I do not live in a climate which is anywhere close to yours, so I can't help, except to say that that appears to me to be the PERFECT place for a climber! You need a rose which is a cold hardy climber - I believe there are lots on the market, but living in CA I never think about them. I know there are breeders who breed nothing but cold hardy roses. Even though you are in zone 6, I think that would be very important, because your rose would be exposed to the elements all winter, and you would not be able to bury it or wrap it up. You would want the climbing canes to survive winter as much as possible. Hopefully someone who lives in a cold region will see this. Also, you can contact your nearest Rose Society, and ask them. Good Luck - great idea! Jackie

Lazy gardens - there is ant much space to widen the sidewalk. We don't mind the walkway for now but we will keep it in mind for future projects! Yardvaak - that looks great! Thank you. We actually just limbed up the tree but maybe should have done a bit higher. Any specific plant recommendations? I guess you tried to draw in crape myrtle on the left? Hedges in front of the door? What specific shrubs did you envision? Also ornamental grass on the corner of the house?? I like the idea of connecting the oak tree with the other bed - nothing is growing there anyways.. other than weeds so maybe some ground cover there, although I cannot decide whether I want pachysandra or Vinca minor there?

""planting shorter grown varieties..." Yeah, but what's the point? ;)" EBs are a novelty item. They were designed commercially for two determinate tomato plants and work well for that. That was the original purpose/point, to get more tomatoes and not fall down, and then to mass market this through a sales network. The point was not to grow indeterminates, but that won't stop us lol. Not sure I know the EB stakes (or CityGarden, which sounds like another EB "clone"). Is that the trellis EB stake to the sides with netting you want to stick on the CityGarden? Didn't think it was 5 feet tall. If you have that trellis design already and aren't buying new stuff, and it secures well, just use a combination by strapping a couple of bamboo poles to the horizontal support tube. Still 2D unless you bury them in opposite bottom edges making an X from a side view, but you'd have height and more stability. But JMO and I'm not really sure about the attachment of the EB stuff you mentioned to the CityGarden thing. Best PC

Dig Doug's Designs - WOW! I love your ideas! Especially adding the birdbath and bird house design. I have canna that I over winter so I can definitely put them into planters. Never thought to place planters on the steps as well. What do you propose to use as the landing material? You have something grey there. Thank you so much for your input and effort. In your 2nd pic - do you have a hibiscus one one side and the spirea on the other?