Thank you so much for getting back to me! My yard too, was a complete blank canvas when I started (not so much as a blade of grass in the back yard! I'm proud to say that I've done it all myself, but still feel like it needs more work to make it feel as intimate and pulled together as yours. I'm wanting to add more purple flowers, dark burgundy leaves and spots of lime green and white variegated foliage - I'm seeing that as the theme when I view gardens I really like. I've ordered some Japanese variegated iris - I absolutely love yours and I don't think I've ever seen those in my local garden centers. Do you find that yours replicate really well? I have TONS of plain green iris that started with just a handful...I sure hope the variegated does as well!

You are my absolute hero! I love everything you have posted and I've been going through your pictures this morning grabbing ideas as I just this last weekend moved some edging boulders to create more garden space. Question - what is the purple flowers you have in front of your variagated iris? It seems you have this scattered in mulitple places and it looks like it blooms for a very long time. LOVE IT!

Designmind, thanks for visiting. If you post some things I can reply directly to you, but in answer to your questions: I designed the plan when the house was being built 8 years ago. I make my living as an artist, so it is easy for me to draw plans and envision the final result. I did splurge and some large specimens. A twenty five foot ash, a thirty foot maple etc. Wherever I felt I needed a visual anchor. I chose three pretty large columnar European Hornbeams as the anchor to this side garden. I wanted an immediate separation from my neighbors house because the homes are too close. The stones in the side yard were actually laid by the crew who were doing a lot of the dry stack stone wall and heavy stone steps in the back. They are leveled on 3 inch deep 57 limestone and the spaces between were then topped with a little soil to support the moss growth in the cracks. So yes, I started with a good plan but of course the garden evolves. Areas that were all sun now support hostas, etc.

Wow! I don't know if you're still checking your space, but could you please tell us something about how long it took you to do this whole masterpiece? Did you start small and then just keep going? or did you have the whole thing planned out in the beginning? Like others have said, it is what I envision for my yard, but when you are looking at a big stretch of nothing but sod... Thank you for showing us your lush, beautiful yard. Also, did you lay the stepping stones yourself, and what are they sitting in? Thanks so much!

Really beautiful! Very sophisticated, romantic and charming.

I just love all your stone.....perfect touch.........smiles

Love it! It has that "secret garden appeal to it.

Oh, how magical! I can tell that you put a great deal of love into your garden. Thank you for making this world that much more beautiful. What an inspiration!

Wow, there's so much to look at. Lots of elements brought together beautifully.

Hi Blondie, I hope you enjoyed your walk through my garden, THINK SPRING. I plant my Spring blooming bulbs in September, giving them time to settle down before our LONG COLD WINTER. I deadhead all my Spring flowering bulbs BEFORE they go to seed. So none of their energy is wasted making seed and all energy goes to making a stronger bulb. I also 10-10-10 everything in Spring and after I deadhead the bulbs. I also give them a layer of compost. Remember THINK SPRING!