Hello All -

The database here is vast and so far I haven't seen anything like what I have, perhaps there is and I just haven't found it.

I am a newbie and have made two or three posts so far and though this is a bit embarrassing I am going to post five pictures. I basically have a clean slate to work with so I am excited about getting stuck in and turning my backyard in a garden. After the type of Florida winter we've had, a broken irrigation system and a pack of three dogs; well need I say more.

So here are the pictures that were taken on Saturday, March 10, 2018...



It is done!

I will be keeping an ongoing record of my progress. This weekend I plan to be getting a few plants bought but first the collection of dog bones need to go and I want to rake up the dead vegetation that laying about.

I love the trees Rhonda, I have seen Floridians make their yards into an oasis with so many nice plants. You'll eventually want to spend all your time there!

I agree with Kabby!

I love the bones of garden furniture and those big palms. And it's so nice and private. It will be so fun to transform in to your own. Love the dogs too.

Welcome. Hope you love it here.

Laurie

My sister lives in St. Petersburg and she did her backyard in stone! She has no sense of adventure! Have fun and keep us posted with your progress.

Do be honest I think you could spend a good deal of energy, time and money on fixing things only to have your dogs destroy it in a very short time. Do you have a long term plan on paper of what you want it to look like when you are done? You should just have a very general idea, it doesn't have to be really specific. I have found that that is so handy because it prevents costly bouts of changing your mind later on. (well its SUPPOSED to anyway ) It would be great to take say 1/3 of the yard and fence it off with some chainlink, so that way the dogs will have a whole 'yard' of their own to play without being in trouble. They can play in their portion while you garden the other. This way you can have whatever you want-small fishpond or water feature, more expensive plants ect and you don't have to worry about them.You can even plant a few shrubs ect to cover the fence partially so it isn't an eyesore.

From all gardening programs and my own experiences I've found this to be the best course of action:

1) "Meten is weten" is what we say so MEASURE, MEASURE and MEASURE your property(boundaries), all existing structures and put it on paper.
2) determine what to keep and what's to go (buildings, fences, trees...)
3) make a list of what you want FROM and IN your garden (trees, walls, hedges, raised beds, shade, sun, terrace, water feature/pond....) and give them a rating
4) BOUNDARIES! they'll take up some space (hedges more than a picket fence) I see so many people starting flower beds etc and then destroy them later on because a fence/wall/hedge still needs to go in. You're better off working from the outside in. The sooner you decide on this the better I think.
5) think about what you acutally CAN have (limited space usually is the deal breaker)
6) put it out on paper. it's best to take your time and think about it. you're propably going to change it multiples times until you're satiesfied
7) lay it all out using spray paint, sticks and twine....anything to visualize it IRL. Now you can still adjust sizes
8) start with construction of any buildings and hard surfaces (terrace, deck, hard stone paths...) and digging (pond)
9) finally PLANTING: a) if you're going for (a) hedge boundary(ies), put those in first
b) (large) trees. it's easier to plant around them than trying to tip toe through
your lovely flower, never mind digging a big hole without uprooting and
tossing them
c) shrubs
d) (taller) perennials
e) groun cover
f) bulbs

Ofcourse do keep in mind: soil, water, temperature and light. These ultimately determine your plant choice