My profile used to say zone 5 ME, I just noticed it says just Z5 now. Sorry. I'm on the border of zone 5b/6a (I generally plant for zone 5, and take a chance on some zone 6 perennials), in the southern-most area of Maine about 3 miles inland from the ocean. The house faces east, so the tree is on the north east corner. Full sun. The wind generally comes down a hill from the north (across the open yard). The spot where the tree is, is 12' from the house, I could move it out further for the right tree, but I don't want a 40' wide tree there. The native soil has quite a bit of clay, but when we built the beds last year we removed quite a bit and brought in sand and loam with compost. That garden you see there was planted less than one year ago. I have a Bloodgood Maple in another bed in the back yard (the northwest corner of the house) that gets the same wind and is doing well, also planted last year. Pests...well, I have Japanese Beetles I'm handpicking off a rose bush and a hybiscus. I don't have any lilies, but if I did have them I'd have lily leef beetles on them. No Gypsy Moths in this area that I know of. I can't think of anything else. Humidity...typical New England, summers can be humid, but it's not as bad as, say, Boston (the average high in July is 83). We get maybe 5 days a summer above 90. I just looked up the precipitation, we get between 3.4 and 4.8 inches per month. May-September is just under 4" per month. I want an ornamental tree, I know it sounds cliche, but this is a prominent position in the yard (and from the street), so I want something pretty. Except in bloom, I don't really think of Crabapples as pretty. I also considered Kwanzan Cherry, but I was told they can split in windy locations. I'd like something that will reach 20', but won't exceed 30'. The current spot was chosen for the size the Aurora Dogwood would have reached, but I can move the spot out to accomodate a tree that will get wider than 20' (there aren't any pipes or anything in the way). I appreciate the help, let me know if you need anything else. If you go to the album you can see lot more pics of what the site looks like.

Wow! You guys are great, thank you! Okay, I potted the two small plants in a cactus mix. May not be the best, but it's all I have an I know it's better than what they were in. I got as much of the old soil off as possible without losing too much of the roots. They both had really good root systems, so I must be doing something right! The two Jades didn't come apart easily, so I left them. The little one lost a few leaves, so we'll see what happens. I'm going to wait on the bigger Aloe until I get a more porous soil. I trimmed back the brown tips, but when I cut into the leaves with brown on the sides they were leaking brown fluid, so I started cutting them off (but my Mom who stopped by at just the right time) stopped me and said I should probably ask someone who knows what they're talking about. So I'm asking. :) I cut off two and there is one more that is brown inside. Do I go for it? As soon as I figure out a better mix, it is getting re-potted. I'm excited to learn about the Aloe Variegata! Cactusmcharris, what an adorable plant muncher! Is she a long-haired calico? That's what my female is. Same colors, different mix. SHE knows how to leave the plants alone....or at least knows how to be sneaky about messing with them. :)

Hey Omar, Unfortunately, this bed has zero irrigation. Annuals will not live here. It is a very small patch of dirt next to stones that get about a billion degrees in the summer. There are coreopsis plants up there already, and I have added a lavender to the very front. Just wait until the rosemary, russian sage (purple and blue) and the threadleaf coreopsis (yellow) start blooming. I also have a small test patch of petunias...we'll see how that goes. I have been thinking about adding some pink salvia to it. I will take more pics in the summer so everyone can see the blooms!

Thank you all for sharing your desks and ideas. I am going to research several options but now I know what I'm looking for. I would love to be able to sit at this desk and write a letter or two. This desk was a wedding gift to my gr-gr-grandmother and was brought by oxen cart from Nebraska to Iowa. I treasure it in every way so I will definately never paint it. Items like this, as well as mirrors, make me wonder about the person who used it and what their thoughts might have been. I'd love if others would like to continue to share their pictures but I feel I have some good ideas now as well as knowing some of the search words. Blotter, that's what I had forgotten. Also, thanks for the great links. I knew you'd all be able to help me out again.