I haven't posted much lately, but I'm still around. I check in most days to see what's going on. It seems a lot who used to post here have moved on for one reason or another, I hope they know they're missed.
Every weekend 4 or 5 of us are over on the conversation side for trivia, at times it's a riot of laughs, especially when you don't know the answers and make something up.

As far as gardening goes, it's pretty much finished for the season other than I'm still shelling and storing the heirloom beans I grew this year, and of course there's my newest addiction succulents, been busy putting them to bed in the greenhouse for the winter. If it would just dry up a bit I'd be more inclined to go out and rake some leaves.

This year I had a mixed bag in one of my beds, veggies mixed in with the flowers, I quite liked it and plan on doing more of this next year.
After our family had grown and left the nest I stopped veggie gardening and turned to flowers and now it seems I'm swinging back to veggies but this time round mostly I'm planting mostly heirloom varieties.

Annette

I haven't posted much in like the last year or two simply because I haven't had much cottage garden news to post about, I guess. The heat and on/off again drought over the last 5-6 years has had me a bit frustrated about trying to grow so many things. I'm working on finding ways to sustain it all. Just that those things (like capturing water) are constant work in themselves.
I haven't taken many photos because I've had a crack house next to me for the last year and a half. That's slowing down, but it's not been very attractive (nor given me a desire to be outside for long periods of time). Now one of the residents there stares at me. Have you ever been stared at 24/7? Gives me the WILLIES!
So slowly, very slowly with lots of thought are we making changes. With some hired help there has been a wide, trench dug (neighbor also took down all her gutters, this causes me massive water problems during rains. Water comes against my house now causing interior moisture and flooding) and filled it with the sticks and branches of yet another tree we had to have cut down in the spring (see my frustration, above). Slowly we have filled that area in with wood chips and compost in layers and now soil goes on top. It should carry rain through it be an automatic deep soil waterer for many years to come! Next a nice hedge of large evergreen shrubs is going in. FAST GROWING :) I'm even thinking of adding another smallish, narrowish tree to that side of the garden and removing a boxwood (that looks like it's dying anyway). I plan to add more shrubs in some of the small flower areas that aren't doing so well due to drought and hot sun...and cutting down a few more small trees that have died due to drought stress.
We expanded the garden next door last year and this year, and this year it took off and was GORGEOUS. I bought some sort of a hibiscus on eBay 3 years ago. It said it was plum colored. I have no idea what on earth it is, but the thing grows quite low, has reddish tinges on the leaves and has become MASSIVE! The size is incredible! It NEVER STOPS FLOWERING from about June-October. Just trim it back, it flowers again! Amazing! I've been re-working the foundation area there a bit, it seems that 9 Bark are now struggling here and mine died. Replacing it with a narrow evergreen and a reddish/burgundy clematis for the salvaged arbor the handiman put up for me on Friday. Also working in the back behind the house planting here and there...reworking winter containers, thinking about ordering seeds...dreaming of new seed catalogs. I googled new plant introductions for 2013 but didn't find anything much yet!
Like Annette, most of my real, heavy duty garden chores are veggie oriented since we rarely buy a vegetable, and now are beginning to enjoy our own fruit.

Annette and GGG, so glad to see you both! I must admit that I am guilty of not posting a lot. But my gardens are not changing all that much any more. They are pretty much complete and now it is just maintenance. I don't want to bore everyone with the "same old...same old" stuff. I do stop by almost every day though to see what is new. It just saddens me that so many have moved on. I feel like I have lost friends.

Annette, I do pop in on the conversation side, but I have never been very good at trivia! :-) So I just read and enjoy! Sounds like you are enjoying a new found love of heirloom veggies. I have never gotten into vegetable gardening as with my DH gone so much and the kids grown, it is only me most of the time. Also I lost the veggie garden area when we built the garage and put in the driveway several years ago.

GGG, yes with neighbors like yours, I doubt I would want to spend a lot of time out in my yard either. Hopefully they will move on soon? My goodness, you have really been busy in your yard. I knew you had water/grade problems and it sounds like you are getting some solutions in place. Has the drought gotten better this year? We were quite dry this year and my water bill sure showed that this fall. I basically watered to maintain and keep alive, and the floral display or lack of showed that. I am looking forward to retiring within the next few years and hopefully will be able to enjoy the gardens more then. Sadly this year they were more of a chore than an enjoyment to maintain.

