Yes I have been short of time lately, but after I just saw your latest questions, I took only a moment to walk over to my row of trees and check thier measurements. The fence behind my trees appears 10 times worse that the one in your photo. My trees are planted on about 9 foot centers and I only did one row of them. The bottom four feet height on then averages spreads across their widths of at average is 5 feet all the way around them. For the distance from the two intercecting fences inside corner to the end of the bad fence my trees are distacting the view from is about 50 feet long. I have 7 GGs planted along this length. the GG's trunk nearest to the inside corner of the intercecting fences has a trunk only 4 feet away from the corner. the 6 other GGS have an 8 feet distance I can measure from trunk to trunk, But the planting holes when first dug were centered at almost 9 feet distances. The lower 4 feet of the trees are the most full and there is still an average of a 2 foot gap between each of the trees that needs to fill in before the trees will make a solid screen along that height of the 6 foot tall fence. Since I stoped giving my trees osmokote even before last year the rest of the trees growth is not as thick or wide, so there is even more view of the top two feet of the ugly fence. This is the reason why I suggested it is best for you to plant two staggered rows. That way you will have a better full screen more quickly than my trees. the neighbor's two story house is no more than 4 feet on the otherside of the ugly fence. The tops of my trees have grown about a foot higher than the bottom of their second story windows. I measured a 4 foot distance from the fence slats to the trunks of my trees, and I could still easily, with out much tree branch displacement, walk behind my trees and the fence when I came up with the 50 foot measurement for the lengh of fence that the lower 4 feet of this line of trees currently cover. One other note is that I planted only 18 inch tall trees to start. They are fairly well protected from the prevailing north/south winds because the 2 story house is directly south of them and there is a large scarlet oak tree directly north of the first 3 from that inside corner I discussed above. I live on a corner lot and my house faces west, but the fence in question is along along the east facing back yard/south side yard, and it stretchs westward to about half the depth of our south facing side yard. So my GGs get plenty of afternoon sun, especially in the summer and before they grew so tall got a lot of morning shade. I only went to all this description to illustrate how protected they are from drying winds. This is so effective for then that my trees have never taken on a bronzy cast that many people report their GGS do in the winter. My trees are also planted on a slight rise where the builders of the two story house so close south of my trees never did a good job cleaning out the builders sand they uses when installing a narrow sidewalk between that house and the privacy fence. The growth I reported with my trees has all been affected by theses issues I have just discussed. GGs which struggle will slow draining soil that stays wet longer will grow only half as fast as mine have until they get well established, which could take up to 4 years. Some of them might even die during sudden dry periods and have to be replaced. Also trees planted at 6 feet tall might take a full 2 years before you see much top growth out out them. That is because they will be using this time to develop a better root system which can support the 5 foot yearly growth these trees do while they are young and once they are established. The trade off you get with this is while they are waiting to develop a larger root system and not growing much in height, they will be doing a better job than mine did concerning the thickening of their trunks and also thickening the density and spread of their branches. My trees did not have to that root size catch up so they started showing nice top growth in the first year they were planted. It took them all this time though to develop an exceptionally good density and branch spread over the lower 4 feet of them. If I had kept spreading Osmokote under them and watering them regularly in dry periods after they got well established, them that exceptionally nice thickness and spread portion of them today might have reached at least 8 feet high. As it is they have a fairly nice appearance from top to bottom, but do not have the type of screening affect that you would want to handle well the issues you have described in your back yard view. Hope that with all this description, it will help you to understand better why I suggested a double staggered row with the front row beeing the Steeplechase trees. If cost is an issue, you might plant 6 foot tall GGS on the back row and either purchase locally or order in if they cannot be found locally the steeplechase sport cultivars of the GGS. If ordered in those Steeplechase cultivar trees would probably on be available no larger than 3 gallon size and will look fairly thin when you get them, but if you provide them good drainage, water them correctly, and feed them with osmokote each spring and fall growing season then it will suprise you a how quickly they catch up in size the the larger GGS you planted in the back row.

