daisyinga -- Paper bags! Duh...why didn't I think of that? That makes SO much sense! I am so glad I posted about this. I will DEFINITELY try that suggestion. Not to mention I still have a few rolls of that contractor-grade brown paper (y'know, the stuff they put down to walk on in your house, while they're doing finish work, so they don't scratch your floors) leftover from the renovation. That would be good too, it sounds like; and so easy to roll out! jmzms -- Thanks! :) I hope they do. Since I posted this and have gotten so many responses, I am starting to wonder if maybe the neighbors are, indeed, more "curious" than "disapproving" when they are doing the drive-bys. foxesearth -- I don't want it to be a big pile of rock...and I don't want it to be a southwest garden...I guess I don't really have any pictures (except in my mind) of how I want it to look. I guess I sort of jumped into it, when hubby and I finally decided that's what we wanted out there. At first, we just wanted something to not make the culvert look so...culvert-y...and also to keep the soil from eroding down into it. The rock garden idea sort of evolved from there. BTW, the pix I posted show more of the flagstone in the actual culvert part, and some of those are being removed in favor of more Tennessee Field Stone (the rock used throughout). There will probably still be some of the flag stone left (because it matches the path I'm building down through my foundation plantings), but it will be only in just the bottom of the culvert.

Squirrely, I bought my variegated catmint at Thyme after Thyme nursery in Winterville GA. I will try to root some. It will only be a little cutting if it survives. Sorry, my plant isn't too large. Also think about some of the native crested iris, a small boltonia I have which is native and clumps instead of runs (I may have some), a really cool plant which I might be able to root for you too (I have luck on and off) - a fleabane which creeps and blooms all summer, and the little wood asters. If you want blue wood aster I can get some for you. Pls. email with wants. I also have lots of sedums - blue spruce, angelina kamtschaticum, the very dwarf type (don't know name)... GGG

Be very careful with knockout roses. They are NOT low maintenance. They are the #1 shrub we remove for home owners. They will get up to 6' tall and once they are overgrown the bottom roots will look bare. Your best bet it to find an evergreen shrub you like and use it as the foundation plant that will grow to a height you are happy with. If you want roses then consider the Oso easy (3'x3' max height), Drift roses (2'x2' max height) or the home run roses (3'x3'). Can you show us a photo of the area you are wanted to landscape? Also do you know what zone you are in (what state do you live in)? What kind of sun does the area get morning/afternoon, full sun/part/shade?

Congratulations on building your new home. Based on our experience here are a few things you should look into: 1) Whether your shed (accessory building) is allowed in your zoning code. 2) The maximum sq ft of the accessory building that is allowed. 3) How far does it need to be setback from your property line. This varies between municipalities. 4) Make sure your Crabapple tree (Malus spp). is going to do well in your plant hardiness zone. http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ 5) Regarding the shrubs, in our planting designs we try to only specify plants that are native to the state and region, because of reduced irrigation and maintenance needs. In looking at your pictures, we think that the swale should be usable space for recreation and repose. The trees can be located near the deck for privacy purposes; we recommend planting mature trees (large gallon size) because of higher survivability rates. If you are using the Crabapple tree for privacy, take into account that their canopy range is between 10'-25' diameter depending on the species. Also keep in mind that Crabapple is deciduous, which means you may want to consider a mix of deciduous and coniferous (evergreen). Lastly, we think you should cluster your plantings along the edges of the sides of the property (not in front of the swale); this would make your back yard look bigger. Good luck with the improvements and please post pictures when your done! -DR, Landscape Designer