2. Transplanting perennials: transplanting disturbs the roots, reduces water uptake, and leads to temporary wilting or, in extreme cases, death. Direct sunlight and low humidity increase the rate of moisture loss through the leaves of transplants. Giving shade or reducing the leaf area will reduce the moisture loss. Cool, cloudy weather is ideal for transplanting. Ease of transplanting depends also on the root system. Plants with a mass of fibrous roots transplant easily, because you can pick up a solid plug of soil and roots; those with taproots or coarse roots are harder to transplant.

3. Telling weeds from garden plants: (a) get an experienced gardener to help. She will know the common weeds in your region and will recognize some of the garden plants (b) patrol the garden once a week. Whenever a plant produces an unattractive weedy flower, pull it up.

As far as telling one plant from another:
I am pretty sure that I see Aegopodium podagraria (aka goutweed, bishops weed, snow-in-the-mountain) in those photographs. it is the variegated, three leaved plant. Watch out for this one. Extremely invasive and grows rampant by underground rhizomes (like underground stems that will pop up sometimes far, far from the original plant) as well as by seed. It can choke out anything. Some people plant it as a ground cover, but that is something I would be very careful with. Just too invasive. Do not pull or till it up though, if you decide to get rid of it, as every little piece of rhizome left underground can regenerate a new plant. It has to be dug up very carefully.

I have done my share of digging it up, that is for sure. I dug up a whole bed filled with perennials to eradicate it, basically rinsing root systems of other plants off and removing every last piece of the plant, roots, rhizomes and all. It was even growing rhizomes through the center of decaying roots from the tree that came down in the middle of the bed, several feet away from the main infestation. It was hard but worth it, and I was able to save everything I had to dig up. Some stuff sat in boxes as I dug the rest of the bed, but survived to be replanted.

Yeah, I am not a fan of goutweed. I was able to get rid of it though. I still cruise the suspect areas each spring just to make sure it does not rear it's head.

If you move plants around, I would really try and not spread the goutweed unless you really, really know you want it around.

Here are a couple links to help you make your decision:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegopodium_podagraria

http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/aegpod/all.html

I think it can be very attractive both the blooms and the foliage, grows well around here. In my opinion, that would be worth saving! Lucky you to have it!

You are going to find all sorts of great stuff out there, I am sure!!

These are a sure sign of spring when they flower. I think they can be very pretty, too. Some think they can be weedy, but a weed is just a plant growing where you don't want it. I think they are pretty, as opposed to the goutweed, for example!!

I'd pretty much spend the season observing everything. If you want to get your gardening jones on, plant some annuals for color. That way you can enjoy some new plants and see what is going on out there already as the seasons change.

As things grow, mark plant with sticks or whatever markers you can. I use rings of small stones and pebbles for bulbs and stuff, take notes with corresponding pictures as things grow and flower. Come spring you will have markers and places marked to know where things are you may wish to move, and even perimeters to know how far to around to dig if lifting crowns of plants and such. It will be helpful to be able to refer to your pictures, notes and markers, and much easier to move the plants as they are breaking dormancy than now. Plus, you have a whole winter to plot and conspire where everything should go, lots of charts and graphs to keep you busy all winter! That is what I do in the "off season"!

I am sure if you post other pictures around the forums as well as here, others will be able to help you identify some of what you have. Wander garden centers in your area, too, and see if you can match some of you plants that way. Local nurseries can be helpful with identifying things, take in a sprig of the unknown and often you can come out knowing exactly what it is.

(That is how I identified my goutweed by the way. They just looked at my plastic baggie in horror and said "Where did you get THAT!" LOL!)

Do you have a local garden club- a rose club or an iris society, maybe? You could join and get some of the members to come over and give you a lesson on weeds.

Renee