Howdy neighbors! I'm a newbie here and to gardening. I'm in Henry county where my garden just got pounded by quarter sized hail tues. night. Hope it recovers...look forward to learning alot on this forum as I have already from lurking the past month

Hey....Im in Mableton, Cobb County....been here for 2 years! Im slowly transforming my entire landscaping....will post pics soon....still have a long way to go!!!

Westender,

I'm sorry I haven't responded to your post sooner; I just now saw it. I think the Old Timey Seed Swap would be wonderful! I'll try to remember it and see if I can get over that way. Please post on here to remind me or anyone else about it...in April...I do good to remember what I had for breakfast, much less remember something that is going to happen several months from now! HA! :)

Thanks!
Beverly

kingturtle,
I havn't found any "wonderful" book on historical hort as of yet. I just went with the Hort. Dept. at UGA to Europe to visit the Gardens there (Ireland, England and Scotland). I did find a few books in England on historical gardening. They are, however, garden specific. For example, I got the "Apothecaries' Garden" which is the history of the Chelsea Physic Garden. I'm hoping to maybe go into historical hort, and UGA is probably the best place to do it.

My husband and I moved to SSI 3 years ago from our 4 acre homesite in Montgomery County, just to the west of Vidalia, GA. My family is in the Atlanta area, and we all swap plants. I often smile when my mom or sister's contributions come in pots of Georgia red clay (with amendments of course), as they must do when I give them pots of sandy sandy soil. We don't have the clay here, but other soil issues.

Our scaled-down garden here includes tomatoes, peppers, squash, roses, hydrangeas, lots of hibiscus, as well as some tropicals. We are hoping to move most of the azaleas along the foundation of the house to the back yard along the shaded banks of the creek, but that is a work in progress. The few we have moved were beautiful this spring under the trees along the creek. Our front yard is primarily sunny, while our back yard is part sun/shade. I have become more and more intrigued with Georgia native plants. We are blessed to have several gorgeous old live oaks which provide much needed shade. I can't take my eyes off of the beautiful oaks.

I have lurked on this site for several years, and I am constantly picking up ideas and advice from all of you. Thanks to you all.

Hi, I'm Mike. I teach. When school's in session, school & family take up so much time, there's only a little left over for gardening and practically none for keeping up with this forum. We also take a long vacation in the summer which limits gardening time, too.

About 4.5 years ago we moved from a new subdivision in Rockdale Co. to a 1950's subdivision in Newton Co. The previous owner had been an avid gardener, but had been sick the last decade or so of his life. We inherited a wonderfully structured garden that had gone to ruin.

In the back, underneath very scary-tall pine trees: A huge bed of hydrangeas (40' x 25') that is still stunning, even though I'm not that fond of hydrangeas. Lots of azaleas, some of which have/had died; if you wanted to see an azalea over 12' high, I'm afraid it's too late -- it died in last summer's drought while we were away. Lots of camelias 10'-15' high. A 50' row of forsythia I only discovered last year, when it bloomed finally. A long border of hostas. Several mature flowering fruit tree, some showing signs of stress. All covered with a blanket of English Ivy, punctuated with lots of privet, eleagnus, etc.

In the front: The pine trees had been taken down sometime after his wife died. The stumps are still caving in. Some roses had been planted too close to a leyland cypress screen. They now grow under the cypress and produce half a dozen beautiful blooms each year. There's also a group of roses with clusters of small white flowers than has tip rooted and taken over 12' x 12' triangle. In the spring, it's covered with around 50,000 blossoms!

The first year or so was devoted the interior of the house: new floors (wood/tile), redid the kitchen -- by yours truly, with help from family from time to time. We planted a tree (gingko) for my daughter in the front by the road. Also observing the garden.

The next year and a half was spent taking out privet, ivy, etc. Still a lot of ivy left. Since we avoid pesticides, it's meant pulling and digging. I started an herb garden in one corner in the front.

Last year, I started a native-plant garden (part sun/shade) in the spring. Some antique roses, lots of bulbs, and some daylilies in the fall.

More natives this spring. Built a low 35' retaining wall in the front to frame a sun garden between the wall and the house. Plan to put in more antique rose, natives, and bulbs this fall.

