Sunday, September 30, 2012

Year 'Round Garden Planning With OCD (edited AGAIN: 10/23/13)


Edit 10/23/2013:

The layouts are all different. There are 52 for fall 12 for winter, 32 for spring, and 9 for summer. The main thing I learned since originally posting this is that garden planning is never complete. But the changes mostly come because I decided instead of Cabbage to have a Halloween decoration and Christmas decorations. The below charts are in the format of the new charts so it's still a good example of OCD but this is what I recommend this post for: I mention what's wonderful about each season.

I'm not posting that many layouts unless I get enough readers asking to see the layouts but to warn you I might have to do it through acrobat reader and that means links. What I might do is just layout pictures. That will be a future post. This is a popular post. If I can figure out why, I would do a separate post on that. OCD? The layouts for gardeners? What's great about the seasons? You tell me what you like about it. If I do that layout post I'll put the link below.


Okay so I've edited this post a lot. I keep changing the layout of the garden. But this one feels complete. Okay it's not complete and changed many times since posted. I  hope what I have actually is complete. Well, I'll be honest, as complete as I can promise for someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Edits are in Orange.

Last year in August, as Fall approached, I started talking about signs of Fall on this blog. Fall is my favorite season but there is something to love about all of them. I mentioned all my gardening plans in past posts and I finally made a spreadsheet for how it will all fit in my garden for all the seasons including a transition time for Spring and Fall when the Summer flowers overlap. This all started on my walk.

I walked by the nursery where I get my plants and flowers and it's just so beautiful in there. I ended up with two small red Mums. Squirrels have started eating my pumpkins. As I mentioned before, I have spare pumpkins inside to replace those but three out of six have already had to be replaced. I was hoping at least the pumpkins would last past Thanksgiving. The Mums will start to die after the first frost. So I replaced one eaten pumpkin and got the two small mums. I moved the eaten ones out of the way and now use two pumpkins.

It made me think about how I will set it up the flowerpots next year.I want something to fill the space better in the Summer. The problem is most flowers that you get in April last into mid September or longer. White Begonias are what my Mom gets and the flowers I got Zach in July when he wanted flowers just for himself. I also liked the Daisies we get Josh's Mom for Mother's Day so I'll be planting those too.  I'll be getting seven 12" pots next year including one for the Sunflower to go in front of the Foresythia next year. The Foresytha is easy: Spring is five Yellow Tulips, Summer is the Sunflower and Fall is the Mum. It's already crowded this year so I wanted to figure out how I can fit it all next September. The chairs are against the building so the front row in the garden is the bottom row in each chart See below:

Fall 1
Japanese Holly Single Chair                     Double Chair
   
  White Begonia White Begonia White Begonia  
  Orange Marigold Orange Marigold Orange Marigold Orange Marigold  
  Yellow Marigold Daisy Yellow Marigold  
Pachysandra   Daisy Yellow Marigolds (2) Daisy  
  Pumpkin Decoration Pumpkin Decoration  
  Mums  
                                                   
Fall 2
Japanese Holly Single Chair   Yellow Marigold   Double Chair
Yellow Marigold
  Yellow Marigolds (2)  
  White Begonia White Begonia White Begonia  
  Orange Marigold Orange Marigold Orange Marigold Orange Marigold  
  Mums Mums Mums  
Pachysandra   Daisy Daisy Daisy  
  Pumpkin Decoration Pumpkin Decoration  
  Small      Mums Medium Mums Mums Medium Mums Small     Mums  
                      Pumpkin                      
Fall 3
Japanese Holly Single Chair                     Double Chair
   
  White Begonia White Begonia White Begonia  
  Orange Marigold Orange Marigold Orange Marigold Orange Marigold  
  Mums Mums Mums  
Pachysandra   Daisy Daisy Daisy  
  Pumpkin Decoration Pumpkin Decoration  
  Small      Mums Medium Mums Mums Medium Mums Small     Mums  
                                                   
Fall 4
Japanese Holly Single Chair                     Double Chair
   
  Mums Mums Mums  
   
  Small      Mums Medium Mums Mums Medium Mums Small     Mums  
Pachysandra    
  Pumpkin Decoration Pumpkin Decoration  
   
                                                   
Fall 5
Japanese Holly                                                    
   
   
   
   
   
Pachysandra    
  Pumpkin Decoration Pumpkin Decoration  
   
                                                   

Hence the charts. I like charts, I have fun with charts. I chart a lot of things. As with all seasons, as flowers die modifications will be necessary but a basic layout helps. Even if most people don't plan this carefully the results are beautiful. In fact, here are the charts for the rest of the year. Merged cells don't show online (like the decorations) but you get the idea. This is a picture of what the garden looks like now, Fall 3ish:

Photobucket


This is Winter. The leaves of the Hyacinths start to sprout at the end of Winter so the decorations have to be past the line where the Pachysandra ends. There aren't any Winter blooming flowers here and Evergreens don't die at the end of the season so this is the best I can do. The pines are fake pine branch stakes with pine cones. At least they all light up:

Winter
Japanese Holly
Pine
Pine
Pine
Snowflake
Snowflake
Snowflake
Snowflake
Pachysandra


