Honeysuckle - be sure you get a native, non-invasive variety. Clematis virginiana - although native, some, including Cornell U., consider this plant "weedy and invasive" Trumpet creeper - I'd stay away from this one - take a look at the USDA/NRDC fact sheet before buying: http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_cara2.pdf Be prepared to control any of these assertive vining plants, including the passiflora incarnata (passionflower vine, a/k/a Maypop) ... I have one and it spreads underground, popping up all over, even 8 feet away from the parent plant. What I see as missing is some year-round interest. How about some deciduous and evergreen shrubs (either needled or broad-leaved), spring bulbs, fall color? There are so many; just a few: Leucothoe is a native broad-leaf evergreen with small flowers similar to those on pieris; it is available in green and variegated varieties. Fothergilla, deciduous, early spring small white bottle-brush flowers, bright yellow fall foliage. If you have enough sun, winterberry holly will provide bright red berries for your visual enjoyment and the birds' sustenance through winter. You'll need male & female plants, unless someone in your neighborhood has a male plant. Ninebark (physocarpus) 'Diabolo' has deep red leaves that would echo your 'Forest Pansy' redbud. Digitalis is a biennial, so will die after its second year (or so they say ... I swear mine lived three), but will re-seed if it is happy. Herbaceous perennials, it's sooo hard to choose. Tiarella is one of my favorites, available in many varieties, some with red markings on the leaves; attractive leaves long after the delicate flowers are gone. Lungwort (plumbago) will form a nice groundcover in a shady spot; some varieties have silver-speckled leaves to brighten the shade; spring-blooming flowers start out pink and open blue, though some varieties will stay pink. Dicentras also - d. eximia is fern leaf bleeding heart, reblooms at end of summer when weather cools down; d. cucullaria is Dutchman's breeches. If you have at least half-sun, purple coneflower will give a decent bloom season and if you don't deadhead, birds, especially goldfinches, will really appreciate the seeds. Whatever they don't eat will sprout next spring. Native ginger also makes a nice groundcover in shade, and has the most interesting (if well-hidden) little flowers. There are so many to choose from - we are truly blessed here in the Garden State - I shouldn't even get started. I've left out tons of wonderful plants ... explore the web, local nurseries, public gardens (Mt. Cuba in Delaware and Bowman's Hill near New Hope PA are just two that focus on native plants). If you're anywhere near Monmouth County, stop in at Deep Cut Gardens in Middletown and check out the second largest horticultural library in the state (while you're there, ask for a copy of the list of Native Plants That Thrive in Monmouth County ... oh and the NPSNJ native plant list is printed out, arranged alphabetically by common name as well as by scientific name). I realize you want privacy, but try not to rush it - enjoy the process. The Native Plant Society of NJ has plant lists on their website - npsnj.org The NJ Invasive Species Strike Team has lots of information about all kinds of invasive species (plants, insects, mammals, pathogens) and a "Do Not Plant List" ... with so many invasives available commercially, I wish everyone had a laminated copy in their glove compartment! On his website, Doug Tallamy, Professor and Chair of the Dept. of of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, U of Delaware, has lists of the top beneficial plans for various regions. He also has an excellent essay on the importance of supporting wildlife through our gardening/landscaping efforts. bringingnaturehome.net P.S. Deep Cut Gardens is a county park, so no admission or parking fees. This post was edited by agardenstateof_mind on Fri, May 24, 13 at 19:18

In a planter, the plant needs to be more cold hardy than if it were in the ground. Consider those normally thought of as large shrubs. You limb them up into multi or single trunks, as you wish. There are no guarantees; pay your money and take your chances. Japanese maple, panicle hydrangea, burning bush, etc.

An extremely high % of inquiries about how much light plants grown indoors can tolerate are being misdirected, this, because the main determining factor is usually to what degree heat from passive solar gain raises leaf temperatures. We all know that a portion of the energy contained in light waves turns to heat when it strikes an object. In the glass/glazing world, this light-to-heat change is called passive solar gain, and the leaves that do so well at capturing photons and turning their energy into carbohydrates (the plant's real food) are also capable solar collectors that turn light energy into heat, and therein lies the rub. Almost all homes now use IGUs (insulating glass units) with at least 2 lites (a 'lite' is a piece of glass) of glass. With the sun at 30* to the horizon, an IGU with no special features (plain glass) will transmit about 79% of the visible light that strikes the IGU's surface, and 70% of the light that strikes the window will be turned to heat energy. That's a lot of heat. Just for comparison, IGUs with pyrolytic coatings like low-e, might transmit 69% of visible light and turn only 27% of the light that strikes the IGU into heat energy. Add a tint to the IGU with a low-e coating, and the visible light transmittance changes to only 48% while the light-to-heat change rises to 50%, which seems an anomaly, but isn't. If there is interest, I'll explain. What you should take away from the comparative numbers is that window features can have a profound impact on your plants' well being, and heat build-up is actually a larger problem than photo loads (light levels) in most cases. We know that light energy striking leaves creates heat which is absorbed by the leaves. surrounding leaves is a layer of still air called the boundary layer. It's primary job is to raise humidity and slow evaporative water loss from leaves. Unfortunately, dead air, which is essentially what the boundary layer is, is an excellent insulator that very effectively acts to trap heat within its boundaries. This can quickly raise leaf temperatures high enough that severe death or damage to the leaf is inevitable. Heat damage is much different than damage from high light loads. Light loads that are too high actually produce H2O2 peroxidase. H2O2 is hydrogen peroxide, which destroys/oxidizes chlorophyll and any other organic molecule it contacts. What we've learned: * Almost all plants are capable of withstanding the photo load that passes through windows without suffering photo-oxidation (sunburn). * The problem is more often heat build-up in leaves than damage from light (but plants do need to be acclimated to significant increases in photo loads). What you're going to learn if you stuck it out this far: There's a fix for heat buildup. Put a fan in the room during the brightest part of the day. The moving air disrupts the boundary layer and allows heat to escape the leaf and be lost to the surrounding air. Al

There is nothing wrong with a darkly DECORATIVE and cozy room. There is nothing wrong with a space that requires electricity, even in daylight. Wash a room out with 4000 k lighting? UGGGH!!! The most hideous light on earth. It doesn't mimic daylight, it just screams welcome to your local surgical center! Room don't die of darkness. They die from a lack of decoration, electricity, and beautiful lighting. Mark Hampton knew that, Diana Vreeland with her "red room" knew it, no matter what you may have thought about her, or that much talked about space. There needs to be contrast.....something "light" somewhere, in most cases. Or not! Depends the intent. In this case? Pick ONE color for walls. Lighten up the upholstery on those sofas.....a LOT. Light upholstery throws light INTO a space.Trade the curtains for a woven natural shade. ....? Add beautiful lamps, accent lighting ( sconces, picture lights,) and use them!!! At some point? You realize a room is more than wall color, no matter your style, or the room.