Thanks, Yardvaark. That is a good system for when you're home, and is merited if you have a big plant investment (whether in big plants or lots of small ones). And what a coincidence - I've actually been looking for something just like that to help catch someone stealing my newspaper quite regularly, but had only seen the more expensive version I've linked below. Maybe this one has a longer range, but with a 20' front yard, I don't need it :-) Currently I have a webcam set up which works for images but not for intercepting, should I wish to do so. Anyway, I have no quibble with the merit of the plant information in what you propose. But tied to addresses... shouldn't happen. It may, but it shouldn't. There are so many downsides. Imagine you buy a house with a huge whatever that is revered all over the world, and you want to remove it to do something else. The Occupy movement might come to your front yard! Drtygrl... there's an idea for my new screen name... "silver_lining" I've hated the one I have ever since Garden Web eliminated capital letters and it looks like I've put a #1 after my name, necessitating the correction of a signature :-) Someday I'll change it but the longer I stick with this one, the harder it gets! Karin L Here is a link that might be useful: a more expensive version

nandina The wall sounds good, and I can assure you it would be much LESS expensive than the panels (we finally got some prices yesterday - ouch!). DH and I had talked about something similar (only hadn't thought of the steps) - we're afraid we'll end up with something that looks like a fortress! Are you able to envision this so that it would look welcoming while still providing the protective function? At the moment, regardless of look, I am leaning toward this idea... gottagarden Thas was basically DH's idea - I'm just having trouble envisioning it. But then, I'm having trouble envisioning nandina's too - maybe the problem is with my vision! Ink I had it the other way around - I thought I had been presented with a necessary function (protection from the water), so I was trying to come up with a form to make it pleasing. As for beavers, I am really unhappy with beavers. While the yard was flooded, my new larch 10 foot tall larch tree had only 1 foot showing above water. While I was watching, a beaver came along and gnawed the top off and swam away with it! Darn beaver. laag yup, that's what I meant by my title for this thread. Interesting project. And relevant. Yes, things have changed since '97 (yes, it was '97) and they may affect us. The city built a higher dike, providing protection to 60 feet. Although they moved some buildings further back from the river, to make the channel through downtown wider, it still of course is a narrow channel in downtown. They also build a diversion system around the city to collect water from overland flooding and from the coulee that runs through town. The diversion dumps back into the river only about one mile upstream of us. I never wanted to live along the river, but DH and I fell in love with this property. Before we purchased, I had conversations with everyone I could think of - city engineer, army corps of engineers, EERC (energy and environmental research center), etc. The people that own the farmstead immediately downstream of the diversion had commissioned a study by the EERC to find out how it would affect our river flow. Their study claims that in a flood the magnitude of '97, the diversion would raise the river at our location by a whopping four inches. In the end, we were lulled by the presumption that 1997 was truly the Flood of the Century. I no longer believe that. I also am not certain I believe the EERC's study of the effects of the diversion. IOW, I understand exactly what you are saying both about others' actions affecting our water levels, and about anything we do affecting those downstream. I can say though, that if we build something close to the house, it will only affect the river in a flood of '97 magnitude (or very close to). At that point most, if not all, of the houses around us will be flooded. melanie So you can envision the wall too? Hmm, I need to work on my imagination. Yes, the grass is dead - the grass that was covered in the *summer* flood last year. The grass that was covered this spring is just fine - greening up nicely. Thank you for the link. I glanced quickly at it and noticed willows and though, duh! There are willows at the back of the field next to us that flood every spring, and they are doing fine. I love that willows come in many varieties with interesting bark and winter interest, so am thinking I definitely need some willows. Also, if my larch has survived, I will put in more larch. The wildrye would be an excellent choice. I am thinking we can work on this. It gives me something to do since whatever is decided regarding a floodwall will not be hands on for me. karinlThe original problem is the allowing of building on flood plains at all Well, that is a rather inflammatory statement - and as you say, political. We should also not build in earthquake zones, or along tornado alley, or the entire gulf and southern Atlantic coast due to hurricanes. Nor should we allow towns in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and southern California because of fire hazard. Towns were originally built along rivers to meet the needs of the settlers for transportation and procurement of supplies. This land has an amazingly rich soil and is wonderfully productive. Remember that when you have pasta - the durum wheat was likely grown here, or french fries from McDonald's - the potatoes are from here, or use Crystal sugar - the sugar beets may be from here, or use canola oil or eat sunflower seeds. This land was settled for farming, but the settlers needed the rivers for transportation. Sorry if I am sounding annoyed, but I found this to be a rather "superior" sounding comment. And yes, we North Dakotans tend to have an inferiority complex and always assume people are making snide comments about us . As for an umbrella management plan, see my reply to laag. The city has a plan and has implemented vast improvements since 1997. However, we do not live in the city limits. The dikes and diversions can only be extended so far. You provided a link to Winnipeg's floodway, and they do indeed have good protection (which was also implemented after a devastating flood). However, the same problem exists for people who live outside Winnipeg city limits. If you drive to Winnipeg, you see farmsteads outside the city with big ring dikes. Yes, the individuals are left on their own, but I don't see how a city could be expected to protect those outside its limits (who don't pay taxes of course). And Winipeg is downstream, the river flows north. isabella Thank you for the comments. 1) yes, it was an attempt at a joke to title this thread the way I did, and yes the protection is most important, but I think one can try to have that be attractive as well as functional. 2) interesting. I was under the impression that these had not yet been used in the US. Can I ask the name of the company that made yours? 3) I will keep this in mind. We will be hiring help, but wanted to get some idea of our plans first, so that we know WHO to hire! Thank you so much for the advice and concern.

