect. I am a bad plant daddy. :o)

Great redo SB!. You should feel rightly proud. I redid areas last year and will do more this year. When we have an older garden there are always beds that need. I often think how did that get away from me. Kudos to you!

I finished rototilling and re-topping with compost today. It's a reclaimed garden bed if I can keep it. Meaning I have to give it the love and attention it deserves.

I had planned to replant tomorrow, but instead I'm going to a protest to save our democracy. The bed can wait, our democracy cannot.

No Kings Day.

Good for you! I’m so happy to hear so many are participating in these peaceful protests. We must speak up!

Today was planting day. I've been accumulating plants for this since last year. I was fortunate enough to be able to go to an NPA members home, who was moving and her garden was going to be destroyed by the developer, and dig all kinds of plants. Those along with purchases this year were planted today.

The drunken soldiers.

Here are the additions to last years bed.

And this is the reclaimed bed.

I moved the hydrangea I spoke of above and two rhodies into this bed that were getting crowded by an aucuba.

Very happy with the way it is coming along.

It’s looking really great SB! All those pots! How’s your back & knees?😉 At least it was easy to dig the holes because of all the good soil prep you did. I hope you’ll post a picture in late July or so. The garden will be stunning.

My back and knees are feeling it, but doing ok after a beer or two. :o)

I was surprised at how many plants I'd accumulated and didn't realize it until I'd finished and looked back at the pot carnage. I will sleep good tonight.

I'm really pleased by the variety of colors and textures and look forward to the years to come.

I still have over 100 plants to get in the ground between the lily bulbs, dahlias, sun flowers and pumpkins I have yet to plant. So far it's been a very busy and productive year. I'm having a good time.

Fabulous! The prep is the necessary and hardest part but I find it super satisfying. Planting is the fun and equally satisfying icing on the cake. What a great job you have done!

Loving the edging, SB. Well done you (speaking as another bed claimer who is still at the onerous prepping stage but generally happy to dither ).

Generally I really like the work of gardening. It can be hard, but it's good exercise and that is good for me. Weeding can sometimes be a tedious chore, once I get into the rhythm it's fine. And then a bird sings and a bee buzzes by and I feel so fortunate to be in a garden. And of course at the end of the day I get to wander around and enjoy the result. It's the most satisfying work of my life.

The edging are field rocks recovered from when we had this cleared. The contractor doing the clearing asked if I wanted him to bury them, and I said oh no just pile them up. Some were so large only a machine could move them and have been used to build rockeries behind our house, the others I've used as edging all over the place. I know that many do not like rock borders, I have mixed thoughts on that, but do like the way they delineate the edge. This many years along they can look a bit like crooked teeth. o:)

SB, the feelings and emotions that arise when working at gardening, and that you so eloquently described, represent ”Peace and Calm” for me. That’s a hard to find feeling in today’s world. It’s a wonderful experience to be able to appreciate the wildlife passing through and taking advantage of the haven you’re creating for them.

Your great use of the field rocks dug up around your property is perfect. There’s no downside to displaying them as ornamental items such as fences & borders. We have interesting and large rocks that my DH dug up while digging holes for plants around our small urban yard. We call them our dinosaur eggs & some are as large as a couple of 20 lb turkeys! They are strategically displayed in various planting beds & DH loves to point out what he dug up 😊. Here in Vancouver we are at the end of the great Columbia Gorge so our soil is filled with rocks that swept through eons ago.

Wow! That is one great giant egg! And look at the nest it’s sitting in! 🤣 Idea - do you know what Japanese Forest Grass is? Wouldn’t it look cool to have that huge boulder sitting in a circle of that arching yellow grass? And, somewhere a small dinosaur must exist that would complete the arrangement….. just an idea.

@KW PNW Z8 Funny you should mention Japanese forest grass as I bought 6 for the new bed. Mentioned this idea to my wife and she loved it. Will make that happen some time this year.

Thanks for a great idea.

Very cool SB! I think that will make a really interesting architechtural feature on your property! One of those things I call ’happy accidents’. You know, as when the tiny tree that should max at 8’ & that you planted in an appropriate spot turns into a 15’ spectacular show that’s in exactly the right spot after all! This tree is my happy accident. A $10 stick of a tree I had in a pot, decided was too blah to be alone in a pot but couldn’t bear to toss something that was alive. I stuck it in the middle of this narrow & sloped bed @ 8 years ago & holy cow!