Common poisonous cottage garden plants. Delphinium (Ranunculaceae): This beautiful plant is very poisonous. If the leaves flowers or seeds are eaten or chewed upon, it is toxic, especially for children and pets. The seeds need to be fresh, each year, and it requires a period of cool temperatures to germinate. Sow indoors about 12 weeks before last frost and place in a cool place where temperatures will be below 60 F. (15° C). It will flower the first year. For safety sake, plant delphinium at the back of your property or outside your fence. Keep dogs, cats, and children away. Delphinium is lovely from a distance, as it grows 4-5 feet tall. Some cultivars will reseed. The ÂNew Zealand Hybrids" have exceptional resistance to black spot and powdery mildew. Zone: 4-7. Plant in full sun. Larkspur (Ranunculaceae): This annual Delphinium is a lovely hardy annual, which reseeds profusely in the wild flower garden. It is also very poisonous. Keep away from children and pets. This is a very easy to grow plant, which loves the sun, and it grows so tall, that it can make your meadow come alive with color. A hardy annual which can be seeded in place. Foxglove (Scrophulariaceae Digitalis): These breathtaking tall, blooming plants are very easy to grow. They are considered a biennial, growing quickly from seed and blooming the following year. All parts are poisonous. Some newer cultivars, if started indoors in February, should bloom by the end of July or August. They prefer moist, rich soil, and if treated right, will bloom profusely the following summer. Plant this Foxglove in areas of your yard that are not accessible to children or pets. Reseeds profusely. Zone: 4-9. Partial shade. Lupin (Fabaceae): Take a drive through eastern Texas in "Bluebonnet" season, and you will be stunned by the incredible beauty of acres upon acres of the wild Texas Lupine. These beautiful flowering plants in a variety of colors also grow easily in any good garden soil. Most cultivars grow 3 to 4 feet high and are simply breathtaking in a wild flower meadow. However, all parts of this plant are toxic, if eaten. Keep these plants away from areas of your yard that are frequented by small children and pets. They re-seed profusely, and properly placed will keep you smiling year after year. Zone: 5-8. Full sun. Perennial Poppy (Papaver): These Oriental poppies are incredibly easy to grow. Most cultivars reach heights of 2 to 3 feet. Sprinkle the seeds one year, and they will increase and bloom year after year. Plant where you want it to grow forever, since it is very prolific, and if it is in the wrong spot youÂll never get rid of it. Keep away from children and pets, as it is very toxic if eaten. Zone: 4-9. Full Sun. Columbine (Aquilegia): These lovely cottage garden flowers are perhaps the most prolific, re-seeders around when grown in ideal conditions. Exquisite in your partially shaded woodland garden, their flowers and foliage come in an endless variety of colors and shades. They are also very poisonous if eaten. Seeds often need pre-chilling to be successful, and certain cultivars grow in a variety of heights, from 6 inches high to over 3 feet. Zone: 3-8. Partial shade. The Christmas Rose (Helleborus): This incredible winter blooming perennial is as poisonous as they come; yet it is breathtakingly beautiful. Just as winter seems to be choking the life out of us, Helleborus blooms, peeking through the snow. It comes in a stunning array of colors, and in the right soil, it will re-seed. All cultivars are beautiful in the woodland garden, since deer find it unpalatable. However, this plant must be kept away from children and pets. While not all Helleborus are hardy, most are hardy to zone 6, and some, like ÂNiger and ÂOrientalis are hardy to zone 4. Zone: 4-9. Partial shade to sun. Morning Glory (Ipomoea): These half-hardy twining climbers are beautiful climbing a trellis, a fence, or simply tumbling on the ground. Every summer morning, without fail, these profuse bloomers, greet the morning sun with a brilliant display of trumpet shaped flowers, that last a single day. However, morning glories are also very toxic. It is imperative to keep these plants away from children and pets. They look beautiful away from the house and the child friendly garden. They will not stop blooming until that first heavy frost. Plant with care, as most cultivars can be invasive. Plant seeds every year after all danger of frost is past. Annual. Sweet Pea (Lathyrus): One of the most prolific bloomers, often sweetly scented, the Sweet Pea or Everlasting Pea is very toxic. Keep away from children and pets. Sweet Pea can be grown on a trellis, bean tower, or an arbor. Start seeds indoors 5-8 weeks before last spring frost, and transplant to the outdoors in a site that is protected from the afternoon sun. The Everlasting Pea loves cooler temperatures, and when the weather turns hot, the perennial plants will go dormant. The hardy annual varieties will stop blooming and re-seed. Take reasonable care to protect your children and pets, and this lovely cultivar will give you years of scented pleasure. Perennials, Zone: 5-9. Annual: hardy. And many,many more. I wouldn't worry about the foxglove, cziga You're probably growing plants just as toxic.

