Ha, ha, ha. Did I meet my goals? Well, some, but I always over estimate what I can accomplish. Fortunately there is still fall to finish expanding one bed and get more plants out of the holding bed and into regular beds.

I moved the iris bed and will amend the soil there with compost and this year's mulched leaves preparing it for my tomatoes next spring.

Didn't hold the plant sale I had planned. Perhaps next spring.

Have started on a path from the back patio to the garden.

Like many others I have been adding shrubs and removing some perennials. Waiting for a couple of nurseries to put their shrubs on sale to buy more.

A garden is like housework. There is always more to do.

My goals?

I'm supposed to have had goals?

Uh-oh.

Yes....I'm very happy to say I did!!

I have added MANY plants (including lots of phlox thanks to sunny :), divided, moved, and extended beds. Even got all my weeding done and all edged. Plus, I cleaned the garage after my madness :)

All that's left is adding mulch to the new extensions. Well that's not all....I need to do lots of praying. Praying I will be satisfied next year ;0)

Got the borders deepened --DH rented a sodcutter which just about did him in! Now I have lots of extra space to plant. Still have amendments and mulch to get down.

I see rain in the forecast. It's bittersweet.

LOL Eric!

In some ways, goals can ruin the fun and relaxation of gardening. This year I have been always reminding myself that gardening is a hobby - and I should keep it fun (now that the stress of last year's garden tour is all done).

Lilsprout, if you got all the way done and cleaned the garage, I am super impressed! Somehow cleaning up is amazingly hard to do after you've exhausted so much energy digging and weeding and wheelbarrowing.If you don't love your results next year, I imagine you will enjoy yourself in the rearranging process. That is much easier than creating new beds or reclaiming neglected ones.

Nice Catkin, that you have more space now. Good DH to help make that happen! My DH has been more helpful this year too and it's just amazing how much more productive (and fun) it is when we are both working away at it. :)

I started strong, finished with a whimper. Set out a 60' hedge of hollies in the spring. Mulched more areas that used to be "lawn". Planted a banana tree.

It was a good year.

I too have been adding more shrubs and groundcovers. I had planned on improving the bed out by the road but the weeds were so bad I decided to focus on getting rid of them, I am not sure I have won.
I worked hard at improving combinations and got rid of some thugs.
But I am very proud to say I hired 2 boys to come and help for a couple of hours a week. My husband's MS has progressed and he can't do the yard work like he used to. With hiring the boys we both have more time to do what we enjoy the most in the gardens.

My goal is not a garden, and so far this year I have had 19 consecutive weekends at the beach. So your topic title is appropriate.. Too bad you stuck in the words gardening. But I am enjoying those tomatoes.

Um, well, if I could remember what my goals where maybe....but as per, all has dissolved into the usual trials, recriminations, fond hopes and outright delusions of grandeur. Somewhere, I expect I will have promised myself to stay on top of the weeding (ha, as if) and I did, at least, sow a lot of clover in the woodland clearing (although the remains of 7 poplars are still lying around, as are the rapidly regrowing stumps)
As ever, complicated by dealing with 3 utterly different gardens and my terrible habit of aquiring far too many seeds with very little planning. Spring was a storming success having planted almost 3000 bulbs in the woods - sounds a lot but is, in reality, like looking at a lentil on a dinner plate....but hey ho, one has to start somewhere.....and for a few weeks, I certainly thrilled to the carpet of rather good double snowdrops (nothing to do with me though), the electric blue of english bluebells and jewel pockets of tiny narcissus.
The allotment roses looked (briefly) stunning....although my tendency of cramming massive ramblers in tiny spaces can no longer be ignored (although I did, to a large extent, once the blooms were over.......and if nothing whatsoever is accomplished this winter, I will have to cut back, dig and move at least 30 or so of the 'worst' offenders.....such as the massive Lens roses which I misread, thinking the labels said 6feet rather than 6 metres. Round about July, after planting a new part of the allotment (I convinced myself I was buying stock plants for future propagation), the effort of attempting to actually garden as opposed to simlpy fighting through the thickets to even walk about, exhausted me and I more or less gave up, only just coming back to life with the promise of a new season (autumn always feels like the start of my gardening year) whereupon the process can begin anew.....and as the vast seed collection grows, I can definitely state that I have learned next to nothing about planning and preparation and, am, once again, mired in fantasyland where all gardens are perfect and exist in some unspecified future (hence leaving me free to observe, make wise predictions (which are unlikely to come true) and less wise plans. Thankfully, budgeting has stayed my hand from doing another giant bulb order (only 900 this year...and mostly easy ones such as erythroniums, aconites, cammassias....while the hoped for hedging whips are unlikely to appear until after Xmas.
I am, however, back in my comfort zone of staring at rows of pots waiting to be filled with soil and seeds, where everything is only promise and potential with not a sniff of dangerous reality intruding on the (brilliant) gardens in my head.
Faced with the usual mind-numbing prospect of hours of picking and preserving, I simply removed the nets from the redcurrants and allowed the blackbirds to feast unhindered....I cannot imagine what puritan demands forbade me from doing this over the last decade of summer jamming nightmares. especially since the cupboards are still groaning with jellies and jams stretching back 3 years....but next year, to hell with this earth-mother impulse (especially since I have Nutella on my breakfast toast)....the birds can have the lot. On the other hand, thanks to regular interweb updates from Blightwatch, I did have a decent tomato harvest (and have been smirking ever since as the allotment slackers, having failed to get the copper sprays out then leaving their diseased plants for all and sundry, have mostly failed to harvest any tomatoes and very few potatoes). Gardening in public, far from the touted virtues of community and good fellowship, largely result in homicidal mutterings, attempted sabotage and immense plot envy.....

