I have two Trumpet vines, Campsis x tagliabuana 'Madame Galen' & Campsis radicans ' Flamenco'. I wasn't sure if this is the kind of vine you meant or not when you said Trumpet vine. Anyway, if they are the same kind of vine, mine are both vigorous growing plants with one really nice advantage. They can climb a rough surface without any help from me. Although I have them on trellises, they actually hug the brick wall by themselves. They each cover a 3-4 foot wide space (could be more if I let them) and climb way past the trellises and up to the eaves of the house. I cut them back to the trellis level once or twice a season. Easy to do since I can pull them off the house by separating them from the wall at the top of the trellis height and giving one good tug on a bunch of stems, they tumble down and I hand prune them off. Foliage on both is always very clean and a deep green. Foliage lasts well into late fall-early winter and when the leaves eventually fall they leave a nice structure of creamy colored branches on the wall. They are late to start up in the spring, but fill in quickly once they do and give good coverage. If they can holdfast to the wood fence that would be a really nice advantage in using them there. I also have a Hall's Honeysuckle. This one I let go up a large trellis and flop back down in a waterfall manner. It cannnot climb the wall by itself I also have to watch this one carefully and catch all the long stems on the sides (wants to grow wider than a trellis) that get missed (not tucked into the trellis) and trail around on the ground. Whenever I find a bunch of leaves on the ground 10-20 feet away that look like honeysuckle leaves, I have to lift the stem up and trace it all the way back to the mother plant and snip it off. I've never had any trouble with the vine rooting where it lays, but I am pretty vigilant. Foliage on Hall's is shinier and brighter than on the trumpets. Mine always stays clean, no mildew problems, but I sometimes get dead inside leaves from the flopover growth pattern it grows in. Flowers smell wonderful, even in a cold zone 5. I do not get a ton of them because of the cutting back that I do on this one. (I'm not sure if this one grows flowers on old stems only or not, but it seems to bloom at least more heavily on old stems.) I would definitely put this one somewhere where I walked around or near it. Sorry, but I have not grown the Hydrangea vine. Sun/shade/dry shouldn't bother the others much. Of my trumpets one grows on the east side of the house and the other on the west. The hall's grows on the east side towards the south near my gate to the back yard. I have heavy clay moisture retentive soil. Plants were pocket planted only, in lightly amended soil and generally receive no supplemental water, only what they can get under the eaves. I'd probably need a bulldozer and a big truck to pull them out of the clay now.

i like the creeping junipers for such areas. some cultivars are very low-growing and they also are available in different shades of green with bluish, gold and grayish tones, with some changing toward purple or reddish in cold weather. it doesn't like foot traffic and neither would you like walking on it (prickly stuff!) but it is tough and durable and can be very attractive. paths through it would be fine, though. contrary to the article, i never see weeds coming into the beds of it around town. Here is a link that might be useful: creeping junipers