Elements of my gardening style: I have no confidence with large-scale design. I prefer putting in a plants little by little and see how they do. Roots are the most important part of the plant: I put a lot of effort into soil prep & drainage. In a drought, plants should survive, not necessarily look pretty. Swelling buds in spring are among my favorite things. Also the change in the "attitude" of a new plant when its roots take hold in a new hole.

Hey, y'all. I grew up across the Chattahoochee, in Lee Co., AL. I lurk around the GA forum a lot - there's not a KY forum, and I seem to have more in common with most of y'all than I do most of the folks over at the AL forum - and those TN folks, forget it!
I'm in Hopkinsville, KY - just over the TN border, north of Nashville.
Have an obsession for nut trees and other edibles - I play around with pecans/hickories/walnuts/persimmons/mulberries, and have a large and constantly growing collection of Southern pears, most selected for fireblight resistance. I'm one heck of a propagator, but a really poor caretaker.

Wanna give a shout out to my old friends esh_ga and eddie(greenthingie).

Lucky P...I'm wondering if I know ya since you're from Lee County AL. I grew up in Pnenix City, but now live in Lee County...kind of between Phenix City and Smiths.

Hi Everyone,

I haven't posted in ages, but I'm popping back in to say hello. I also live in the Atlanta neighborhood of Lake Claire, right near hat_trick and heavenscent!

I've never met a perennial that I didn't like--which has gotten to be a problem. For a while there my garden was a really wild looking cottage garden/mishmash. For the past year I've been working on taming it some and paring down the colors in the garden. I decided I wanted it to be HOT: yellow, orange, red, white, with splashes of dark purple/black. I don't know when the daylily bug bit me, but I've been obsessed with them lately also. My other little obsession is mums. I absolutely love fall color, and somehow I've amassed a collection of HUGE-flowering garden mums.

I'm also working on a shady section that never really got much attention. I've been slowly collecting hostas, hellebores, and other shade lovers to fill in that area.

Hi..I'm bobby, pretty much new to gardening so I dont know much but sure am having alot of fun.I just buy alot of things and stick them in someplace. If it doesnt work I move it.Because of that I would love to find someone near Suwanee who would like to take my extras.divisions , cuttings etc. That way I learn also.For example I have a clump of Geranium Ingwersens Variety thats getting to big and dont really have another place to put some i would like to give that kind of stuff to someone close by. Let me know if anyone is close to Suwanee

There was a plant swap not long ago. Usually in fall people do plant swaps when they dig up and divide perennials.

Bamateacha and Lucky P...

Wow...I'm having flashbacks of Russell and Lee County, Alabama! We lived in Phenix City for eight years and my husband taught in Lee County the last two of those eight, thoroughly enjoying those two years. Been in NW Georgia for almost three and have never been happier. The first year here we were at a football game and saw someone walk by with a Smith's Station cushion.

Funny how you run into people like that, isn't it?

I'm in NW Georgia, Polk Co. to be specific. I like growing all kinds of flowers, especially antique roses and lilies. I attended one of the swaps last year (hated missing the last one) and got some great plants from others members. I grew up in the farming region of south GA and always like to grow a few vegetables too. We have several acres that is mostly wooded but the yard and garden area seems to be ever expanding. I also grow a few blueberries which aren't doing too well this year with the late freeze and drought. You south GA folks should be thankful each time you need to dig a hole. My husband has been know to use a pickax to dig around here when the soil is dry. And then there's the rocks....

A NYC transplant in Marietta after spending 6 months ITP. Enjoy green lawns, vegetable gardening, composting, peonies, dahlias, and homebrewing!

Hi,
We are Michael and Jeff. We are new home owners in Carrollton, Ga. which is in West Georgia. I (Michael) am the garden-a-holic in the family but I'm slowly working Jeff into the habbit also ;-)

I love all types of canna (can't get enough), tomatoes, peppers, and my pride is my 8ft tall Texas Star Hibiscus. I also like gardening with seeds. The more exotic the better. We are also trying fruit trees this year which has been fun. I can only think of one thing that I depise and that would be our never ending battle with wisteria.

Anyone else in our area?