The confusion between the two gardening styles are more like practical vs esthetic, but borrowing on one another. The French and English had ties through the monarchies and borrowed from one anothers cultures and customs, including gardening and animal husbandry. Modern-day "organic gardening" and "intensive gardening" have their origins in old French gardening practices using companion planting of flowers and herbs with veggies and fruits, composting and keeping small barnyard animals, as well as many other simple and practical gardening-homesteading methods. The Potager Garden was a designated plot; a special garden wherein was grown veggies & herbs for 'potage' (meaning, any plant you can eat), with flowers that were good companion plants for insect control or to improve the growth and production of the vegetables and herbs, and for attracting bees to pollinate. Many of the flowers were to be eaten, as well, i.e. Calendulas (Pot Marigolds), Nasturtiums, chives, chamomile, peas, and others, even roses. Orchards were often planted nearby for convenience as well as beauty and pollination, as both attract bees. Potager Gardens could be quite formal (for the wealthy), or not (for the more humble classes). Paths could be paved and plots geometrically layed out and fenced with shrubberies or permanent structures (lovely, formal French manor-style gardens), or as in the provential kitchen "yardens" or small acreages, potage gardens more often had paths of dirt that merely wound casually through informal, asymmetrical plots of this and that. They were more often found right out the kitchen door of the humble French home for easy access and for safety and security. - I much prefer the Provincial Potage garden, myself. I like the free, casual, no-fuss garden that says, "home" to me. Potager gardens were designed to be more practical, but not to ever be at the expense of 'esthetic appeal'. Even the practical could be beautiful. Beautiful and fragrant gardens promoted good mental health. It was a chance for some fresh air and sunshine out of dreary, dark, often ill-lit and sometimes dank house. If your mind was happy & well, your body often was too. Cottage Gardens on the other hand, rambled around the home in a profusion of flowers, namely roses, foxgloves, delphiniums and the like that was available and would grow in that particular climate. Only the wealthy had greenhouses and grew rare and exotic plants - grand glass houses called conservatories, and formal garden estates with towering statuaries, fountains and evergreens. Cottage Gardens were designed to utilize a limited space around the home, often the front yard. They were neither formal nor geometrical in design. They seldom utilized perfect symmetry in lay-outs. Dirt or gravel paths that would lead you from one garden area to another, often totally obscured from the view by hedgerows of privet, evergreen, ivy clad rock walls or fences with tall flowers, like hollyhocks, foxgloves, or rambling, climbing roses. Arches and trellising extended the gardens farther into the air, so more could be planted on less ground and they could completely block out their neighbors for more privacy. Within a Cottage garden you could find a Potager garden, but they were very different in form and purpose. It's like comparing a squash flower to a Brugmansia flower! Ya, they are both pretty flowers, but...uh..... That's what I understand the basic components are that make up the two very different gardens. That's how I see it, anyhow! ~SweetAnnie4u

Nicholsworth thank you. The phlox appear to be in a straight line. It must just be the angle of the shot. They have since been thinned out. Maz thank you! I wish I had a better pic of the whole bed, as there are many more. That area took a hit last winter..losing many coreopsis :( which I replaced. I fear a repeat with this crazy winter we are having! The Veronica above (in August) is actually their second bloom. Here is a partial pic of their first bloom (in June) before the coreopsis fill in....