Stevation, No problem, I just need to update with what I've been doing. I had a productive weekend creating a small border on one side, getting the 5 foot circles re-cleared around the non-border fruit trees, and putting in a small border edge to keep the grass from creeping in again. I'm still trying to figure out the pressure reducer for my irrigation water, since I never did replace one head in front and now the back is missing one in the garden. The switch to turn my supply off is under a massive shrub, and I, of course, dug up a spot before the cutoff valve, so I need to get to the other side before I start thinking about cutting it to install the pressure reducer. The pipe leading to the cutoff is a 4 1/2 inch (circumference) PVC. That seems sort of large... I haven't been running our sprinklers yet, and my wife is complaining about our lawn not going green as fast as everyone else in the neighborhood! The good news, before we had the cold weather last week, is that there are blossoms on 6 of my trees while only three new ones do not (the new cherry and two new apples I put in last spring, which I wouldn't expect yet). The Elberta peach has over 50 and it's only in its second year! Of course, that's before frost damage, immature fruit drop, and thinning, but I still thought it was pretty vigorous. The Intrepid peach planted at the same time has closer to 20.

Please don't feel guilty. Your parents are trying to share and help you, and I don't think they are doing it in such a bad way, either. How much or how little they tell you is their decision; don't sweat it. They told you, basically, "Here it is; enjoy it, but don't get too dependent on it, because it might not always be there in the future." Well, that's really all you need to know. My parents have been very helpful to us, too. Our story is similar; no money when they started out, but eventually they did well. They have always helped my brother and me, with education, homes, and career. And when my kidz came along, they helped with their education, camp, etc., too. They told us pretty much what your folks tell you, although I can't say it ever struck me as being mysterious. Depending on what form their wealth is held (e.g., real estate, stocks), they may not really know what their net worth is or how likely it is to hold, lose, or increase its value. I am so grateful that my family never used money to control or manipulate. I didn't read anything in your post suggesting that yours does, either. I know many others will encourage you to "stand on your own two feet" and "not accept handouts." And you seem to feel that you are not growing up enough because of their help. But I don't see it as a handout. It looks to me like they just see the extended family as still the family. I know that in the US a lot of people seem to think that once adult children marry, the parent-child bond should almost dissolve in favor of the husband-wife relationship. But not everyone feels that way; for many people, family is just family, and "the family money" is shared among everyone. After all, was it a "handout" when you still lived at home? Is it a "handout" for a non-working spouse to accept financial support? How about if the situation were reversed, and you were the wealthy one helping struggling parents -- is that a "handout"? I would prefer to give your family the benefit of the doubt and see your parents as continuing to participate in the entire family's welfare. If that doesn't work for your family, then don't do it. But please don't spend time worrying if you are somehow doing "The Wrong Thing." Even if there ever were some sort of one-size-fits-all principle about accepting financial help from parents, remember that the economy and the circumstances of life change from generation to generation, so old "rules" may no longer apply. Remember when it was considered a dreadful mistake to spend more than 25% of your income on housing or for adult children to live with their parents? Ask today's 20-somethings trying to live in any major city about that. If you are feeling insecure about your own maturity and abilities, I would think it's more likely that that is the anxiety most of us feel when considering parenthood. Or maybe you have some other reasons to feel insecure about yourself. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with money. But I don't see anything wrong with seeking therapy to help you sort out these feelings, no matter what is causing them. I also agree that SHARING some of that money with people in need is not only the right thing to do anyway, it will almost certainly help you with feelings of guilt or not deserving your good fortune. A very smart and very wealthy woman I knew always told her children and grandchildren whenever she gave them a gift from a dollar in a valentine on up: "Spend some, save some, share some." Good advice, don't you think? Good luck!

" ... but it is also potentially boring." But that's why there are other places in the yard and they require different things instead of a continuation of the singular screen. BTW, a screen has the duty of a wall. It visually and physically separates side-by-side areas. It is not a ceiling, floor or opening. (Later, it will become a ceiling, too, but that's not the reason for its implementation.) I don't think the question of the exact word it's called -- a "garden" or a "landscape" -- makes much difference in what solutions work best, though it may indicate how people feel about their outdoor space. In the USA almost no one refers to their outdoor space as a landscape, but call it the front or back yard. The people who are plant lovers may call it a garden. But just as often as not, if one is really into plants (as many people here are) they tend to sacrifice appearance for plant acquisition, collecting and hoarding. I must confess I have no idea what "showing feelings for plants" would look like. To me, all the materials that are used in assembling a landscape ... are materials. Yet that hardly makes me (or many others) immune to appreciating their beauty when well put together and especially, for the plants when they age well. I don't think the crabs are going to be any smaller than Amelanchier. 3 large shrubs (grown in the tree form) would screen the back neighbor's house. ... Lilac, beautybush, certain Viburnums, Burning bush ... that sort of thing.

I'm in 6b/7a, and the oldtimers around here still swear that tomatoes don't go out until Memorial Day. Go figure. Last year, for reasons I didn't intend, I didn't get my plants out until the first week of June. I had tons of tomatoes by August. In addition, a killing frost didn't happen until practically the beginning of November last year, so I had a long and productive season. The thing is, around here, a late plant-out will work most years. The change in seasons is fast--it very quickly becomes warm, not like places where spring limps along with above-freezing-but-still-cool weather for a long time. It's not great for veggies that like cool weather, but it works great for tomatoes, peppers, etc. And summer is hot but not so brutal that production shuts down entirely. Plus, we reliably get good tomato weather through September and, in recent years, even well into October. So a tomato plant put out late here grows quickly and produces fairly quickly and well. However, in other places that have the same zone but different warming and cooling patterns,, this may not be the case. If frost comes early or if summer heat is a real problem, that may not work. Glenn and Linda Drowns of Sandhill Preservation are in 5b in Iowa. But they say they start their tomatoes mid-May now and don't plant them out until mid-June. Apparently, they have fewer disease issues with this schedule and still get plenty of tomatoes. It works for them. *shrug* Long story short: everything about gardening is about the details of local conditions. Zone is important information but far from the complete picture.