Here is a link that might be useful: My Myspace page

Hi, Im Cathy from Ellabell, GA. just west of Savannah. I have what I call a wonder-where-it-is yard. My husband and I have 6 acres in the countrrrrry, and I have 1 acre in plants, There is no rhyme or reason for my planting, I just get a plant and firgure out where an empty spot is. I have a small greenhouse that I hope to have up real good next year.
I do have lots of gallon pots, if someone is interested in them there are probably several hundred and I wont need that many. Maybe someone close will do a nice trade for some pots.
I do enjoy GW...
Cathy

Looks like I'm a little late to this forum. Everyone seems to have left in June. I'm new to the website and to Blue Ridge. As is almost everyone else in these mountains, I'm from Florida.

I'm still feeling my way around in the zone 7 garden. Had a pretty good-sized vegetable garden with mediocre results. Love flowers and shrubs and am pleased that there were many already on the property ...peonies, lilies, etc.

I'm reading as much as I can about zone 7 gardening.

I just found this thread so I hope others will, too. My name is Virginia and I live in Douglasville. I lived in Atlanta and Decatur for 30+ years and grew roses. When I retired, I bought a farm and grew everything! We even started a vegetable growers co-op there. I became addicted to growing from seed and my husband built a greenhouse for me. When It became time to move back to civilization, I decided on Douglasville. I have been here 2 years. The first thing I did qwas to renovate a badly overgrown flowerbed, removing 3 trees. I replanted in roses. I have about 16, I think.I also planted lots of containers in my courtyard. I have 2 tomato plants in barrels in my courtyard, too.My backyard isbelongs to my dogs, completely. Last fall, I was diagnosed with cancer and I have not been well since. My roses are suffering but still blooming. That's the beauty of roses; they can be completely defoliated from blackspot but they will survive and be beautiful again. Hope that works for me, too.

I'm Elisabeth, and I live in the tiny city of Pine Lake, just west of Stone Mountain. I have a lot of older and shrub roses, heucheras, a wonderful, if misplaced tea olive, and the usual hydrangeas (esp oakleaf), hostas, ferns and hellebores in the shady back. It's a no-grass front yard, which is reasonably well accepted in Pine Lake, which is a pretty offbeat place. However, I am useless at planning, so plants just get put wherever. However, I do have an idea for re-organizing the front yard this fall. I've been around the GW forums since about 2000, and show up here occasionally.

Hello. Just joining your forum I live on Lake Seminole. Which is in the very SW corner of the state. Looking forward to chatting to you all about any secrets you may want to share in raised bed gardening. This will be my first year for this. Always have done the typical row gardening. My husband has built my beds 4'x 12' and we are filling them with mushroom compost and tilling this into the existing dirt. We have a mixture of loomy soil and clay. He also plans to bury a soker hose about 6 inches down for irrigation, as the weather down here in the summer months can be very hot. Thanks for any pointers!

Hello, I'm Diana from Lakewood, southeast Atlanta near Grant Park and Cabbagetown.

I am new to starting from seed and seed saving this year. It's very exciting stuff!

I just pruchase my first named rose - it's Golden Celebration, a David Austin Tea Rose with a honey fragrance. I'm very excited about it.

Feel free to check out my member page for more information about me.

Enjoy beautiful and tasty gardens!
Diana

Here is a link that might be useful: My Member Page

I'm a new member here. I've gardened since childhood in Northern Michigan. No matter where I've lived or what's been going on I've always had something growing. Now I'm living in Dahlonega, Georgia on a few acres planting a mini orchard and growing vegetables in raised beds. Now if I can just get the voles out of the raised beds there just might be peace here at Sow It Grows Farm.

Hello folks! Just readjusting my life after losing my right leg to diabeates in May of 2007. My garden will become a thing of the past now, but thanks to Al and many like him and you members here on the Garden Web, I am starting to garden once again, using 7 brand new homemade self watering Container EBs I have just finished building. Got some of them planted already and, Yes, Tomatos were the first to go into the first one. BTW, I'm in a little town called Harlem, just 30 miles West of Augusta. I have gardened almost all of my life and 30+ years here in this little town and I'm now 68 yrs old...Kiee

Did I wake up late for roll call?

I've got an acre in decrepit suburban Austell, and love it very much. 2 kids and 2 jobs have driven me into longtime lurking on this forum. New wisteria arbor plans this year! The 'Amethyst Falls' variety is trying to bloom and I just planted sprigs last winter. Awesome.

For those who don't know, Sugar Hill, the person who started this thread, died about a month later in June, 2007. It is a loss to Garden Web.