I still check in occasionally but this has been a very different year for me and my garden. First of all I've been very busy renovating my ~14 year old garden that had become very overrun with weeds and self-seeders. After a lot of work all summer and a lot of mulch the weeds are mostly under control but I still need to move many more plants and redesign several areas. This will be done next spring. I also had computer problems and have had a steep learning curve with uploading and posting pics with my new one. I didn't take many pics because of that and because most plants that are photograph-worthy don't change much from year to year. I'll have a look and see if I have anything to post.

luckygal, that would be great! I am looking at getting a new computer as well, but not really looking forward to it. Mine is an "old friend" as it is 11 years old! But still pretty much does what I need it to do. Just afraid that one of these days it is going to die!

I know just what you mean about change, it seems that what I have posted in the past is the same again the next year! Therefore I haven't taken as many pictures the past year or two either. I will look through mine too and see if I can find something different to post as well!

The pictures I've taken this year are not very cottagey but will come up with something with DH's help (I only know how to post one picture at a time) in the meantime here's a link to my garden which some of you might not of seen. Not much has changed with the exception of the weeds :(. This is why I have named my garden 'Dancin' with weeds'.

Annette

Here is a link that might be useful: My Garden a couple of years ago

I always check to see what everyone posts, but since mine is not a cottage garden really, I mostly lurk-except for trivia on the weekend on the conversation side!

Annette, I am always completely enthralled by your gardens. What especially caught my eye this time was your magnificent rhododendrons. Now that we fenced of the area behind the garage, I have been toying with the idea of adding one or two rhodies there. I already have an oakleaf hydrangea that I planted in September and which the dogs have not yet destroyed (the azalea and Endless Summer Hydrangea are history, sadly, as are most of the ferns and hosta). Yours are perfect. Is it your location or anything special you do? I would love to be successful, but some of the others I planted are really struggling.

" I must admit that I am guilty of not posting a lot. But my gardens are not changing all that much any more. They are pretty much complete and now it is just maintenance. I don't want to bore everyone with the "same old...same old" stuff. "

Pretty much says how I feel mary lu. I check in here most days tho. Season has ground to a halt, I thought I'd cut things back this Fall but somehow haven't done so. Probably wait until Spring like I normally do. And it doesn't seem time yet to mulch, even tho it's nearing the end of November. No planting of bulbs to speak of either. I do have some building projects I want to tackle next summer so I'll be dreaming and planning those over the winter - and saving up some money if possible.

Just so you and mary lu know, schoolhouse, your gardens are never boring to me. I can't tell all of you how much I enjoy and am inspired by all your gardens. Mine never quite achieve the dream that I have of what the garden should be, so I do look to yours to help me tweak my vision. Thank you all and please don't stop posting your pictures of established gardens. They are a joy no matter how often we see them!

We've been lucky, drought in my section of ATL is less than others. We've been putting in water collection tanks all around the house, but frankly, they are a lot of work to maintain and keep up. You trade money you save for time and effort of maintenance. That said, then (as I would tell clients) you have to save work and water some other way too, so I'm adding more shrubbery I just made a long list of things to go get this week. The nursery is two miles away, and I have to ride everything home up hill. I'm hoping they won't mind dropping some stuff off on their way home someday :) They have trucks! Who knows how long the neighbors will be around for. If the house next to that goes on the market (bank owned) my friends are buying it straight away to renovate (total overhaul) and move in. That will be the happiest day for us all! They won't put up with nonsense next door.

Annette, your gardens are so very pretty. I did a quick look through but will go back and spend more time slowly going through all of the pics.

Schoolhouse, I did do some fall clean up, but most is left until spring here too. I usually do not plant spring bulbs as I do not like the look of the foliage after bloom. However this year my sister gifted me with daffodil bulbs and even helped me plant them. So what could I say but "thank you"!

cyn, I think every gardener has a vision that is never quite attained. I know I do. Each year I do rearranging and taking out and adding.

