@Carin
I think garden features make a garden more interesting when combined with the proper plants. I've made some mistakes in the garden but that's just the learning process. I'm ready to take on a new garden design in a different garden somewhere in the near future.

@flower_nut I love garden features--they don't die, get eaten by my chickens or goats, or by foot long banana slugs. They thrive in shade & you don't have to water them.

@Carin
It's fun tinkering with dirt and rocks in a garden. Garden art is in the eye of the beholder. With so many slugs and snails, I expressed my impression with something like a whale.

@flower_nut Very nice! I also like how you incorporated the small stump & native rocks into your landscape creation.

@itsmedammit
We removed the deck and made it smaller so we could have garden level seating. It's a great place to get out of the sun and watch the garden grow.

@Rustee
I like rare and unusual plants you don't normally see. The photo with the doorknob and lizard has a miniature rhododendron which was purchased last year. I'm looking forward to seeing it bloom.

@flower_nut - I have some of the same plants, and still working on my yard (I've been in this house about a year), so I share your interest! Please do share more photos!!

@Rustee
Most new homeowners are excited to have a wonderfully landscaped yard. In my opinion, it takes many hours each year to keep up with hundreds of different plants in a landscaped garden. Our landscape is 15 years in the making and it still evolves each season. If you don't want change don't have a garden. It requires constant attention with blood, sweat and tears. I was full of piss and vinegar building our landscape over the years. I look back and wonder how the hell I did it now that it's done? Gardening became my addiction and there's nothing better to be addicted to than gardening. Happy designing and enjoy the comfort that comes with a garden bed.

@flower_nut - When I bought this house it was pretty much a blank canvas, so I have had fun making it into a garden to enjoy! I have some physical limitations, so have had to hire help, but I can still enjoy the rewards!

@Rustee
Our yard was a blank canvas also. The ground is mostly rock and required a serious overhaul. I made our gardens in phases with a new one each year. I only hired a truck driver to deliver material and did the rest of the work myself. Important tools were a wheelbarrow, shovel, rock bar, garden rake and quarter-inch mesh screen. Having buckets with handles are very useful for planting and amending the garden. When you get into it you'll find a routine that works for you. I wish I was starting over with what I know now! Have you considered a built-in water system for your gardens? If money isn't a problem I would install them for each garden. How about lighting? Would you want to light up your garden? Pick out what trees or shrubs you want and plant them first. You can always build a nice garden from a well-planted shrub or tree down the road. I like miniature trees they only grow a few inches per year and provide interest throughout the seasons.
A garden is only limited by the limits the gardener adds. The dynamics can be designed to limit your limitations in the garden. If that makes any sense?

@Heidi68
This year will be much different. I have major changes coming to the garden this year. As soon as I can dig in the garden I'll share my plans with everyone.

@flower_nut exciting! I wish I could/would make plans - I just see something, but it and randomly put it wherever...

@Heidi68
I'll buy a plant and have no idea where it will get planted. With so many plants adding new ones causes the domino effect of shuffling plants around. I'm getting better by staying away from garden centres and giving away plants that I split. Real estate is limited in our garden and spring will show what died and survived.

@Redheadedgammy
The past week has been above freezing during the day. I hope the ice melts before we get more snow. The past few years we've had a big snow dump at the end of March and I end up doing this!

@flower_nut That's a lot of snow! Is April a little warmer? I was up in B.C., town of Golden, where my Uncle lives back in 2017, and it was nice most days, but still rather cool enough for a jacket, but no snow...LOL

@Redheadedgammy I was gonna say the same thing. That is a LOT of snow. The only thing we have now is a lot of pollen

@Redheadedgammy @Zoohome
We have our ups and downs in the spring but generally, it's above freezing during the day. We still get snow but it won't stay long. April is a critical month for the garden. We get frost and snow but generally, it's not too bad. Once plants start to grow and a cold snap comes the plant may die. I'd like to have the weather warm up without getting another freeze afterward. The risk of frost is pretty low at the end of May in Nova Scotia, but anything can happen.

@Cast1es
Yes. A few more warm days and the ice in the yard will melt. I'm waiting for our crocus and hyacinth to sprout.