To imbed pictures into your thread, upload them to a photo hosting site. Search Google for such if you don't already have one you use. There are many free sites.

Once the picture is uploaded to the site, look for a link titled "share." Click on it and it will provide options to get various codes (for different size pictures, etc.) When you find the code for the full size picture, click on and highlight it. Use control & C to copy it. Then return to the message you are composing and use control and V to paste it directly into the message. If you got the right code, it will show up in preview. If not, go back and look other html code.

Thank you! I will do that in about an hour! :)

Okay, here is a link to some photos of the yard taken I guess two years ago. It looks sparse, some of these plants have grown larger. We did have acidanthera growing, but it was damaged during a very cold snap we had a few years ago, and I don't know if it will come up this year. I'm also realizing we have some bletilla striata as well.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/78143999@N07/6852359664/in/photostream

Here is a link that might be useful: Flikr photos

Your initial post is long with so many details that it doesn't exactly jump out to the reader what your question is. Then your link takes us to where you have many pictures. It's too time consuming to try to figure out which is the correct picture that matches up with your question. When you go to the picture you see the "share" link right there. After you click on it look at the bottom of the box and you'll see "grab the html code. Paste that code here.

After reading this, it seems like you're wondering what you can replace blueberry bushes and vinca with. If that's the case, I'd look at red-flowering currants for the blueberry and kinnikinnick for the vinca.

The kinnikinnick will definitely be an improvement over the vinca although it may take a bit to get established and start spreading. I have daffodils growing up through mine.

Thank you! I was actually thinking of the flowering currants too. We love them on the other side of the yard, I was just wondering how to incorporate them. I know they can get quite large, do you think this would be problematic bordering the lawn (since the space available between the pathway and the lawn is only about 3 feet wide.) That was one of the reasons I liked the sunshine blue blueberry so much, as it added some nice evergreen structure to the yard without being overbearing. I will definitely check Kinnikinnick. Is it easy to weed through? The vinca has been a nightmare, as has the corsican mint.

Poor summer aspect from the currant, keep that in mind. Like other low carpets the bearberry will have to be kept weeded, and often only does well really well on a sandy soil in full, hot sun. Otherwise you may get a thin cover with lots of blackening and spotting, the latter a problem with manzanitas in general in this region - even though hairy manzanita and bearberry are native here.

In the wild you often see bearberry growing out over rocks, road cuts and other barrens, ahead of taller plants that come in after it, take over if permitted to do so.

If you only have three feet, the currant will be too big. Maybe a snowberry or serviceberry. The serviceberry will eventually get too big but the ones I've seen in yards are very slow growing.

If you don't want it too tall, you could go with a penstemon but I'm not sure about their light requirements.