The first post

I live in the beautiful community of Evergreen in Roland Park. No it's not in the Lake District of England, (I wish) but in Baltimore. It's a gorgeous little neighborhood with Victorian houses and duplexes. I'm hoping that this blog will inspire me to rip apart my garden and remake it. Dreammmmms! Anyway, I have an awful plot of grass right now as the yard is quite shady. This is what I have to work with:

1. Two gorgeous trees in the back corners of the yard.
2. A cute little crab apple that must stay.
3. A scrappy dogwood that is half dead ( I cut the ivy off of it last year)
4. A couple of wild cherries that absolutely MUST go.
5. Lots and lots and lots of ivy, I'm invaded by ivy.
6. I've also got this japonaica bush which I stupidly planted in a stump last year, poor thing needs to be moved.

So I figure I have to come up with pretty shade gardens unless I cut down my big 70 year old trees (not going to happen). I went onto IVillage today. They have these great plans from country living. Take a look: http://magazines.ivillage.com/countryliving/garden/plans

You can limit by zone and everything on this site. I figure a few pot gardens. I like the tea one. An herb area (yeah I know, sun!) and then lots of hostas and maybe some crush & run paths. I hate my dead grass!

I'm guessing I'm going to have to start with a rototiller....