Lavender Lass, I have found that it's been one experiment after another. I have an idea of what I think is going to work and how it will look, but I have been surprised to find I've been unhappy with the results often enough to be frustrated for a few years there. Right now, I am happy with a few areas in the garden, but I have more plans for redo-ing other areas too.

I've resigned myself to the fact, that I like to try out an idea and it's really an uncertainty about whether it is going to work out or not. But I'd rather experiment and try it and have to change it, then not allow my ideas to develop. I keep learning something with each surprise disappointment and when I finally end up with something I really like, it really makes me very happy.

I have a small garden though. You have a large property, so I guess if you are going to try out an idea, you might want to try it out in a small section and see if you like it first before committing to a large area.

When I look out at my giant patch of over grown, 10' long nasturtiums that have taken over everything, I certainly think to myself, "what the heck were you doing?!?!?!"

Years ago the most questionable thing I did was to see a picture in a catalogue of a planting of Eupatorium and euphorbia(this was a lovely white blooming thing that was probably the one sold in our nursery now as a pot filler). Well when I got the Eupatorium and found it was Joe Pye Weed that I could have gotten from any ditch I was embarassed! It grew to be 10 ft. tall when the catalogue said 5 ft. and had to be moved(to the far corners of the property! I noticed with the wave of natural planting the the nursery has it this year and they have a smaller variety. ( I'm not falling for that again!)
roseberri

This year my garden has so many "what was I thinking" plantings that the better question might be "was I thinking at all". Oh well, there's always next year.

Totally Confused

LL, i think roses will look fantastic near that arbor!
I have one area that didnt perform well, and i think its the soil. Things seem like they didnt really grow or bloom much. So next spring ill add manure and hope for the best!
Also i let a pokeberry weed grow for the mockingbird that hangs out near it in the winter. It seriously is 8 x 8 and my dogs are covered in purple spots from the ripe berries falling and the dogs playing near it! Whoops! next year ill keep it under control. If it dosnt eat my house first!

As I've mentioned previously we began a garden renovation last year and continued this year. Early in the spring I moved the path from the patio thru a wide bed to the lawn. I had pruned an unruly vine maple and put the path right beside it. WHAT WAS I THINKING!!! *rolleyes* Of course the vine maple did really well after the pruning and I've been pushing it out of the way every time I walk there. So next spring I will *again* be moving that path but it will mean moving quite a few perennials to do so. I'll post a pic showing my lack of planning on another thread with my fall garden pics.

I had some parsnip overwinter. They were still small so I let them grow and planted tomatoes in the bare spots and planted onion sets where I could fit them in. Parsnips are huge plants when they are going to seed. What the parsnip didn't fill the tomatoes did, shaded by the parsnips. I don't mind crowding; but, this was ridiculous.

Well, I was thinking that I would easily be able to control the perennial morning glory, because it is so far away from any source of water. I didn't know it would "walk" over to the water and set roots down there. And everywhere else, including in my neighbor's yard, and he thinks it is so pretty he will not trim it back. Oh-oh.
Renee