Buford--I love the idea of including tree roses in the middle of the upper tier. I actually saw a couple of Frankly Scarlett "18 tree roses this afternoon. They also had a couple of 36" Double Delights. Are there antique tea tree roses? Might be pretty to put a ground cover rose between the tree roses to hang down from the upper tier. brhgm, I saw a Mutabilis today and it had a few blooms on it, very pretty. They had Penelope, too, but it wasn't blooming. Someone else recommended Mutabilis, hmmm. Thanks so much for the ideas! Denise

One word of warning with Home Run--very sharp prickles and lots of them! You don't want anyone having to walk closely by them, or they may be permanently snagged on Home Run. Other than that, Home Run has made a great 3x3 ft hedge for me in Zone 6 Midwest. Don't know how it handles JBs--we dont' have them here (knock on wood!). Here is Home Run last year. They could be planted a bit closer for a more continuous look, but I wanted a slight space between them. Kate This post was edited by dublinbay on Mon, Jun 24, 13 at 12:37

I remember how difficult it is to get started when you have a bare, flat yard. I kept staring out the windows, trying to imagine what I could plant where. It helps if you have someone stand outside while you look out the windows. Have your helper walk around from place to place, waving his/her arms, and maybe even holding a broom up overhead. Try to imagine your helper is a bush or a tree. When your helper gets to a spot that looks good from the inside, make a note of the position, or have your helper plant a garden stake (much easier to move than a tree!) Then go stand outside, or across the street, and see if that really is a good place for a tree. Use pots of annuals which you can move around until you find a space placement that suits you. THEN dig a bed. You can always set out empty boxes, or laundry baskets or even chairs to find spots for a shrub. Anything of a similar size that's easily movable will do. Here are some general principals I've found helpful. If the front is your main entrance, plant things that you will be happy to see when you come home. Start planting close to the walk and steps. This will encourage you to expand. Take it slow. I read once that you should live in a house though one set of seasons before you do any major changes. I translated that into planting annuals at first...which will have to be redone anyway. Fall is really the best time to plant trees and shrubs, as then they will get lots of rain. And, they will be cheaper at the 'year end' sales. Plant evergreens and long season perennials in the front as you and the neighbors will be looking at this area every day. Don't be afraid to take out something you don't like. Try to transplant it, or give it away. If it lives, fine, but you don't have to put up with something you don't like. Bare ground will make you feel better than a plant that irriates you. Don't plant acid loving plants close to the foundation of the house or near the cement path or sidewalk. They won't thrive. I figured this out after losing a row of azaleas, one by one. You can buy spray paint that is specially made to be sprayed holding the can upside down, so you can mark the edges of the beds. Just make sure that it isn't 'clear' paint. (Yes, it does come that way - a friend did this!) Or take a container of flour out and use that to mark plant placement or bed edges if you want a very temporary marking. The front yard is your house's public face and a place to show off your gardening skills. Rather than screening off the street, plant so that people driving or walking by will have something pleasant to look at and your visitors will find inviting. And for safety reasons, you don't want to 'hide' your house. Burglars go for entrances that are screened off from the view of the neighbors. Re paths: Make sure you leave good access to the utility boxes. Make sure you can get a lawnmower and wheelbarrow everywhere they'll need to go. You won't want low branching trees too near paths, either. If you don't have a pleasant view out the windows, one small patch of bright color will draw your eye away from the eyesore. Try a few pots of color, just set out on the ground, and see how they draw your attention. You do want to 'hide' the foundation of the house with taller, more solid shrubs. This will help transition the house into the lot, and help it look 'planted' rather than just 'plopped' onto the lot. Place lower plants further away from the house, along the path and sidewalk. You don't have to have ANY lawn in the front, but you don't have to take it all out at once, either. Have fun! Daphne in Tacoma

Just to illustrate ideas, I'll attach a couple more photos. Two are simply roses and companions awaiting installation and residing in nursery pots. Below is Midnight Blue with blue annual lobelia, but Veronica 'Georgia Blue' would produce similar results. Or Geranium 'Rozanne' or 'Johnson Blue'. Roses also shine when planted with similar colors. Once again, Midnight Blue with Hemerocallis 'Little Grapette' and a Japanese painted fern awaiting installation in a morning sun only bed. Duchesse de Brabant is in a bed with a variegated dogwood. Cornus 'Ivory Halo' can serve as a smaller, red twig foundation shrub, and I'm a fan of pink, purple or red roses commingling with green and white. Carol