i absolutely love that variegated plant in the second photo. but i though i would share some photos of my own. i think that my flash was on and made the photos look a little pale in my opinion. enjoy Doug

ali, what about putting an arbor in and growing a honeysuckle up it? From the edge and in from the driveway to the tree, I'd edge out the grass from that area and curve slightly to the end of the concrete pad in front of your home, the patio area. All the way to the end. Let's give you some curb appeal ;) Put the middle of the arbor in front of the edge of the concrete pad where the car is sitting, about 3 feet in. From the middle of the arbor to the drive and then going up your house, you could create a path that would curve over to the sidewalk and to the front door. For right now, using newspapers and a 5 gallon bucket filled with water, cover up all grass with layers of newspapers you've plunged into the water. Lay them down, overlapping as you go. I typically use about 10 layers of paper. The more, the better. If you can create your path first, either using stepping stones or gravel, lay down something like visqueen and lay the stepping stones or the gravel over to create the path. Remove the grass where the path will be so that nobody trips over stepping stones or gravel. Take out a V shape where you're going into the lawn from driveway to tree and up and over to the end of your home. Remove the dirt and the grass from the V, so that you've got a drop off of sorts and lay your wet newspaper to curve down into the area where the dirt is. Cover the area up with mulch or mushroom compost if you can get your hands on some, except for the path area. By next year, the newspaper will start to decompose and the grass will be dead, but it adds to the organic matter of newspaper and the dead grass. Worm heaven. From now and thru winter, study up on various perennials and possibly a few shrubs that produce berries for our other feathered friends. Next year, push back the mulch or mushroom compost and dig holes to plant. There should be enough room to the right of the path up to your front door, to add in a shrub. Then the other shrubs could go in front of the poles, under planted and going out to the edge with perennials. I prefer natives. They're adapted to our weather, our soil, they make up our ecosystem. Find a list of native plants for your area, and research those plants as to what hummingbirds like and also which ones make seed that other birds will like to eat on. The native plants won't require dead heading, don't need pruned or cut back so they look better....I just prefer them over all. Now an iris in there isn't going to hurt anything ;)...or a peony....both left by the previous owner that I decided to leave and a friend of mine from TN also gave me a beautiful iris that is sentimental to me. But again, those 2 are easy plants. Hummingbirds will love to sit and rest a spell on shrubs you provide and give you a closer look at their beauty. Too much?? Where do you live? Zone 5, but where? lovefornature, you're doing a wonderful job! It's people like you who join GW that make it an enjoyable site to visit. If you like butterflies and are interested in attracting some of them to come to your yard, you could plant a Aristolochia tomentosa or Aristolochia durior. Another plant I love that I don't know draws anything in, but blooms in late summer, is Clematis virginiana. Another neat native clematis is Clematis glaucophylla. I also answered the e-mail you sent, I hope you got it.

Ken, no problem with spring desication this year, lol. Beverly, I would pick up Pistache again in a second. Gesila and Denis, Blue River looked like it maybe had a little streaking when I got it, now I think it was more likely margins running down into center of leaf. It had a Toy Soldier type line around the dark areas last year. stoc and coll thanks for the comments. Vanessa, only pics I've seen of Regal Twist make it look unruly, so we'll see in a few years. Paul

Oh PM, that is the most beautiful cabinet from windows! And it would fit my style so well! TFS! I'll show DH but I know what he'll say & I know that I'm thinking the same thing, too...WHERE WOULD YOU PUT IT??? (LOL!) I've used up all my space (& more) so I would have to get rid of something...& it wouldn't fit in DR or LR ...so probably the porch area (& I already have the corner door cabinet, Hoosier cabinet & hanging wall shelf out there! ;-) Thanks for that idea! ;-) I don't know if my DH would trade places for awhile...but I know your Mr. O would hate it here in Winter...the golf courses just opened ...tho they are soggy & cold! punk ...I don't know much about the shuttle loom or weaving...but I saw this at one of my fave consignment shops & it was $10 ...I knew the middle was called a bobbin cause I have some of those w/threads on them in a basket. First of all, I told myself I didn't need it...& then a few wks later I went bk & it was still there & 30% off (or something like that)...so I knew I needed it! :-0 Sounds like jane did some of this art, so hopefully she'll share some expertise on this pc! Thanks, Holiday-ers for your comments! Jeanne S. punk...I found this pic on Photobucket...