Herb Lady, that is really beautiful! It's a living fence!! I also use metal pipe fittings, I had originally attached them to my short fence (but they eventually tear it up with the weight of roses so I'm taking it off :(... How does this stand up in high winds? We get hurricane force winds and tornado winds here several times a year so I need to be able to account for them. This is, however exactly what I want on my deck from the ground upwards to the top of the house for a privacy screen! I've not seen those connectors before, and that would be exactly what I need, and I was planning to make a trellis out of galvanized pipe for that (I already have the pipes!). Our land is not flat (which is why I need taller fencing and barriers in some areas for screening) and my neighbors are all up higher than I am, so I'm looking for ways to gain privacy without blocking out too much sun. Thanks! I love your idea!

Vicki, I would recommend something that will form a pleasing backdrop to complement your hostas in the foreground. Therefore, I would choose something that will get larger and slightly taller than your largest hostas, that would look natural in a woodland setting, and that has a fine foliage to add contrast to the big leaves on your hostas. Ferns would be great. My #1 choice would be the Ghost Fern (Athyrium pictum 'Ghost'). It's much like a Japanese Painted Fern, but stands more upright and gets slightly taller (about 36"). So it will be tall enough to see. It doesn't flop over like the Japanese Painted Fern. It has very fine, lacy silvery fronds which look superb with hostas. Another option is to plant some shrubs to form a nice background. You will need to evaluate how much sun this area will get. Select some that will eventually get a little taller than your largest hostas. Some that would look great are: (1) If you want dark maroon/black lacy foliage, try Black Beauty Elderberry (Sambuscus nigra 'Gerda'). This lacy dark foliage is a perfect complement to bright green and blue hosta leaves. (2) Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake' is an excellent shrub that looks natural in a woodland setting. It's very floriferous, having many double white blossoms that are held on the top side of its branches. It gets 8-10' tall and wide. An excellent shrub. (3) One of my favorite shrubs is the Daphne 'Carol Mackie.' It has very fine, oval green and white leaves. But the best thing is its wonderful fragrance- just outstanding! These shrubs are a little slow-growing, but will eventually form a globular shape 4-6' high. They don't like to be transplanted, although I've successfully transplanted several I'm growing. They look good with hostas. (4) Another unusual woodland-type shrub/small tree is Aralia. It has a very large, lacy compound leaf. You can get one that's all green, or green and white leaves, or green and cream leaves. My favorite is green and cream. But they are all wonderful and look very natural in a woodland setting with ferns. (5) Rhodendrons would also form a pleasant background for your hostas in this setting. Hope this helps. Happy gardening! Don Sambuscus nigra 'Gerda' Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake' Daphne 'Carol Mackie' Aralia elata 'Variegata'

I think a small quilt done in anything you are interested in would look great. My friend has a large giraffe quilt (round robin project) in her bathroom because she loves giraffes! Then she took the colors from the giraffe quilt for her towels and accessories. Think about your style, i.e., I love cottage style, so a Sunbonnet Sue, birdhouse, butterfly, etc. wall quilt would look good in my bathroom.....after it is painted of course. Leaves, fish, flowers, Japanese kimonos, fans, ginger jars, or shells could all make nice bathroom wall quilts.

Go to any of the links already listed on this site, www.gracefulbee.com, www.dmarie.com, www.scraplink.com and you will find a TON of ideas and page titles. HTH. Love Penny