I like to buy perenniAls at the end of sEason when they're 50% off. Put shorter plants in front of taller. Get a variety of textures. Get things that bloom at different times or pair bloom times. I just dug my own flower beds in curving lines, mixed in better soil, and started planting. You can move plants around over Time when you see how they do. Use mulch to make the beds look nice once your plants are in and to keep weeds down. All you need is a shovel with a pointed blade and a spade.

Anonymous wrote:If anyone wants to share any pictures of local gardens they love (or their own!) I'd love to see them.

Public spaces made pretty:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/dot-dir/KMCB/landscape.html

Tiny example of using water from your downspout to garden:
http://dcgreenworks.org/programs/rainwater-conservation-and-reuse/rain-gardennative-habitat-garden/

Turning big swaths of water sucking, monoculture lawns into wildlife habitats:
http://nativeplantwildlifegarden.com/wildlife-gardens-by-example-wolf-trap/

Off the beaten path:
http://dc.curbed.com/archives/2013/06/dcs-ten-secret-or-underrated-parks-and-gardens.php

And of course, the classics:
http://washington.org/DC-focus-on/dcs-parks-and-gardens

If anyone wants to share any pictures of local gardens they love (or their own!) I'd love to see them.

Anonymous wrote:OP: Thanks so much for the calendar; that is super useful. And I'll check out the other resources.

I think my problem is that I want to do this all quickly and perfectly. But I have to remember that it's all a process.

Ha, don't we all. It's definitely a process. "To every thing there is a season..."

OP: Thanks so much for the calendar; that is super useful. And I'll check out the other resources.

I think my problem is that I want to do this all quickly and perfectly. But I have to remember that it's all a process.

I would ask a local garden shop for a design or even just to throw out some ideas. Most places will credit the fee towards future plant purchases.

They know the most about local plants, soil, climate, etc. I've had better results from the $75 design than a $3000 fancy plan.

This is a basic calendar of what to do when: https://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/locations/frederick_county/MG%20Gardener%20Guide%20MD%202-12.pdf

Google your city/county/state for Master Gardener. They have workshops (usually free) all the time on getting started. Native plant societies and local horitculture/gardening clubs will also have similar events. Public gardens like Brookside, the US Botanic Gardens, etc. will also have classes and info.

This is also a good source for info on all kinds of topics: http://www.washingtongardener.com

Measure your space, test your soil, note sun/shade etc.

Sorry for the somewhat cryptic subject line...

First, I'm buying a house!!! I'm so excited! I've never owned a SFH, and I have no idea what to do with what seems to me to be an enormous front and back yard. (In reality, it's pretty small compared to what others have, but it seems big to me)

I have no immediate plans to do anything drastic (other than mowing, etc), since I have no money. But I'm wondering where I might get ideas for modest landscaping that fits a very small suburban home? What I find online is either quite urban, or its for properties where the owners clearly have a lot of space and money. It's all very pretty, but I'm so inexperienced that I have no idea how to translate that into my own context. All I know is that I'd like to use native plants, a minimum of chemicals, and eventually grow some herbs and vegetables. My hope is that if I see what others have done, I might slowly be able to adapt their ideas to my own space.

Thanks for any help you can lend!