..........but so wonderful that this thread keeps going. SugarHill would have loved that.

I just read through this again and hope we keep it going for a longtime. The GA forum has been slow for awhile and we need new posters!

It was quite a shock to see Sugarhill as author of a post. I was just thinking of her today as the irises she gave me in the fall of 06 finally bloomed. I have several pass-alongs from dear Nancy. I actuallly was considering taking some divisions of her forget me nots and passing them along to the nice folks who now have her dog Molly. Would that be wierd?

Kathy,
I think it would be sweet. I just recently planted some cyclamen in her memory in Evan's garden. She had planned to give me some of her's for there, but we never had the chance to get together.

Kathy, I think it's a wonderful idea!

Kathy, that sounds like a great idea. The last time we spoke, you had just picked up Molly. I really thought that you would keep her, and that's why I kind of kept out of the picture. I'm sure that she has a wonderful new home.

I, too, have several plants that Sugarhill gave to me. Everytime i see one coming up in the spring I think of her and they all seem to bloom profusely, which makes me think of her and smile!

Molly is with a family whose dog had died. I think they needed her as much as she needed them. With the pets I already have I really did not have the time to give Molly that she needed and she is very spoiled now. I sure loved having her though.

I'm new to the forum just joined but have been here behind the scenes. I am from South Georgia, a place called Hinesville in Liberty County, near Ft. Stewart (Home of the 3rd ID). I am a native from this area. I see that not too many are from the Southern area of the state but that's ok I still enjoy reading the posts anyway. I have been gardening about 30 years as a "backyard gardener". Love it.

I'm in Macon. I had mostly been a lurker, just reading and enjoying the great information, 'til I posted "scandalous" rock garden in front yard a few weeks ago! LOL Everyone was so nice and gave me so many good ideas, that I figured it was my responsibility not to lurk anymore. :) And, if you're IN Macon, and you SEE my "scandalous rock garden in the front yard," you are more than welcome to laugh or enjoy or pick up a shovel and help! :)

I am also from south Ga. around the Valdosta area. Also mostly been a lurker. We moved to the country two years ago. So we are starting from scratch with yard and garden.

I live in Bethlehem, GA about 15 minutes south west of Athens. I love to garden. I have clay soil and lots of shade. I grow elephant ears, hostas, daylillies, iris, gardenia and variety of other plants. Currently, I am putting in a square foot vegtable garden.
I love to trade plants, share supplies and ideas with my neighbors.

I'm jumping on the bandwagon too!

In metro Atlanta area, ~5 blocks away from the Zoo.

I grew up with plants everywhere, and I can remember helping tend to my grandfather's farm in northeast Louisiana as a kid, tilling, planting, harvesting, splitting beans, etc. so I guess the grower/sower gene runs in the family. I always loved outdoors and hope that - someday - I can have my own little outdoor oasis buried in the middle of the metro 'concrete jungle'.

Bought our house (new construction) in May '05 and it came with the most hideous contractor landscaping ever, consisting of ~ a dozen box elders and three variegated ligustrums for the entire yard. It absolutely had to go (none of it was killed, just moved elsewhere). In the process, I've learned way more than I want to about plants and it keeps getting worse and worse every day (in a good way). I have had excessive experience with killing non-native invasives, which has left me with the inclination to always use native plants over non-natives when possible/feasible.

My DW and I have an end goal to have a more symbiotic relationship with our yard; for our yard to produce for us - via edible landscaping and vegetable gardens - and for much of the plantings to be as water tolerant as possible to prevent excessive maintenance on our part. We're really trying to make our yard an extension of the house, as if it were simply an additional room to walk into.

This year has started with the enlarging of our front beds, a couple of fruit trees we've planted, an additional stackstone garden bed for our tomatoes, and a rather large hardscape installation (faux stackstone retaining wall). We plan on filling the retaining wall area with blueberry and cranberry shrubs, along with montmorency cherry and a pair of plum trees (no idea the variety yet), with several (possibly edible) fill-in plantings.

