I garden in Madison, Wisconsin, zone 5a. I came to live here in Summer of '07. In Spring '08, I saw what the last gardener left behind. Lots and lots of plants but without a discernable design. In Spring '09, I was absent for weeks at a time from my garden. In Spring '10, I started taking notes and making plans but dove head first into grief in July. '11 and '12 passed with cleaning mulching. Spring of '13 has started late and I plan to return to my garden.