YES! Limbing up is exactly what I'm looking for. We're having some horribly expensive brickwork done next summer and the house will be looking even spiffier (blew our minimal budget on leveling the foundation this summer), but even with the somewhat wonky brickwork it's still a pretty house and deserves to be seen from the road. After taking down the chainlink I was so happy when we pulled into the driveway and saw the front of the house. I didn't realize how much that fence was detracting from the curb appeal. I also remembered the little brick ledges on the house under the windows. I think they're intended for flower pots, at least that's what my neighbor uses hers for. I will definitely be doing that. Question: almost all houses in my neighborhood only have rectangular flower beds in front. I figured it was an era thing. Should I still go for a lima bean shape? I'm going to drive with my friend through similar-era neighborhoods in Houston and take pictures of front gardens for inspiration. (I live on the east side near U of H, but the Heights, River Oaks, Eastwood, West University and other (much more upscale) neighborhoods were all built with brick bungalows in the 1930s.) Thanks to all of you all for your advice! You've def got the ball rolling in my head.

The banana peppers were actually planted earlier, in with some flowers in my front yard. They were tiny plants and have probably been in the ground for around 2 months. I should have bell peppers from the SFG in a week or so. I have been harvesting them for a couple of weeks now, but not that many.

Posters will thank you for that link, andrea. If you want to use GWs method of linking, just copy that address you listed above and paste it in the OPTIONAL LINK URL box underneath the GW message box. Next, type in some kind of identifying title/heading in the NAMEOF THE LINK box underneath the URL box. Like type in PAPPU'S BEAUTIFUL ROSES. Now click PREVIEW box and you should see the link underneath the message box. Note: When you first go to a message box, those link boxes do not appear. Just click on PREVIEW and the next view you get of the message box will include the two link boxes underneath. Hope that helps. Kate

Julie, the hostas in the urns stay there year around (at least for the last two years including the two winters). But I can do things that people in most places, including most of MI and WI, can't do. I live on the Keweenaw peninsula and we have lake effect snow... big time! Last winter was mild. Only 163 inches of snow. The winter before we had 288 inches. In both cases, we maintained an average 30+ inches on the ground at all times. So the tops of those urns were under an additional 15 or more inches of snow. Heaving and winter kill is definitely NOT a problem here! That's the only thing I love about all that snow :-) Julie and Linda, the aegopodium (Snow on the Mountain) was here when we bought the house. It doesn't seem to have spread at all in the past two years, so maybe it just doesn't like conditions here all that well. The vinca and generic stella like daylilies are much more problematic as they seem to pop up everywhere. The vinca is pretty, but there's just too much of it. The daylilies are in the shade and never bloom so they are not something I want there. i-like-to-grow, we started a hen and chicks (sempervivum) collection last summer. There was a great place that we ordered from online. They had a huge variety and really good prices. I've been searching this morning but couldn't find the url to pass on. I can't imagine I didn't bookmark it somewhere, so if I find it, I will share :-) On the other hand, collecting hen and chicks will NEVER be like collecting hosta! At least not for us :-) They are just a great extra dimension for the garden and are easy to grow!