oh What a great view of the water, you have.I would spend a lot of time on the porch, when I didnt have flowers blooming.What is the long row of whatever it is in the water, sandbags? or cement?Sure is pretty over there. I Love CAKEPLATE Thats a gorgeous bloom and also CHERRY CREAM PIE, love that one, too.gee, your driveway slope looks pretty naked right now, I hate it when the daylilies stop blooming. Yesterday I had 6 big BEAUTIFUL EDGINGS blooming and was so pretty,. I took a picture of it,and will probably post it tomorrow. Was busy today with trip to the lab for tests,and didnt do it.Then the daughter took me to wal mart and I rode the electric cart, then she brought me and got me a hamburger for lunch.So,I was tired when I got back and was told I was to sit or lay down and prop the leg up,so I did that in the afternoon. jean

Thanks again to all for the nice comments! I still find it hard to believe that I've worked so hard all my life to try to keep that original slope looking good......mowing lawn on a slope was not easy and I had finally done away with grass and had planted a variety of ground covers and bulbs, with cedar mulch. Still, it needed a lot of maintenance and weeding, which was not easy to do standing on the hill. And now.......I have a level front yard! After all these years I wonder why it wasn't done years ago! And leveling it created a new space that is really fairly large and usable. Cost a bit, but well worth it. Carol, Crocosmia is a bulb, or actually a corm very much like a gladiolus (to which I believe they are related). The foliage is very similar also. I bought these as a potted clump in late spring about 3 years ago, but I believe you can buy them as corms online and from catalogs. There are several kinds and most are hardy in either zone 5 or 6 depending on the variety. Ellen, Yes that Hesperaloe parvifolia (aka red yucca) is really nice. It should form a nice clump in time. There's also a yellow variety which I might add someday. Terrene, It may prove to be a sort of heat source and I'm eager to try some new things out front. The rest of the property is traditional...........lawn and flower beds, small shade garden and a soon-to-be patio behind the garage (now just wild grass that I keep mowed.) ego, I really want something more open and airy. Something as tall as 20' and dense will block the view of the house from the street and also my view out the front window.

Thanks again everybody! Brandy, I do get plenty of winter! We get a few snow days every yr. Doesn't last long, but gets pretty darn cold. I hate winter. And I'm no painter! Christin, the garden really smelled more when the irises were still blooming. They're actually "smellier" than most of my roses. I have a word file that I use to keep track of the roses, with locations and info. Plus I have hand-drawn maps of the beds. I have to, or I'd forget exactly who is where! Gary, JOSHUA BRADLEY is a little farther to the left and behind BRASS BAND in that same bed. I don't think it's quite visible.

In those beds out by the street next to the sidewalk, we just planted 2 kinds of fairly robust ground covers - vinca minor and African daisies, and lots of bulbs, and a few roses. The ground covers battle it out, depending on the season and how much sun they get. The bulbs have all proliferated and spread around with no help from me. The roses do need to be protected from being overrun, so they are mostly behind some sort of round plastic barrier bed edging. Bare dirt invites weeds, IMO and experience. This way we have hardly any weeds, except for wild onions which are bulb weeds! (But handy to grab if you are making stew or something, and suddenly realize that you have run out of onions - Jackie