GGG, that is right, I had forgotten that you ride your bike back and forth. Oh my, that would make it difficult to purchase large amounts of plants. For me especially as I am pretty wobbly on a bike! I will keep my fingers crossed that your friends get the house near you. That would be great!

I check in here probably once a week, but I rarely post any more. Not just on this forum but on GW altogether. I wouldn't say I am less interested in gardening, but like someone else said, how many times can I talk about my garden, or the way I do this, that, or the other, without sounding like a broken record. (g)

I've also been spending more time on indoor projects and catching up on things non gardening. I have neglected my garden more this year and it isn't easy keeping up with what I have, so not starting any exciting new garden projects either. And dry weather has made it harder to garden too, which dampens my enthusiasm to expand anything.

I think if I could catch up on other things, I could get enthusiastic about the garden again. Maybe after the holidays, we will all be itching to talk gardening again. Around February, no matter what, I still get excited that SPRING is almost here!

well I've been busy with my knitting and attending to my grade fiver and I've been enjoying facebook.

Thank You ALL for the update! I aspire to have a cottage garden and enjoy ALL and ANY pics you post of your lovely established gardens!!! I just put in a new rhodo bed after seeing Aftermidnight's lovely garden!!! Oh, that lovely clematis she posted pics of...wow!!! It is a sunny day today...gonna get out there and shut down some of the irrigation before it starts to do any harsh freezing. I will be researching how to overwinter my brugs/fushias/gerainiums...and by researching I mean kidnapping Aftermidnight and bribing her with lunch...heh heh! ;-)

I follow and post on a number of the forums and they all have slowed down considerably. I wonder if people are becoming more involved with the other online social networks, so they don't turn to Gardenweb as often as they used to. I know I check in every day, just to get connected in some way. I certainly would never find any pictures of stories of gardening boring. I wouldn't even mind updates on people's lives/work/families, though I know that is not the purpose of these forums. I like the somewhat slower pace of these forums compared to how the others seem. I have enough trouble keeping up with my work e-mail without trying to keep up with hundreds of "friends" on Facebook.

I'll try to improve my photo posting skills. It really is more fun to read posts that include pictures, no matter how beautiful or ugly. They just contribute to the enjoyment. And it's nice to know what each of us is talking about when we describe our gardens. Don't anyone think that anything they have to say will be considered boring. Please continue to post away!

Martha

I just recently (finally!) got my plants into the ground. They've been on my porch all summer and most of the fall...waiting for a new bed. My husband got sick this summer and has been in the hospital for quite a while. He's finally moved on to physical rehab (thank goodness) and is doing well. Thanks to my brother and mom, we finally got my plants in and they look wonderful! But, now they're little sticks and not much to see in a picture. I will take pictures next spring, though.

I was so upset about everything this summer, I kept buying clearance plants. Talk about an addict! They were all small, unwanted, not always well-watered, little plants...and they all made it through the summer and into the ground. I had so many, we actually filled the front bed and had to dig another bed, on the side of the front yard. My mom was just amazed that it looked so good, from such a rag-tag little group of plants (LOL)

I hope everyone is having a safe, healthy and happy holiday season! Take care and have a wonderful winter...and get a little rest. We'll need it, once spring is here :)

Wonderful to see so many faces ! I haven't been here as I have nothing much to share about gardening. As GGG says the drought has persisted for years. It first began here in Central AL the Spring of 2007. It has not abated since then and in our area is still considered historic as far as how bad things are.

I have lost literally 1000's of dollars in plants in these years. My optimism would come forth and I would plant and mulch and water and feed. Mostly for naught. I have also been gone for months at a time during prime drought/growing seasons on my bike tours so the garden has suffered .

I have saved all of my roses although they look bedraggled. We had a lot of work done around the pool area...our walled garden , due to the deterioration of the stucco. While the work was wonderfully done they destroyed a lot of my roses and clematis. I put compost and mulch after I cleaned out all the debris and will see what is left in the Spring.

In the back the tree roots have been declared the winners. Although I have done everything that was suggested it isn't possible to compete with the roots. It requires a mattock to even dig a small hole and then the plants only last one season before all the life is sucked from them. I have not planted anything new back there and won't ever again. Pots only from now on.

Pots require someone to be in residence to water and feed. I will not be going on anymore tours as I don't want to leave DH for months at a time. It was great while it lasted but also a strain.

