If you could have your perfect garden...

How about: "All of the above" :).

If I could live somewhere I could garden all year (outside) I would be in heaven.

A warm ocean-side garden where there is no frost, temperatures moderate, regular moisture and rich soil.

I voted for other. I'd love more shade. The older I get the more the heat annoys me.

I voted for "Other." I already have the "perfect garden." I wouldn't ever move out of my current house or want someother space to garden. The garden changes and evolves constantly. Still a lot of work to do to complete my plans for my garden, but that kind of work is nothing but fun (and the fun never ends!) LOL

Jeremy

Other. We drove to St. Paul today to pick up vegetable garden supplies. All the way we drolled over the fields that would grow superior vegetables along the Minnesota river.

i would love to have less heat and more rain!

Woodland garden is my current fav, although all of the choices have their good points. I also agree with Growin, although that particular slice of heaven is outside of my reality.

My perfect garden could be any of the above, as long as it is quiet. I'd love to be able to go out any and every day at any time and not hear the neighbors' t.v., radio, parties, etc.

I said other. I love the gardens I saw in England and Ireland, though I'd have to learn how to garden all over again if I had that much rain and moderate temps. And I wish I had a garden where I could grow pines and spruces

I voted other. I want a woodland garden, farm, and I want some sunny spaces too. lol.

I'd have a small piece of property with both sun and shade - which I have, I just wish it had wonderful soil - not clay and rocks!

I have the perfect garden.....in my head. I constantly compare what I have to what would work better so it's always a work in progress as someone said above. My garden changes as something freezes and I replace it with something else or the drought gets it and I replace with something more xeric or I look and there is too much yellow over there and not enough blue over here or that spot needs something taller or shorter. I never tire of tending my jungle, researching and auditioning plants to see if they like to grow in my space. I like a natural look, one that looks like it just happened, not like I planted it. I doubt I could ever have perfection. There are just too many uncontrolled variables when it comes to gardening. There are my mistakes, my budget and then there is Texas weather as well. I often wonder what I would do if I ever got "what I wanted", if my garden ever looked like I wanted it to look. I think I might be despondent. I guess I like the dynamic aspect of gardening, that is on the days I'm not cussin' it.

I'd have a farm so I'd have room to have it all

I voted other. I'm very happy with my location,my containers,my plants. I can add more to my garden every year.
Vickie

I'm happy with my location as well and have had a lot of those garden choices over the years.

But of the choices, I picked adding a conservatory. I'd love that no matter where I was. ^_^

A Japanese garden by the sea with a conservatory.

Bingo! I vote for that, too!

To the person who wants to garden year round, come to Charleston. Flowers, even some carefree types, bloom here all year round. Likewise, you can grow vegetables (of one type or another) here year round. The only real downside is the punishing summer heat and humidity. That only lasts 2 months. The other 10 months of the year here are like a very long springtime.

My ideal garden would be a cottage garden overflowing with English roses, lilac, foxgloves, delphinium, irises, and poppies (among others), a garden with weeping willows, wisteria and golden chain tree blossoms dripping down from the heavens, a garden with gently arching, vine covered bridges over koi ponds with swans floating on the water, a garden much like Monet's garden at Giverny. To this garden I would also add free flowing grape vines, crabapples, ornamental cherries, weeping ornamental peach and apricot trees, etc to fill the spring sky with blooms and birds.

If space (and energy) remained for 3 other gardens, I would also love a potager near the kitchen for vegetables and herbs (I think Monet's garden may actually include this); a shady woodland setting with hostas, camellias, hellebores, and heucheras surrounding a wooden bench that invites passersby to sit and rest a 'spell'; and, finally, a southwest type cactus garden replete with various barrel and column cacti, agaves, and aloes, all interspersed with echeverias.

Edited because I can't spell and some may wonder why I want a medieval pheasant dish (pottage) in my garden.

This message was edited Apr 17, 2012 10:52 AM

minnesippi, come join us in AZ. I live in Mesa and garden year round, though the summer can be tough, the winter is very pleasant and offers many growing opportunities.

I still dont know why I stay in MN....smh.

Pirl, the first time I saw a picture of a Japanese garden, I was in love. I have tried to create the calm feeling.

I would have a feral cat farm where feral cats from TNR programs could be relocated to live out their lives in peace and quiet.

AYankeeCat,

What a unique, thoughtful, selfless, and just plan wonderful dream garden!!!

Thank you, Kwanjin. I love the serene look of a Japanese garden.

Very nice thought, YankeeCat.

i voted for "I'd have a small piece of property with both sun and shade". which i do have and live in a tropical zone and can and do garden all year. sometimes i think i am in heaven, but this has a plus side and a minus side. sometimes when i am working in the garden in november through january and february, i have a little yearning for snow so i could curl up on the sofa with a good book, but maybe only 2 days of snow. i can always read when the sun goes down. my garden is a "butterfly garden" with plants and trees that are all host plants and/or nectar plants for butterflies. the other nectar lovers like bees and hummers are happy in the garden as well. but i would like another adjacent property to add more trees, vines, and plants. more space would be nice, but i am sure not complaining.

i believe in the saying, "grow where you're planted" and that's what i try to do. it means putting up with all the disadvantages of the present location but also enjoying the perks. i will make do with the next home (no matter where it may be).

I voted for conservatory but my husband and I joke about building a giant conservatory with our house and yard inside. It would dampen the extremes of climate around here (cold, heat, drought, and wind.) We call it the Weatherdome 3000.

all of the above

I would have a one room house attached to my giant conservatory.
Martha

I'd love to have a conservatory then I could dabble in the dirt year round!

I voted other, because I have sun and shade and a small piece of property. 5 acres. Where we live, 5 acres is just a big yard. I wish the creek was close to the house so I could have some water plants. My biggest problem is with gnats and fire ants. I can't go out without the gnats getting in my eyes, and have to be careful to not step in fire ants. Luciee {;^)

luciee, try Amdro for the fire ants; you sprinkle some around each hill, they take it in and eat it and the colony dies.

Thanks, froggymom! Does that mean your kids are tadpoles?

luciee, it's frogymon, a caribbean amphibean. Actually, I just like frogs and a long time ago when I was trying to get my hotmail account set up this was the best frog related name I could get.

luciee - when we lived in MS, I used Ortho fire ant killer. They would be gone by the next morning. Nothing else seemed to work for me.
http://www.homedepot.com/buy/ortho/orthene-fire-ant-killer-12-oz-8779.html
They have it at Lowes & Home Depot I know for sure.

Steph

okay frogymon, i was just going to suggest to luciee that it means your kids are probably rastafarians :-D

I could hope they'd be that cool, but alas they've taken after their mother and are country music fans. I'm not even sure if they would know who Eek a Mouse is, but I think they'd at least know Bob Marley.