Security is an issue for me but I'm much less concerned then most people, and I think at least(knock on wood) for now, I have good reason. First, I avoid putting any plant down by the street that would just KILL me if it was stolen. About the only plant down there that has much emotional attachment is a 2-3 year graft of Picea abies 'Dandylion', a golden-seedling gift from Bob Fincham. That said, I'm sure Bob has a dozen more grafts in the works so it's hardly irreplacable. I try and keep my 'really coveted' plants closer to the house where you'd have to drive up my driveway, park, dig up the plants and then leave before my neighbor called the cops. This leads me to the second point. My neighbor is a retired police officer and he's also a neighborhood bulldog. He constantly walks his dog(3-5 times a day, every day), mows the yard and generally watches things with a California-cautious eye. It's good to have neighbors like this who can monitor things when I'm gone. While he and his wife do take small trips, it's certainly refreshing to know that it wouldn't be easy to dig up a half dozen plants without him noticing. Especially now since there is no parking on the street, you'd really be out of place parking next to this new bed. Finally, we're in a dead-end cul de sac in a VERY quiet, low-crime area of Washington. People frequently leave their garage doors open, etc. without too much worry. I guess ultimately if someone wanted to rob me they could and in this day and age, if someone really wants to rob me for my plants then I guess they need the plants(or money) more then I do. Hopefully it never comes to that. If they asked, I'd just give them a few for free and show them my plants. -Will

PM, thanks for the thorough Daffodil info. I’ve already looked at Colorblends website and am going to place an order for Ice Follies and scilla for sure, other varieties still being decided. You always provide such excellent information! One question for all you daffodil people. If I plant bulbs in the middle of VERY established japanese pachysandra, will it be able to sprout and bloom above it? This pachysandra gets plenty of spring sun before the canopy has developed. The pachysandra would easily disguise the failing foliage. Will it strangle the daffodil bulb? I’ve love to turn that carpet of green into something more interesting. The pachysandra was likely planted 20-30 years ago and it has spread extensively. It’s just too much to try to diminish it, but I am able to pull runners out of some small planting areas dotted amongst the Pachy Ocean. Oooo, you all are getting me excited! Our area will soon have all these blooms. When our Sunday rain is over I’ll take some pics. Things really emerged during the early April heat wave, but we were DRY for close to two weeks, so they halted. Now with some moisture they are emerging, but temps are back down to cool. Today we are supposed to get 2” of rain! I’m sure with May’s warmer days things are about to take off. Regarding the heat wave, I overestimated the moisture in my wintersowing milk jugs and for the first time in several years lost some desired seedlings to dryness, like some good salvia varieities that came with few seeds to begin with, so I won’t have many that either waited to germinate or survived the hot dryness. My pulmonaria is blooming. Sigrid, I am always disappointed to see the lungwort so tiny and straggly when it blooms. The internet pics have such full foliage when it blooms. Mine bloom so soon after emerging that you barely notice it. Does yours ever bloom with full foliage? Anybody else?