Back home, I have been infecting the more outlying family members with gardening disease....and divesting myself of numerous pots and planters in their direction. The poor deluded fools are actually grateful.....while I am totting up the many free hours I will no longer have a watering can glued to my hands and can indulge in writing vitriolic letter to members of parliament, town officials and the local scandal sheet (where I am happy to provide endless copy).

So yep, pretty much like last year....and those before.

My goals, oh my gosh. I moved in to my first house in November last year and got the gardening bug in May (a little late, but plenty of time to have many trial and errors!). I had many goals in the beginning... the previous owners had done nothing with the yard in the front or back so it was pretty much a clean slate.

I learned A LOT. I also spent A LOT... and next year I need to curb that because while I love looking at my garden grow, I do not like eating $1 ramen for dinner haha.

I had several plants not make it and plants that I changed my mind about. My basil did great, but my peppers didn't produce. I got in late with some beans seeds, but they still gave me a few good handfuls for dinner (and are still producing). I planted a lot of perennials and shrubs. My goal was to learn and experiment, and I definitely did all of that!

Ha, ha, very entertaining thread. Beach tomatoes, oh my!

One of my goals is to get the garden organized so I spend less time gardening and more time having fun elsewhere and traveling. Only made slight progress there and have a busy fall ahead to get more of that done. But this afternoon I'm off to visit the main greenhouse of a local nursery while DH attends a meeting nearby. Am hoping to pick up a yellow mammoth mum and am steeling my resolve not to pick up many other plants. But...if they have an interesting variety of helenium and assortment of bulbs....

Karin, I know you garden in the freezy north but let me introduce you to Rosa Fillipes, aka Kiftsgate....which can romp to well over 12 metres. Ayreshire Splendens and Pleine de Grace are mere tiddlers at around 20 feet each but Rambling Rector and The Garland are also pushing 8metres or so....and are languishing in my 6 x 120 metre wide plot (although reaching desperately skywards). Naturally, the standpipe is at the very furthest point (from the thirsty veggies), right next to the scree gardens and xeriscaping (yet another planning fail)..

Am having a long-running infatuation with briar roses....and will, at least, have enough space to let them have their thorny way. (in the woods).....although children and small dogs may vanish forever.

So true, Karin! Many hands make light work!

bulb order (only 900 this year...and mostly easy ones such as erythroniums, aconites,

campanula, what is the secret of getting winter aconite to arise in the spring having planted it from corm/bulb in the Fall? It is my understanding that success isnt very high using corms as they are often too dry and instead use...seed? This plant appeals to me due to its very early ascension in spring.

This post was edited by rouge21 on Sat, Sep 27, 14 at 7:36

My goal was the get the cottage area revamped since we changed out the fence, and also try to spend less money this year. Ummmmm.........neither quite worked out. I'm an admitted plant addict, so I know I'll never be able to budget for my garden. The woodchuck did a number on the garden this year.....and then there were two. ((Sigh)). I had sowed lots of annual seeds in hopes of filling in the cottage area during the changes. The woodchuck loved those. Now that the chuckers are gone some things are finally growing/blooming. Somehow I was still really pleased with the cottage area even though it was being destroyed fairly regularly. They stayed away from the roses we planted and at least the lupines they were devouring were seedlings, so I should still have a good show with those next year.

