Hello, We (DH & I) are in the process of landscaping around a new house that we moved into last summer. The front is too small for a traditional lawn surrounded by deep beds with large trees and shrubs (like my old garden). So, I'm attempting to create a welcoming space with smaller scaled trees and shrubs. I'm not knowledgeable or skilled enough to attempt a true Japanese garden (I grew up in Japan and have seen many beautiful ones), but I'm hoping to evoke the calm serenity that one experiences in a beautiful Japanese garden. To that end, I've lurked endlessly on the landscaping design forum, I'm reading old posts on this forum, and I'm working my way through the book list that inkognito posted (thanks, Ink!). I've been an avid gardener for a long time, and have learned that it's a continual process. It took me nearly 14 years at my old home to learn that sun loving plants would not thrive under old cedar trees, but that there are wonderful shade lovers. Now, the new site is mostly sunny, so I have the happy challenge of learning about a whole new palate of plants.

Jill, I wonder if that + sign is part of your browser. I don't have one on my page. I'm using Mozilla Firefox. But I can go to the View dropdown menu and select Zoom then Zoom in or Zoom out to make the print bigger or smaller. Also, I just checked my work PC which is running Internet Explorer Version 8 and it does have a + sign and it was in a little box that also showed 100%. I clicked the + and it went to 125% which did just what you said. I think every browser has a similar option, it might just be in a different place on one as compared to another.

A complete shock to me, thanks for posting. First trashing the mighty Skinner organ for something more trendy and now this. What are they thinking? One can only imagine it was bleeding money...but that's hard to see how as I always saw customers there. Nursery options in Upper NW are somewhat limited, aren't they? They didn't have the "overhead" of having the rent the space, which would be the worst expense in that area. While I have this thread, well firstly I'll be very annoyed if I'm deleted because it is NOT intended to be a commercial msg. and I have no connection to this merchant. Daedalus Books in Baltimore & Columbia has an absolute embarrassment of old gardening books. They are not listed on the website, I suggest stopping by is the only option, which is why I posted here to the Mid-Atlantic forum. I almost can't believe I'm revealing this source, but I feel like I'm done plundering it. They had what was a 1983 reprint of a Gertrude Jekyll title, Wall & Water gardens in perfect shape. I mean, literally from 1983! Brand new, but pages a little yellowed, obviously. Original price $24.50, which was a lot of money in 1983 haha. Price now? $4.95. I got the last copy of that but they had other reprints from the same series, and other rare gardening books of the great british authors from the mid 80s through the early 2000s. Timber Press back when it was part of Sagapress for example - at least 5 titles from that era. Really astonishing so check it out.

Thanks for posting link, I'll check it out.