Here's a link to the landscape album I'm working on currently: My Landscape Album

Hey there,
I'm Leigh and I live in Ormewood Park in Atlanta. My husband and I bought an 85+yr old house here in the "hood" as our neighbors and I call it. Our house has been a cosmetic fixer upper inside and out and I have finally had enough of the inside so I have been spending more time outside in the dirt!I have planted my first vegetable garden in raised beds and I grew all of my plants from seed. I have amused my family with my new found love of gardening since I am the child who hated the heat(still do!)and changed clothes 50 times a day because I hated to be dirty. Oh well, I guess the gardener genes finally kicked in! Thanks for the great advise and I look forward to more words of wisdom!
Stay cool and keep doing the rain dance!

Natalie is here. I am in Roswell. We have been in this house for 10 years, and I really started gardening about 4 years ago. This yard is about three quarters of an acre, and cottage garden style is my favorite. This spring I planted close to 100 new roses, lots of lilies of all kinds, hydrangeas, foxgloves, glads, hostas.
Grow some fruit trees and berries. Planted eggplant this year, many heirloom tomatoes, cucs, bell peppers, herbs.
Love birdhouses, birdbaths, arbors, curvy garden paths, and other cottage garden elements.
Love to garden, love sharing plants, experiences, love the smell of the soil.
Nice to meet you all like-minded people on this Forum!

I'm Clara and I live in Candler Park (Atlanta). I just moved here last year and I am now struggling to grow container veggies in my mostly shaded yard. My last garden was on a third floor south facing balcony with NO shade so this has been quite the transition. The good thing is that I don't have to cart water from my bathroom to the porch 2-3 times per day, the bad thing is that my poor plants wish for more sun. This year I'm attempting blueberries, peppers, bush beans, cucumbers, strawberries, an eggplant and some herbs (cilantro, basil, mints, lavender, rosemary). I've been mostly lurking on gardenweb all spring and I'm glad I've found this place.

Hello....is anybody out there?............

I see the last post was 2008. I hope that doesn't mean that Georgia gardeners have been raptured because I'm still here fighting the stink bugs.

There are plenty of new posts on this forum since then - just not on this particular thread.

Hello esh ga,
I'm new to Garden Web....actually I'm new to posting (or is it called blogging?) I didn't grow up with computers, so I'm still learning the terminology. I'm interested in organic gardening for SW GA (Lee Co), if that is possible. My summer garden was a disaster (squash bugs, flea beetles, stink bugs, you-name-it bugs; early tomato blight, septoria leaf spot,tomato spotted wilt virus, you-name-it fungus). I want to be as environmentally responsible as possible, but I still want to produce enough vegetables to make the investment of time and energy worthwhile. Can you suggest a forum for me? Thanks.....and may your garden be blessed.

Nice to make your acquaintance, Aunt-Tootie. Surely there are other new folks who have joined GW since this thread started and who need to stand up and be counted LOL. I found GW a couple of months ago and have been lurking ever since, mostly on the Cottage Garden Forum, since the Georgia Forum didn't seem to be active. I am new to gardening and to gardening forums (joined Dave's Garden too) but have found much inspiration and guidance from reading the many informative threads. I dealt with hardscaping issues first (turned a tract house into a country cottage) and now want to start adding loads of flowers and shrubs. I have two "in front of the porch" small beds that I want to dig up and start over with. Had Knockout roses (too much shade), Mexican Primrose (invasive and too short a bloom time), dianthus (too much shade) and azaleas (beats me why they won't grow ... conditions should be ideal). I know little to nothing and am getting a very late start (just turned 70 and other issues) but am determined to do this. My inspiration is my younger sister who has been gardening for many years and who has the prettiest garden in Pike County (Hollonville). I have pictures of her garden and my meager efforts on Facebook, if those will work here. I am up the road a piece in Newnan ... actually closer to Sharpsburg. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about all the Georgia gardeners and hope to meet many more. Looking forward to learning a lot.

Judy ... in Newnan

Well, hey there aunt tootie - I didn't realize you were new to it all. I don't do any vegetable gardening so I can't offer any advice, but there are several regulars on here that do. You could start a new message (also called "a thread") on the Georgia forum with your SW GA vegetable questions.

To start a new message, just scroll down a bit to the bottom of this forum (get out this message first) and you'll see: Post a Message to the Forum.

Fill it in and hit "preview" and then submit when you are ready. It will show at the top of the forum. Let us know if you need help with the mechanics. This isn't "blogging", by the way.

