I need garden inspiration.

[Deleted]

What vibe are you going for?

[walterismydog]

I hate pinterest, but honestly there is some really cool stuff for gardening on there. I have gotten some great ideas.

It's not quite planting season here, so nothing is done in my yard yet, but this is the look I will be going for:

[Deleted]

I don't have a yard, but here's what my parents had going on at their old place. I had to steal a pic off their real estate agent's site, lol. They travel a lot, so they wanted something low maintenance.

[jane6672]

We have "mounded" beds instead of raised beds (cheaper, holla!). You wouldn't want fabric between the regular "ground level" and the soil of the raised beds, because you'll want the plants to be able to root down (I think that is what you were asking).

[jane6672]

Trellises are great for saving space and keeping things neat.

Lowes has some like this, which are reasonably attractive and reusable:

[MWOS]

Quesera, you can put a layer of cardboard or a few layers of newspaper down in the bottom of the beds. It's weed control and recycling all in one!

[janiejones]

Hmm, I don't have pictures and things are too early in the season for me to show you anything good. My backyard is all hosta, fern & sedum (with a forsythia bush and some tulips in the spring).
My front gardens have crocus & tulips in the spring, then oriental poppies, then sweeping areas of hardy geranium, periwinkle and catmint for the rest of summer. I found the hardy geranium, periwinkle and catmint so low maintenance and perfect for our location. If I was to replant I would do the same things over, everything else I've tried I just didn't love, and I much prefer the look of vast areas of one plant layered upon other masses to anything else.

[jane6672]

May 1, 2013 9:25:08 GMT -5 @aliciaroset said:

jane, I could write a novel about why mounded is better than raised.

Haha. I've been blathering on about dedicated beds and permanent paths and soil compression and my 5 year soil improvement plan (our yard is all clay) all spring. My poor husband.

[janiejones]

Also, Canadian Gardens is a really good magazine. Maybe go to the library and look through back issues??


AND!!! My (small) city does free landscape planning to help you build a naturalized garden that requires minimal water and uses local plants. Do you guys have anything like that? (Though I feel like you live in a rural/vacation type place so maybe not).

[janiejones]

Yeah, we're a little hippy town.

[VeryViolet]

This is my yard right after we mulched (and by we I mean my husband and mom). It isn't a great view but we have a lot of big beds with a ton of perennials. It has been awesome watching everything come to life as spring progresses. I cannot take any of the credit the previous owner had a super green thumb and DH and I are just trying to keep it up. It does seem like with the right pruning and upkeep though the garden just does its thing which is great. Also I have a small vegetable garden as well.

ETA It is crazy to look at this picture which I took almost 3 weeks ago. You wouldn't even recognize it now there is so much more in the garden and the trees behind us are really filled out now. 

[janiejones]

There is definitely a week or two where it looks weedy, but the everblooming plants I have (periwinkle, geranium & catmint) and the poppies get lush & green very early. I cut the tulip stem after they bloom and leave the leaves until they brown. I love/hate the tulips. They are a favourite flower, but I hate the way they are just sticking up right now. And later having to keep them around after blooming. Plus, squirrels keep finding and removing the bulbs so their are all kinds of bald spots I can't plan for.

[dirtyred]

May 1, 2013 9:52:42 GMT -5 Que? said:

My H is clueless, and every year he's like 'didn't you just spen $400? I can't tell'. I show him my plans, but he isn't a big picture guy, so he doesn't understand that everything will take years to see results.

The soil is an ambitious plan. I suspect I should be paying more attention to that.

Yes, the first year most of your work should be on your soil.  If it's crappy, nothing will do well.  It's easy to get a soil test done-you can get it done at your county extension. some garden shops do it, or you could buy a little at-home kit.

My husband also expects immediate results.  I tell him that the kids didn't pop out fully grown, and neither do plants. 

[lust2hart]

My DH built a bed on the stump of a tree we took down last fall. So far so good - I really like that it's waist height so we won't have to bend/kneel. We'll see what it's like later this summer, though, when the tomato plants get tall!

[tdk2]

May 1, 2013 10:53:13 GMT -5 squirrelymom said:

I'm doing an in-ground veggie garden with a landscape timber border. I'm putting down weed barrier and mulch.

Rather than sowing seeds, I'm starting everything in seed cups that i'll transplant to maintain the integrity of the weed barrier and, hopefully, keep it relatively low maintenance.

In your spare time....


Lol, you are crazy, woman! And here I was feeling a little lazy about our yard.

[tdk2]

May 1, 2013 14:25:42 GMT -5 squirrelymom said:

May 1, 2013 14:22:49 GMT -5 tdk2 said:

In your spare time....


Lol, you are crazy, woman! And here I was feeling a little lazy about our yard.

I'm doing this in good faith that he'll either get better on his own and I'll have time, or we'll get called away for transplant and the yard will look like tee-total crap. I'm good either way!

  Ps.  I don't always get to write you in your posts as I'm often on the phone and on the run, but I think of you a ton.  I usually do a lot of "Like" clicking, but that doesn't really work with a health situation.   And your MIL is being a weirdo and I'm glad your h is dealing with it.   I lurk a lot, sorry.  But you guys are really in my thoughts.

[McGavin]

Are you looking for just vegetable gardens?  Here's pics of my front gardens, it's mostly perennials but I hope to get more colour in there this year.  I don't grow veggies, maybe this year though...