Phygelius is a good hummingbird plant that might like some shelter to hold on to its leaves. It can get large and rangy but could be trimmed and staked to stay in a certain size. They may eventually get hit too hard by winter lows but usually last me a few years. Presently I have one that is several years old. They have a very long bloom season. Other plants that are evergreen but not so much on the flowering as far are hummers are concerned, are Mahonia, Nandina, possibly evergreen blueberries if you get enough sun there- Sunshine Blue, Legacy, and Misty. You need a pollinator so you would need 2 varieties. There is a fuchsia that makes edible fruit called a Honeyberry, I don't know if the flowers are attractive to hummers or not. I haven't eaten them to see if they are good enough to grow compared to blueberries, but they are still expensive so I haven't tried them yet, around $20 a plant also needing 2 for pollination. Here is a link that might be useful: Phygelius

When they show up to install, I'd talk to the installers about how they lay out the boards to avoid the things you are concerned about. Their answers should give you a clue if they are going to do it correctly or not and an opportunity for input for them to do it the way you want. edit to correct spelling This post was edited by olychick on Sun, Mar 9, 14 at 12:04

This is what the budget looks like that we were given. As I mentioned before, we are also working with a fund control and they verify all purchases and receipts and will not fund a draw until the work has been verified as complete by the bank inspector and only fund draws according to the budget. Re the high permit fees: we are in southern California. The builders are working on another project right now where the fees were just as high. It's what they cost here in our particular area, so they knew what to expect, they just didn't plan for it. ETA: done if the permit fees were school fees ($8k) TIFF, building permits ($4k), septic permit, grading permit, park fees, etc. Each one is thousands of dollars and that's how they add up so quickly. I have all the receipts, those are just the ones I remember off the top of my head. If a professional's help is necessary, we will seek it. For now we have a meeting with them on Friday to discuss this stuff more in depth and we'll see how that goes. We have a good relationship with them so far, and would like to resolve this between us if possible. Also, I don't know why my picture is upside down. Sorry. Also, also: in case it isn't clear, someone else (houses14) posted some issues they are having regarding windows that have nothing to do with my contract/permit fee question. Just to keep people from getting confused.

Very likely an overblown "problem". Numerous plants have toxic principles within, yet almost nobody and no pets are ever harmed. Realize, it is highly-likely that your concerns are way overboard. I'm a dog lover yet I'm also a horticulturist. To hear you tell it, the entire green world is one of menace for your precious doggy. It just ain't so. Keep in mind too-the slightest irritant, the most minor of nausea potential....and boom, that plant species is labelled "poisonous". That's not even proper usage of that word. True "poisons" are substances which act directly and immediately to cause death or severe harm to the target organism. Almost none of these things are truly poisonous. It would be far more accurate to say they have some type of toxin in them, which is simply not the same as a poison. All poisons are toxic, but all toxins are not poisonous. Finally, I'd like to add..........Sheesh! Actually, I'd like to say one more bit: If any one of these plant species harms your dog, I will send you my next paycheck. Wow, talk about someone in search of a problem! +oM