There is also the Vegetable Gardening forum, but that will have folks from all over on it. I'm sure you can get some good advice there too though. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Vegetables forum

I am laughing so hard at "Aunt Tootie." That is what my nephews call me. (I won't say why.)
I had a wonderful time skimming these posts -- and felt so sad to read about the death of Sugar Hill and Pam 3's little boy.
It was fun to read that Teleigh and I are sort of neighbors. (Are you still out there?)
I will add my information to the long list of gardeners....
I am an Illinois transplant -- I really miss that black soil. My Dad still drives 12 hours and brings pass-along plants -- along with buckets and bags of dirt. Very funny!!!!!!
I live on a 1/2 acre near Marietta Square. I love our neighborhood with its many old trees -- love the wildlife -- but I'm currently battling the squirrels who have developed a taste for my heirloom tomatoes!
I'm working on the front yard right now -- removing lots of bermuda grass from the front slope and replacing with groundcover. I'm thinking of using a combo of ornamental raspberry, ivy, and phlox -- underplanted with bulbs.
My landscaping dream is a BIG, natural looking pond. (Long way away - no money right now.)
Next big project is to finish off the dry creek I dug two years ago. With a shovel, all by myself - almost the entire length of our lot - easily over 200 feet! (I was sooooo in shape that year! Now I'm back to flab.) We need to get stone and plants to make it look attractive and natural. Right now it is a red clay ditch/path, filling in with weeds -- but it is serving the purpose successfully! Again --need some money to buy the stone!
I'm loving my raised veggie beds - growing zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. (Squirrels loving it too.)
I'm good at the growing part, but lacking in the design skill. I have some beds that are doing well, but need tweaking -- too many plants that are same height and leaf shape, etc. (Who can recommend some good books on this? Plant combos, etc.?)
Love reading all your info!!!!!!

Nice to meet everyone!
Thanks for sharing your gardening info. I enjoy reading about your gardens.

judyinnewnanga,
I've always grown some sort of plants...house plants, herb gardening, butterfly gardening, depending on where I lived at the time. I now live in a subdivision which was once a pecan (pronounced "Pee-can" down here)orchard with my husband and six dogs (my mother says I'm overcompensating for not having children). The soil is pretty depleted and I worry about all the chemicals that were sprayed on the pecan trees. I'm new to vegetable gardening...my Dad had a vegetable garden every year and grew fruit trees and blueberry bushes. He passed four years ago and I miss his "country gardening wisdom".....he believed in planting, cultivating and fishing "by the signs". He had a truly green thumb! Judy, azalias didn't do well for me, either. My soil is too sandy, dry and I don't have enough shade in my yard. I became interested in daffodils several years ago and have a bed interplanted with your typical butterfly loving plants.....lantana, butterfly weed, coneflower, salvia, black-eyed-Susan, shasta daisy (tend to go dormant in July and August-too hot), scabiosa, yarrow, false foxglove, and some recent pass-along plants from my husband's aunt. I joined the Florida Daffodil Society since my climate is closer to Tallahassee's than to middle or north Georgia. My backyard is planted in trees and large shrubs as well as a fenced-in vegetable garden (20' by 24')that we put in this Spring. I tried flower beds in the backyard, but the doggies weren't having it! I also have a small herb garden in a bed on one side of my house close to the kitchen. I have several compost bins in the backyard which are Yogi's (my golden retriever) favorite new toys. It's never too late to try anything, Judy! I find that gardening is healing, and it's never too late to experience that.

esh ga,
Thanks for the info and the link! I will start a new "thread" for vegetable gardening in SW GA.

bagsmom,
I won't reveal why my niece and nephews call me Aunt Tootie, either.....The only landscaping book I have is "Home Landscaping: Southeast Region" by Roger Holmes and Rita Buchanan. It's part of the Creative Homeowner series. I think I purchaced it at Lowe's. It has some good designs and plant combinations for sun and shade gardens. The Better Homes and Garden website has garden designs and provides a list of alternate plants depending on your zone.

Happy gardening everyone!

Hello, everyone. I live in Buford, near Harmony Elementary. I'm fairly new to gardening, very new to this forum; having tried sporadically over the nearly 20 years DH and I have been married. In the last few years I've been researching landscape designs and plantings that should do well in the areas where I want to plant. I use the books, "Creative Homeowner Complete Home Landscaping," Readers Digest Perennials: Designing, Choosing, and Maintaining Easy-care Plantings," "Guide to Georgia Vegetable Gardening," and "Georgia Gardening" Magazine for reference as well as whatever I can find online when looking for more info on specific plants.

