I spent last night pouring through a stack of gardening books checked out from the library and I still don't get it. How in the heck does one pick plants? I keep looking for a photo of the perfect garden that I could use as an example. Like a photo of the perfect haircut. I can't find anything! I guess I don't know what I'm looking for but I feel like I'll know it when I see it. Everything I like is giant, grand, huge scale stuff that makes no sense for the front and backyard of a small ranch house. I want something modern but not stark, something sort of architectural (??) but on a small scale. What I want is something clever. And cheap. Something setting us apart from the standard suburban yard landscaping but without getting all Edward Scissorhands. Actually, maybe we should rent that movie.
This is what we've got so far: newly defined beds, new teeny tiny shurbs and some giant purple allium in the front and in the back, a bed defined for a shade garden and then the rest of the back yard is bordered with arborvitae that are supposed to grow together into some sort of privacy wall and some new hydrangeas (can't wait for these to bloom!!). What I want to do is fill it in as fully and quickly as possible with the perfect mix of perennials. I cannot get behind annuals. All that planting and then they don't come back? What the heck.
A spot for a shade garden in the back.
I've been to about a hundred plant sales already this Spring and have bought some pretty random things: dark purple coral bells, japanese ferns, a few super soft fuzzy snow mound things that I could not resist and some annuals for Oscar's side of the driveway garden. Oh, and Oscar and I ran around and planted seeds in the rain one day so we might get some morning glories on the fence (my packet) or sunflowers growing in the middle of the lawn (oscar's packet). I'm going out again this weekend and am determined to come up with some sort of plan before then.
All this to ask.. any gardeners out there? Any advice would be so greatly appreciated!! favorite gardening sites? books? I'm so new to all this. My Mom says I'm just being impatient and I should add a few things a year and see what I like, etc etc. She's right of course but I don't care. I've waited all these years for a yard of my own. I used up all my patience!
