[Mermade]

I'm definitely interested in gardening and landscaping. I know nothing about desert landscaping so I couldn't contribute at all there.

We have vegetable, herb and flower beds. I also have any number of projects going on. Minor stuff--I just put down some weed blocking fabric and mulched with redwood compost in all the front beds. I planted some larger flowering bushes in the back: white mystery gardenias and some barely pink (I forget the name) camellias that I hope will eventually fill in and cover a sort of unsightly part of the yard. Major--There are three larger landscaping projects that I'm thinking about doing over the next couple of years. First, we're making up plans for a treehouse we're going to put in a huge tree we have in the back. Second, we don't really know what to do with a patch of our back yard that got overrun with weeds. I killed it off and was planning to reseed in the spring, but I didn't get around to it. The problem is that we've got a bigger problem in that area. In the big rains we had year before last much of the topsoil was carried to the back of the property making that lawn area unlevel. Establishing a new lawn will help prevent further erosion but we are also kicking around the idea of putting in a small retaining wall before leveling that area of the yard and then seeding or sodding. Meanwhile we've got a big dustbowl back there until we decide what to do. The third thing we've got is an area that is completely shaded by two enormous trees. Grass doesn't grow back there. I definitely want to make some beds and put in some shade flowers but beyond that I'm not sure. I vacilate between putting in a pattern of brick or stone with plants between (baby's tears, irish moss, or somesuch) or maybe putting in a dry bed running to a small recirculating pond. I probably won't get to this project until next year at any rate, so I have time to think about it.