One of the biggest problems I face (besides the expense of all this landscape gloriousness) is FINDING the plants I'm most interested in. I don't find that I greatly enjoy the "big box" store offerings because they're just so common. WHERE does everyone get these plants?? Internet orders? These books & magazines are filled with beautiful plants and they are HARD.TO.FIND.

Secondly, I am a bargain shopper and have a REALLY hard time forking over $7 and much more PER PLANT when I do find the kinds I like in a nursery or wherever. It really pains me to go to any store and pay "full retail price" for ANYTHING. I have been able to purchase discounted less-than-happy looking plants and nursed them back to life at times, and been thrilled with those results but don't always happen on the deeply discounted items so that's sketchy, not a dependable way to find plants, and not always stuff I'm really interested in.

Several years ago I ripped out everything around our house, in all the landscape beds: 6 HUUUUUGELY overgrown horrid pampas grass monstrosities (death to pampas grass, I tell you, death), lots of juniper (snakes love juniper and I hate snakes so bye-bye juniper), some shrubs that were far too large to have been planted so close to the house, and so on. Great. All cleaned out. Installed a retaining wall and then in a large sloped bed I put in landscape mix soil, some plantings (three crape myrtles- I know, I know they're common but I like them anyway and they were free), a few azaleas, spike plants, and a couple Rainbow Leucothoe I think. Erosion cloth where needed, then landscape cloth and mulch. This year I added some Blue Boy Phlox to the bed and a few more rocks, then several coleus for a little more color. Everything in that bed seems to be happy and I have VERY little maintenance there, which is good because it's large and quite steep.

My most perplexing area is a TEENY space between our driveway and one of the front walls of our house. It faces the street and looks just awful. It is almost 20' long but there is only 18-24" width between driveway concrete and the wall in this area and I haven't a CLUE what to put in there! The area gets full on, brutal sun all morning and until well into afternoon. I need a few somethings to go in there with a little height (up to 3'), but then need some small things to fill in (thrill, fill, spill?). There is a garden hose on that wall, also, so it tends to be a little more moist than other areas when I'm out watering.

I am focusing primarily on perennials right now, "investing" in the longer-term plantings, and then I can add little bits of annuals here & there later. I like flowering shrubs and prefer some evergreens when possible (but not holly or anything prickly), but as I said, I haven't a CLUE what to do with this long and extremely narrow, nicely mulched emptiness. My preferred colors are in the red family- reds, oranges, and pinks, and for foliage I stick mostly to chartreuse mixed with a little bit of very deep greens. I would welcome any suggestions. Sorry this is so long!

I see lawsonbrown posted on this old thread recently, so I will too! I used to follow gardenWeb and then about 10 years rushed by! Back in different gardens-in sandy springs-just a few miles from our former Dunwoody home. This house has less sun-so I also volunteered to garden our cul de sac-which is sunny-I put a bench, gravel path, some roses,and easy, sun perennials around the hydrangeas that were there (after removing-with help-lots of prickly hollies and weeds). I have a veggie garden in our backyard, perennials and roses in front, and lots of ferns and a mix of native and non native shrubs, trees and bushes in a woodsy area.

I had a few knee surgeries and have been away from most gardening for about a year and am excited to get back to it. I am going to try to add more ferns the rest of this summer and discourage the ivy that keeps coming back. I just ordered 25 Christmas ferns from Classy Groundcovers-so I'm excited to add a new patch. Budget restrains me from covering the remainder of the area as quickly as I'd like...but eventually.....

I don't use any pesticides, use my homegrown compost (worm compost and "regular" compost heap) and organic fertilizers. Would love to become more knowledgable about native plants. Looking forward to trading ideas and advice on this forum!

Anyone with specific questions - it would better to start a specific thread for each question so that they can be more easily answered.

There have been threads on where to find plants before. For the lowest cost, I think Grower's Outlet in Loganville is a favorite for a lot of people. Just google it. Looks like it is closed now for the summer, reopening Aug 21st (not a good time to plant anyway).

Welcome to all newcomers and those coming back!