Re: New shade garden

Dear Martha,

Gene gave great advice.
Here's some more from Tom Clothier ( thanks Marge for reminding me this was out there)
http://www.anet-chi.com/~manytimes/page17.htm
" Take stock of your landscape.  You have foundation plantings around your home, windbreaks,
living
fences, accent shrubs and trees, shade trees, lawns, gardens, walkways, outbuildings, and waste
areas. You
don't need someone to tell you what your property should look like or if it does or doesn't look
good. As you
look at the property from different angles, you will see things that could look better.  You can
move things
around.  If a shrub doesn't look good anywhere, toss it out.  Everything should have a function
which needs
only unconscious acceptance, and either it does perform that function well, or it doesn't.  You
can accept
what is there, you can replace it with something that works better, or you can open up the space
altogether.
 Space is an element too, and in some situations, it can look and work better than anything
else. Your local
nursery will suggest plants, trees, and shrubs that will work for any condition that you can
adequately
describe. Change what you will, accept what will not be changed, and move on.  Overall design of
your
outdoor space is important, but only to resolve the question of where to start. Before moving on
to the next
phase of garden planning, two principles must be observed:  First, take care of what you have;
clear the dead
wood, do the pruning and trimming, make the repairs, tend to the sick.  Second, do not try to
accomplish too
much too fast.  To avoid being overwhelmed, limit the number of active gardening projects to
three at any
one time, and before beginning each day, look around your outdoor space. Develop the habit of
saying out
loud "take care of what you have" as you go outdoors each morning. "

Now I'll add my 2 cents.
When I began our present garden I lived with it a year first to see what surprises it had in
store for me - drainage problems after rain, dry, hardpan areas, unknown bulbs, noxious weed
habitats (poison oak and bindweed here)...  natural paths developed during that time based on
duties that carried us through the yard like trash removal, hose dragging... ,  we also
discovered where we kept setting our chairs when it was time to relax. I found that the 'obvious
choices' in our garden weren't always the places that we chose.  I did almost immediately add a
couple large shrubs - small trees to the perimeter as screens.  Some plants I knew I wouldn't
keep but they served a purpose (screening) at the time and so are coming out slowly.  I would
give you a warning though -  When we pulled up our ivy we killed the trees whose roots had been
shaded by the ivy.  I assume the tree roots must have grown quite near the surface.  As much as
I dislike the invasive ivy I am  removing it more carefully now.

Well that's what I did.  The garden is still a work in progress after 10 years but as I was
looking at it the other day I realized it is actually coming along. This is  an excellent forum
and you'll enjoy all the fine advice. Good growing,

Kris in northern CA

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