rhome410 - thanks for the suggestion around flipping the fridge / pantry area. I had considered it early in the process, but we were hoping to avoid in order to prevent changes to the dining room (wallpaper and paneled.) However, as you will see below I created an updated floorplan and included your suggestion. I think it helps with the overall functionality of the space. We considered the full range over the rangetop / wall ovens. We really like to idea of an oven that is up off the floor for both easy access and distance from small children. Also, the fact that the oven + rangetop combo is actually significantly cheaper is a factor. On the other hand, the full range makes the floor plan easier to arrange, provides ventilation for the ovens and also has the benefit of providing an excellent "centerpiece" to the kitchen appearance. I'd say we're undecided at this point. Do you think I have the right pro/con list? kaismom - thanks for the thoughtful feedback you've given on the overall flow and interaction of the spaces we're designing. I completely agree that this is one of the most important aspects of the design process and is also one of the hardest to figure out since it can be difficult to visualize. Let me give you a few more facts that I haven't already provided. First, we live in the Boston area (not VA). The funny thing is that we used to live in VA - up until about five years ago - so I know what you are talking about! Given the combination of relatively few truely hot days and the fact that our backyard has mostly indirect light except for in the early morning, we aren't to concerned about to much light heating up the house. The back wall of the kitchen that faces the backyard does face southwest, so I'd expect great morning light and then indirect light as the day goes on. Second, your suggestion about casual family dining is an excellent point. We were thinking that the island would be the center of family life in the evenings (homework, dinner prep, dining, clean-up.) You will see below that I've created a revised floorplan and added a placeholder for a table to the plan. My thinking right now is that we wouldn't add the table - but it gives us the option. You make some excellent points about how as the kids grow older, all being seated facing each other might be a valuable habit - I'll keep them in mind. Third, you suggested I consider how we interact with the house / yard today. I'd say 90-95% of our entrance / egress from the house happens via the garage. This is in spite of the fact that we have three other entrances (including two in the backyard.) Now that you've suggested I give this careful considering - I don't expect this to change much - so this is probably the most important entrance to get right. The second priority would be the backyard, as the kids get older I envision more time (especially on the weekends) being spent playing in the backyard. In fact, this consideration is why we are having so much consternation about giving up the side view. While not having direct access to the mudroom from the backyard isn't ideal, I'm not sure we can have both the side view and this access. Adding a door from the backyard into the garage or coming through the kitchen wall adjacent to the garage won't work because there is a bulkhead access to the basement in that corner that cannot move. That's unfortunate since this would have been an excellent solution - thanks for the suggestion! palimpsest - you asked about the right front room. It is currently a room that gets little use. We'd like to eventually turn this into a library / study of sorts since the idea of a formal living room doesn't appeal. Adding the powder room of the central hall would reduce the room dimensions from 17x18 to 13x18 - I was thinking this was still adequate space for the use we envision. Perhaps a little more of a rectangle than would be ideal, but still a space we could make work. What do you think? bmorepanic - Excellent point about the double french doors. The more my wife and I think about it, the fact that they swing creates space problems and also makes it difficult to have screens on the doors. I don't see that much opportunity to have both of these doors wide open with no screens as it's either darn cold or there are to many bugs around. Given this, we're leaning more towards a sliding door. The fact that it isn't centered on the hallway isn't all that big of a deal to me, but I'll keep an eye on it when I can get some renderings and make sure it doesn't look strange. I'm still thinking about the idea of moving the fridge to the wall adjacent to the garage. Biggest concern about this is that it moves it farther away from the family room and backyard entrance. Maybe this reduces the convenience factor? However, it does create some benefits around allowing open counter space across the whole backyard wall and what feels like a more convenient work layout. I'll keep this in mind. If you get a chance, take a look at the layout I'll provide below and let me know what you think. sundownr - it's great to hear the dimensions of your space and that you find it functions well. Very encouraging that we will eventually find a solution that will work for my family. Also great to hear you eat at the island and enjoy it - this is what we envision today. Also, the photos are helpful - thank you for providing them. As you mention, I see you went with the full range which solves the wall oven problem. We like the idea of wall ovens for their convenience and also like the ideas of deep drawers under the cooktop for pots and pans, but both the convenient floorplan as well as the asthetics of the full range certainly appeal. We're still undecided there. New Revised Floorplan: I've incorporated some of the suggestions everyone has provided in this update. Still isn't perfect, but I'd be interested to see what people think. Thanks again for all the helpful suggestions!

Hi, I have grown miniatures in pots for years and love them because they provide flowers most of the year and cheer up the patio area. They will suit your balcony if it catches the wind. I go looking for the more unusual ones or the old fashioned varieties such as Dresdon Doll. Otherwise,the best roses are the ones grown on their own roots as grafted stock can have roots that fill an entire pot once mature. Depends on the size of the pots but they need to be very large. Compact floribundas, patio roses and polyanthas are okay though. Having said that I have friends and neighbours who grow ht's in pots quite successfully. I just don't like the look of long stems. One is growing the David Austin rose, Christopher Marlowe in a pot and another grows Mutablis. They need constant care to do well - regular water and regular feeds as they use up any nourishment in the potting mix quickly. I use a good potting mix and add compost. I also add a cup of dolomite now after reading that potting mixes can be quite acidic. I don't fertilize until they are established because of the compost and then I use a slow-release type. I also feed them some liquid fertilizer but I dilute it well. I use whatever I have. If fish emulsion than I might add some potash or a little seasol. I always water them with liquid seasol when they first go in the pot and I flush the pot out before fertilizing to prevent a buildup of salts like the experts tell you. You can be a bit offhand with garden roses but pots need more tlc. You will find if you observe them carefully every day or so you will get to know when they need a water or feed. They will need good drainage and consider using anti-rot. I find this product very useful. I use diluted milk when there is a fungal problem and pull any caterpillars off by hand. Protect the pots if it gets very hot because the roots can become heat stressed. You can insulate them by lining the pot with newspaper or simply group them together or move into the shade. I repot every second year and trim the roots a little. I hope this helps and I haven't put you off. It sounds like a lot of bother but it works for me.