On to less depressing things !! I am attaching a slideshow I made the other day of light and shadow. You can see my trees through the lace curtains. I have wonderful light and my windows in this old house are so beautiful. I am in the process of looking at Zen garden ideas and am thinking of removing almost all plants and having rocks and mulch only in many places. I will also be getting an electric leaf vacuum so I can maintain more easily the beds under the trees.

Spring will bring new found energy. I know I can always come to this forum and see such amazing beauty . I can also look at my albums from years past and remember the joy I had even though it was brief. All things change and my garden and I will survive. c

Here is a link that might be useful: light and shadow...a study

I have a look in quite often but there's nothing much to contribute. It's soggy and gloomy out there. Rain, rain and then more rain. Just got the last tulips into containers but the main jobs are on the allotment: clearing up the old plants, getting the mulch and muck down, keeping the brassicas picked, checking the anti pigeon defences and keeping the compost heap fed.

Just to keep you in the cottage mood here's one in Dorset with Garrya elliptica - taken at the end of October.

I wonder if anyone here is also pinteresting. I am guilty of having spent hours on this website just pinning all kinds of garden designs and gardening ideas to my board.

Hi everyone! I still read things every week or two and love looking at pictures people post. I moved to the Nashville area in August so my garden is now four roses in pots ( which they aren't happy about! ). I plan on planting a little in the spring but we are renting so not too much. I really miss my old garden and wish I could get some more of my roses here but i guess I have to let go , right? :)
Ianna, I love pintrest ! Some great garden ideas there. I save all kinds of pics for future use!

It is so nice to see so many of you posting. Guess a lot of the "old timers" have started lurking more and posting less. And yes, there are so many other places now-a-days to socialize and post compared to back when I started on this forum. However, GW Cottage Gardens draws me back again and again. Kind of like family.

Another one - taken in Cornwall on January 2nd last year.

ohhhhhh...flora, LOVE that one!

I stop in but hardly anything goes on here. I will say that is the case with most of the forums I go to, even those with regular posts, it's nothing compared to what it use to be.
Cher

Guilty as charged, for not posting. Like GGG, I have become frustrated due to the drought.
I have lost interest in gardening for physical reasons. This old body can't do much liftin' totin' or diggin' any more.

I'm still here as well. Most of my gardening this year was in rows for growing cut flowers that I sell at our local farmers' market. Not very cottagey, so, although I've taken a fair number of pictures, I haven't posted much of anything here.

I've decided to quit growing for market and have picked up a few books on garden design to help me plan some new spaces for next year. With any luck I'll have something fresh (not necessarily good) to show in the spring and summer. An herb garden is in the works, and I have a corner cottage garden that needs a stern rearranging.

It's good to see who all is still checking in.

ThinMan

I still come here but not regularly...I moved to a new house in the country with lots of land (3 acres) and no garden so I've been planting trees and shrubs and trying to figure out the soil here.

Anicee

Cher, I am hoping many of the cottage gardeners still stop by, even if they don't post often. Also hoping they will say "hi" and add what they have been up to.

plantmaven, I know exactly what you mean. Does seem like the older you get the harder it is to move! Especially when you first get up in the morning...

ThinMan, good to "see" you. Hope you are well? Look forward to hearing what you will do with your gardens this coming summer. Is growing to sell getting to be too much work, or did the flowers not sell well at market?

Anicee, sounds like you have quite a project a head of you. That is a lot of land. Is it all open, or is some wooded? You are starting in the right place, getting to know your soil and planting the large plants.

Hi, Mari Lu. The flowers were selling really well, but I got to the point this year where I was just spending too much time with all that goes into growing and selling them. By the end of the summer I hadn't ridden my bike or gone fishing even once. It was time for a second retirement.

Thanks a lot for asking.

TM

TM, yes I agree it sounds like you are ready for a 2nd retirement. Shouldn't have to work that hard and not play when you are retired. I saw the picture you posted of your market garden and it did look like a whole lot of work! Glad you decided to take time to relax a little more and enjoy life! My DH is forever whispering "fishing" in my ear when we are working in the yard. Think he is hinting at something? :-)

Reading this... Smiles!