Thank you so much for the help!! Ingrid, I found your photos. Wow! I could go on all day about the things I love about your garden not to mention your setting and home. I've been afraid of adding yellow but, you have it with purple and pink and I think blue and, it looks great. You definitely have an eye for colors. I want your pillar/column. I haven't seen any that size around here. Is that dark purple/blue flower heliotrope? Also, can you tell me what the hanging plant is at the top of the 2nd to last photo? I was excited to see the other gardens on that post too. I was inspired by Lavender lass to add some arches. I will attempt to show pictures of my of my gardens for more advice. It may take a while though; the weeds are so long I'm embarassed. Thanks for your help. Hi Hosenemesis, I saw your pictures on that other post. Your garden is so pretty. You obviously have a natural talent for gardening and just get ideas from others. I had to go to your page to find out about your name. I love it. I totally get the hose thing. Except I get a little bit of pleasure scaring the dog and cats. Thank you for making me laugh and for the encouragement. Hi Aimeekitty, You put me to shame with all you've done since Jan. I wish I were that quick and sure of what I'm doing. Did you put in the stone patio and paths? I'm attempting almost exactly the same thing . I've decided to wait for my husband to level the darn thing. What do you have between the stones? I really like your weeping tree. What is it? I hope to see more of your garden as it grows. Thanks, Kitty Silverkelt, Another one to put me to shame with all the work you've done. Your view and gardens are so nice. I love all the rocks and rock walls. I had my husband build one out front and he ended up needing surgery for his hernia. All your roses are so pretty; I wish I knew their names. I have the opposite problem with trees. Instead of removing them, I'm adding them. Your problem is definitely more difficult but, all your hard work has paid off. Thanks for all of the pictures, Kitty

Thanks, Nell. I have used the MU and Missouri Botanical Gardens websites a lot. I love Mobot's what's in bloom now feature. I did revisit this site and decided on three different small trees to look for. Everyone's front gardens just look wonderful. You are giving me courage to try something different.

Most of us have a vision of what we want our yard to be. I carry mine around in my head and everytime I look at my wild and unruly garden I compare it to the vision. When I look at my stack of pavers I KNOW they've been there for 2 years and it just makes me crazy. But when I look at someone else's garden I see how pretty it IS right now. Then I listen to them talk about their vision and I can see how pretty it will be. No frustration, no memory of weekends spent watching old sci-fi movies instead of hauling bricks, no recollection of harassing a spouse to come help weed "just for an hour". It's all good and so we don't feel what the owner of the yard feels. Then we look at our own and we think: 'If I only could keep it up as nice as Evelyn's' or 'I wish I had Marcia's big trees and all those bricks' or 'My plumies will NEVER look as good as Sue's' or 'Why can't I grow fruit and vegies like Felix?'. The list goes on and on. It's all about the vision. We delight in other's visions, but can be burdened and stressed out by our own.

Jackied, love the view you have! Do you have any summer pictures (we have a summer/winter theme that comes up in these threads)?? Must be beautiful with the leaves on the trees. Those yellow berries on the Holly are really pretty. Ellen I have crabapples like that in the back. Most of the fruits have been picked off the wild crabs but not those huge red ones. I wonder if the birds will eat them eventually? I'll have to take a walk this afternoon and try to get some wintry shots. Wasn't it weird to see the ground last week for all of 4 days (for those of us north of the Southern coastline, that is)? After 2 1/2 months of nearly continuous snow cover, and now it's back, seeing the earth come to life is gonna be like heaven...:)