Now for Spring. Like Fall, Spring comes in five parts. That's because the Hyacinths bloom in March into April and I can't get the Begonias, Daisies, and Marigolds until mid April. But the Hyacinths aren't completely back in the ground when I first get the Summer flowers. I also love Pansies. We are getting them in March for Josh's Mom's Birthday present. Her Birthday is November 18th but it's what she really wants. I love them so added them in Here is Spring:

Spring 1
Japanese Holly Single Chair             Double Chair
 
Decorations  
 
 
Pachysandra White Hyacinth White Hyacinth White Hyacinth White Hyacinth  
Blue Hyacinth Blue Hyacinth Blue Hyacinth Blue Hyacinth Blue Hyacinth  
White Hyacinth White Hyacinth White Hyacinth White Hyacinth  
Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth
Spring 2
Japanese Holly Single Chair             Double Chair
Decorations  
 
 
Pansies Pansies Pansies  
Pachysandra White Hyacinth White Hyacinth White Hyacinth White Hyacinth  
Blue Hyacinth Blue Hyacinth Blue Hyacinth Blue Hyacinth Blue Hyacinth  
White Hyacinth White Hyacinth White Hyacinth White Hyacinth  
Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth
Spring 3
Japanese Holly Single Chair   Decorations   Double Chair
   
  Pansies Pansies Pansies  
  White Begonia White Begonia White Begonia  
   
Orange Marigold Orange Marigold Orange Marigold Orange Marigold  
 
Yellow Marigold Daisy Yellow Marigold  
Daisy Daisy  
Blue Bird Yellow Marigolds (2) Red Bird  
Pachysandra White Hyacinth White Hyacinth White Hyacinth White Hyacinth  
Blue Hyacinth Blue Hyacinth Blue Hyacinth Blue Hyacinth Blue Hyacinth  
White Hyacinth White Hyacinth White Hyacinth White Hyacinth  
Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth Pink Hyacinth
Spring 4
Japanese Holly Single Chair             Double Chair
Decorations  
Pansies Pansies Pansies  
White Begonia White Begonia White Begonia  
Orange Marigold Orange Marigold Orange Marigold Orange Marigold  
Pachysandra  
Yellow Marigold Daisy Yellow Marigold  
Daisy Daisy  
 
Blue Bird Yellow Marigolds (2) Red Bird  
 
 
                         
Spring 5
Japanese Holly Single Chair             Double Chair
Decorations  
 
White Begonia White Begonia White Begonia  
Orange Marigold Orange Marigold Orange Marigold Orange Marigold  
Pachysandra  
Yellow Marigold Daisy Yellow Marigold  
Daisy Daisy  
 
Blue Bird Yellow Marigolds (2) Red Bird  
 
 
                         

Finally, here is Summer. It'll be a lot nicer with the added the Daisies and Begonias. I just need to get 7 more 12" pots. I get the plastic ones that look like clay pots.






Summer
Japanese Holly Single Chair             Double Chair
Decorations  
 
White Begonia White Begonia White Begonia  
Orange Marigold Orange Marigold Orange Marigold Orange Marigold  
Pachysandra  
Yellow Marigold Daisy Yellow Marigold  
Daisy Daisy  
 
Shell Yellow Marigolds (2) Shell  
 
Crab  
                     

I know I have talked a lot about my Garden lately. It's what's on my mind. That's what makes it OCD. This is a perfect example of OCD. No, I don't have to turn the light on and off 50 times before leaving and entering a room. What most people think of as OCD is actually only some signs of OCD and not everyone with OCD fits the stereotype. When I say I have OCD most people hear me try to give the short version of examples and respond with "I'm like that". What makes it OCD is if it controls your life. Think Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. I can't stop thinking about my garden. It's an additional way to decorate. It's something that dominates my thoughts and has some control of my life.

Oddly this was supposed to be a post about what I love about all the different seasons. Something else on my mind every day. I was thinking about what I love about each season while planning the gardens. That's because what makes each season wonderful revolves around nature.

Fall: The leaves falling from the trees. I love standing under a tree on a 55 - 65 degree sunny day as a sudden gust of wind blows leaves all around me.

Winter: Snow is beautiful but what I love about the Winter is it makes you pay attention the the Evergreens. The rest of the year has beautiful flowers and other colorful things. That makes Evergreens blend into the background. This is the time when Evergreens are appreciated the most.

Spring: Oh the color!!! When I look through my binder I see all the trees and bushes that bloom in the Spring as well as all the Spring flowers. Walking in 55 - 65 degree weather on a sunny day in the spring and admiring the beauty all around makes me smile. The color was missed throughout the Winter.

Summer: We tend to miss what nature has to offer in the Summer. We are focusing on the heat, humidity, and air pressure and not able to "soak it all in". We spend Summer in air conditioning or swimming. I love seeing people watering their lawns in the Summer. I like watering my parent's lawn in the Summer. Somehow it makes me think "refreshing". The lawn and garden need extra attention in the heat of the Summer and that makes me focus on the beauty around my home. As you water, you are taking some time to really stop and look at your yard and not just in passing.

It's something I am trying to encourage in Zach, an appreciation for everything nature has to offer. He's starting to ask me what different things are as we walk around together. Josh loves having his home inside and out be so beautiful and he helps with carrying the heavy stuff and rinsing out the containers when they are done. It's something he learned from me, how to truly appreciate nature.
 

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