We did rip out a lot of our slope of the left and planted a some dwarf evergreens, heather, roses and others. That was an unexpected project that we were really happy about working on. Still lots of slope to go, but we have a great start.

I did a lot of relaxing and enjoying the garden this season which was really nice. And lots of strolling and thinking........many ideas for small changes that I think will help certain areas.

Karin, with all your stonework, on a smaller level, have you ever thought of doing any mosaic paths or medallions in the garden. I've been considering attempting something like that in a couple areas. Have a wonderful, safe time on your trip! Happy skiing!

Hey T2D,

So - you did manager to somehow rid your garden of woodchucks? You don't need to tell us how that was accomplished, but I bet that's a huge relief that plants can actually grow now. Good thing they didn't molest your new orange roses.

Your slope area - is that the one you showed in a thread about converting a perennial garden to have more shrubs? I remember you had a sloped area with a nice assortment of mature shrubs. If you changed that area I'd be interested in knowing why, since that is the exact look I am going for.

I have not attempted a mosaic but that is a great idea. Are you going to try it? It would be relatively simple: just prep a sand bed, gather an assortment of stones, and arrange/rearrange to your heart's content. In addition to natural rocks, leftover pieces from a place that makes kitchen countertops would be really fun. You could have marble or whatever else suits your fancy.

Relaxing in the garden. Huh. Doesn't that seem like the last thing we get around to? :)
We're getting better about that too. Our main seating area in the garden now has afternoon shade thanks to maturing trees, and we hang out there a lot more often now.

Speaking of goals - I've had a pile of mulch on the driveway for so long I think it's in our Google Earth pictures. But yesterday I shoveled up the last of it and swept the spot clean. Whoa... it feels odd to have it gone. Of course I need more mulch now but we can enjoy the clean, empty driveway for at least a little while, can't we?

Hi Karin, Yes, the woodchucks are gone. The big one that was really devouring everything was forty pounds. He really was a monster. I didn't even know they got that big!

I don't think I'll ever change the right hand side of my slope which is mainly shrubs with a few easy perennials tucked in. It's so easy and always interesting, and I'm still happy when I drive home and see it! The left hand side we have ignored for a little while and actually, last winter pretty much killed off all the spreading juniper which was odd. Kind of forced us to do something this year, but it's so rewarding now that we're moving forward with it. Trying the same concept on that side but with different choices and more evergreens. I'm hoping the deer won't like my choices.........

Aside from my cottage area and shade gardens, most of my yard is made up of trees and shrubs with perennials tucked in. With a large garden it makes the upkeep so much easier and I can ignore it when I have to, so not always a slave to the garden. Right now the viburnums and others are all in berry and colors are starting to change. Shrub roses are still going strong and the late-flowering caryopteris are all abuzz throughout the yard.

I've been happy to hear that you and others are adding more shrubs to your garden. You should look up Nhbabs to see some of her pictures of her large shrub garden. I think it is really close to your style and all seasons are covered for interest. It's really outstanding.

Yes, you are right, Rouge - winter aconites can be really tricky to establish in autumn, especially if you have heavy soil or the corms have dried out (same with erythroniums and galanthus too). If you manage to get freshly dug corms (tubers?) and have free draining soil, they will establish....but often, a better bet is to lift them while they are in growth ('in the green') and plant in spring. This is a common method in england and many nurseries will send out trays of plants 'in the green'

They are easy in my chalky (alkaline) sandy woods, especially if they get a bit of easterly morning sun...although they will grow in the most inimical conditions amongst tree roots, they hate compacted soil. You could throw a handful of grit in the planting holes......

I did way more than meet my goals. My only goal for this year was to buy a nice new rose and some honeysuckle, remove the scraggly thorn bush, and then put the new rose where the bush used to be.

I did that (which was much much harder than I expected!), but I also put down all new landscaping timbers around my existing beds, extended the living room window bed about 4' into the yard (new timbers there too), and bought a bunch of different plants (some perennials). I also moved the decorative grass to behind the fence (so now it's not hanging over the sidewalk so we have to walk through it), and moved a very sickly knockout rose from under the living room window to where the grass used to be, which is a much sunnier spot for it. That rose is now looking fantastic! I don't know why the previous tenant decided to put it in its previous shady spot, but oh well, because it's much happier now.

I've also finally won the war against the mint and wild violets.