I am working on a gardening plan before I dig into the dirt. I initially planned to use just planters but I've changed my mind. I think I will try some in the ground planting as well using plants with bulbs I can dig up and take with me or ones that have to be replanted annually. 

I'd love to hear ideas since I am so undecided. If you have seen the pics of my house then you can see what I am working with basically for yard space. What doesn't show in the pics is that the fence makes a horseshoe yard around the house so I have that area to work with for planting since it's inconvenient for a child or family space.

 

       

I wanted to add the note that the area I want to use for functional planting can be seen from our window and our son's...AKA the people who love plants and trees most among us.

So I want to also be sure that when I plant, eye appeal is factored in.

 Are you going to plant vegetables or flowers? 

You might want to watch the yard for a year before committing to any large plan. It's sometimes hard to tell just how much sun an area will get, as well as what grows best in the soil. If there hasn't been a garden there before, haul in lots of compost and work it in.

When choosing plants, think about height and arrange them so they're pleasant to see, but don't block other plantings from sunlight. 

Both, Pat. I don't want anything large and extravagant right now.

I have my Canna Lily bulbs I am digging up and bringing over this week and the other florals I am interested in starting with are mostly all for the planters.  

I am more interested in getting some produce and herbs going. I am interested in having healthy fresh produce for less. So I was thinking a few things in the ground, some in planters and some herbs indoors.

 

 

 

 

 It's really hard to give good advice not knowing what you're dealing with. As long as you can get sunshine (from the pictures it looks like you can) and the ground is workable, I'd just arrange things according to what looks good to your eye. Straight rows are traditional, but by no means the only way to plant. My garden is a series of gardens, really. I have two raised beds, a corner plot and an area that used to be a flower bed which I had dug up and am working over for this year. Besides that I grow things in containers on the patio and a cement walk in the back yard. 

There's a school of thought about companion planting and I've played with it at times, but haven't seen any remarkable results. Maybe someone else will have had better experience to share on that. 

 I didn't expect anything but some ideas I can use that are more specific based on what I want and what can be seen of the yard. I have found some great pictures over the years of gardens/yards. But trying to decide what I really like out of that and how to make it work here can be overwhelming.

The soil we have holds moisture well. The yard has some spots where water will stand for a couple of days after a rain though so I have to work around that. The soil looks like the rich stuff we had before.

It looks like we have St. Augustine grass in most of the yard but due to the last tenants not tending the yard well, their pool and pets have caused several dead looking areas, it's hard to tell. I prefer St. Augustine as a yard cover. There are some other grasses that I can't identify by name.

I am sure Frank and I are to have an argument about the low spots in the yard. He wants to bring in dirt to fill those and raise them. I thought it was a good idea but after being here, I am not so convinced. It rather makes up a bit for a lack of marsh land around here.

 

 

Brandy:

He wants to bring in dirt to fill those and raise them. I thought it was a good idea but after being here, I am not so convinced. It rather makes up a bit for a lack of marsh land around here.

 

A free spirit and a traditional one? I'm familiar with that!

 Maybe you should pick up a gardening magazine or some books from the library? Landscaping at About (http://landscaping.about.com/) is really good for helping you think through things.  

Pat:

A free spirit and a traditional one?

 

He does like and plans to add water gardens whenever we buy our own home.

The low areas look like a temporary solution to me.

But I guess it was overboard to suggest my ceramic garden gators would make a great addition for a mini-swamp scene? 

 

 

If you have an area that gets full sunshine, an idea might be a zinnia bed.  Zinnias are heat loving annuals and they come in a variety of colors.  I love zinnias 'cause they are easy to grow, and in my garden in late summer & fall, their color just continues on until frost.  They're not only pretty, and easy, but they're good cutting flowers too and come in different sizes from giants to smaller "lilliput" types.  I like to bring in small bouquets of zinnias to add in the bathroom or kitchen.

I buy seed and start them indoors in April to get a head start.  But you can prepare a bed and sprinkle seed directly too.  You could edge the front of the bed with marigolds or something.  Knowing nothing about gardening in the south, I'm not sure how good this idea is for you, but they do like the sun & heat,

 Does anyone know how long seeds keep? I bought some awhile back when I started container gardening but never used them all. I wonder if they still would work.