wow- finally, a new gardener who WANTS to start with ID'ing and making a floor plan!

:) you just made me very happy!

I wish I could recommend a book- but I don't have a favorite, my reference tome is a master gardener I do grunt labor for :)

however- I know that if you go to 'new to gardening' with pictures, we'll be able to ID half of them for you in an hour :)

weed, mulch, weed, mulch...

yup. sounds like a garden :)

I'm in the same situation, but 2 years out. It really does take this long to get to know all the plants, especially when they look so different just coming up in springtime.

I've become not quite ruthless, but more so that I originally thought I'd be. The overgrown-ness of it all overwhelms me, so I work on one spot at a time. I should show you before and after pics. It's pretty amazing what a spade, a shovel and a pair of loppers can do. :-)

Hang in there and, like the previous owner said, weed, weed, weed!

Alice

Definitely restrict yourself to deadheading and pulling identifiable weeds. You might have some nice vintage peonies or something that is hard to replace.

Make a sketch of each befd and mark where plants are growing - take pictures so you can ID them later.

You can do some light pruning (dead, crossing, and overcrowded branches) in the shrubs and trees.

Favorite "picture" gardening book would be "Continuous Bloom" by Pam Duthie. This is by far the best book on perennials I have found. She also tells you what would look good with each perrenial. As for a good basic gardening book I'd get "Outdoor Gardening" by Smith and Hawken. I've just about worn that book out.

I'm in the same spot you are, but three years into redefining a garden bed. The best advice I could give is to make note (and take pictures) of your garden through the season. See what blooms, what colors you like, etc. Do this for about a year before deciding to plant anything. When you've observed the garden through all the seasons then start deciding what you want to take out and how you want to change the landscape a bit.
For me, I devided up my garden into four major beds. While I smother the overgrown beds I'm planting the two that are ready. I've found that I don't get overwhelmed with how much work there is to do and I have more leisure to plan out the gardens I'm not presently working on.

Heather

I recommend 'Armitage's Garden Perennials' by Alan Armitage. It has lots of color pictures for most of the basic perennials, and some not-so-usual ones. And some care instructions as well.

Another thought would be to hire a designer for a consultation. A designer should be able to id most if not all of the plant material, and tell you how to care for it during a walk-around.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I've been weeding and watching, trying to kill off the things that I know are weeds and hoping for the best.

I like the idea of a designer for a consultation.

I also recommend Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia - most of what you probably have will be in there, with a lot of color pictures to help you identify, as well as general info for each plant. Also, for once you figure out what you've got, Tracy DiSabato-Aust's 'Well-Tended Perennial Garden' (as many have recommended on gardenweb before me) has great, specific info on the care, treatment etc. of various species.

Have fun!