Thanks for the replies folks - keep them coming - let's have some fruity brainstorming! I've realised that the idea I had in mind was poorly conveyed in the posting (and especially the diagram.) Here's goes with another attempt... and another poor diagram! My standard tree idea was to have the clear stem out of the light and the top branch sytem (leaves & fruit) to be in sunlight. This may encourage some fruit to form and possibly ripen. The stem section may be wasted, but it does not get enough direct sun to allow fruiting from low down to high up, as most trained fruit has (cordons, fans espaliers.) However, the idea of a tree trained to be like a tall step-over (one tier espalier) might work, but it wastes a lot lot of space and would need some training! A big T - tall stem and long laterals. It will also look "ahem" bizarre (no laughing please.) I would ideally like the overall height of the tree to be around 4m and pruned so that most of thefruiting branches hang over my side of the fence. Don't mind climbing a ladder. I used to go up an old apple bush tree that had an open goblet shape that had a 1m tall stem in my old garden. That tree would do well in this situation if I removed the brances that would push into the fence. Regarding varieties I've tasted and enjoyed: Apples - Sunset, Egremont Russet, Discovery, Scrumptious, Spartan, Fiesta, Red Falstaff. Pears - Comice, Concorde, Beth, Conference, Williams. Plums - Jubilee, Opal, Victoria, Green Gage, Ouillins Gage. Currently I'm thinking of 2 apple trees, 2 pear trees and forgoing plums for lack of space and ripening conditions. As I don't want any culinary only varieties, and if desert varieties are difficult in semi-shade or sun for only half the day, then how about dual purpose variety as a compromise. Then it could be left to ripen for longer and eaten as a desert. Or maybe planting early varieties and just leaving them to get sun for longer and picking later. Suagrs may have developed by then.

The pattern you are probably thinking of was one from Timeless Treasures web site - Easy Striped Table Runner by Karen Montgomery. The site indicates that you must purchase from the Quilt Company, but I haven't been able to locate it there. I am a quilt teacher and have a copy that say I can duplicate for educational purpose only. The Jinny Beyer pattern (which is the one I teach), requires mirrored border fabric, which the above pattern does not require. Please let me know if you are still interested and I can get a copy to you.

It's taking me awhile to get pictures taken and posted. When I do a table with these, I'll try to remember to just post it here for the two of you to see. I have some pink plates, and my new little pitcher with a rose on the front. I'll have to see what I can put together. I went ahead and posted this same pic on Holidays so they could see them--even though I know they will want a whole tablescape with them. Punk, I just did all of these freehand, and was laughing when I started counting how many roses were on each one. Some had more, some had less--probably nobody would notice but me! LOL Anj, these were painted on a day when DH wanted a little r&r from visiting family and doing stuff. It ended up being a nice rainy day, so he watched television and napped while I sit and contently painted away on these. I don't usually like painting multiples, but these were easy ones. Luvs

I am not entirely sure what you are looking for. A lot of gardening for me is researching plants, putting them in spots that fit their cultural needs, and then seeing how they do. If something doesn't work, I move it and try something different. I visit other private gardens, garden centers, and botanical gardens for inspiration and spend time looking at images on line, in magazines, and in garden books from the library. I do best at making suggestions with photos, though the plan view gives a good overview and will help place photos if you letter or number both the photos and where they are on the plan. Can you add some photos? Have them include something that indicates the type of shade if possible. For instance, overhanging trees provide deeper shade than the white wall of a one story house which has a lot of indirect light. Natives are a nebulous concept. Do you mean native to the NE US? If so, New England and New York are almost entirely forested by nature if they aren't kept open. Or just native to the US? That will give your more options. If you are open to nonnative, you have an even wider set of possibilities. Many of the plants you mention (such as purple iris) could be any one of a number of species so I don't know what to suggest about them. I grow several kinds of purple iris: reticulated, Japanese, Siberian, native Iris versicolor/blue flag, and some purple bearded iris, both tall and short. There are several species of Oenothera and Baptisia, but the Baptisia all need a fair amount of sun, so that may explain the slow-growing aspect and the different Oenothera have differing behaviors. Beware of your packet of wildflower seeds. Unless you checked species and are sure that they are actually natives, you may have sown a set of weedy non-natives. Often "wildflower" seeds are just easy self-sowers that aren't natives. I made that mistake a number of years ago and am still removing some volunteers of non-natives that are basically weeds with pretty flowers, but want to take over the whole garden via prolific seeding. 3' and 4' deep is quite shallow for a bed that long, especially with prairie plants that don't always stand upright. I would add enough extra depth to make it a minimum of 5'-6' deep. That will give you enough depth to have more than a single line of plants (or two) for more interest and longer bloom times. Also, be aware that prairie plants really need full sun, and it sounds like several of your areas have too much shade. Look into natives that do well in your area such as some of the asters (US natives are now in the genus Symphyotrichum though not all nurseries have caught up), milkweeds, etc. Check out Lupine, Amsonia cilliata or Amsonia hubrichtii and Rudbeckia. If you are looking for natives for shade, be sure to find ethically sourced plants, not dug wild plants, so they should say nursery propogated, not just nursery raised. These would include Tiarella, coral bells/Heuchera, ginger/Asarum canadense, Trilliums, bloodroot/Sanguinaria canadensis, spring beauty/Claytonia viriginica, Jack-in-the-pulpit, a few of kinds of Maianthemum (false Solomon's seal/M. racemosa, M. stellata, and Canada mayflower/M. canadense), partridge berry/Mitchella repens, wintergreen/Gaultheria procumbens, and Phlox divaricata and P. maculata. Don't forget native shrubs, many of which will do well in your partly shaded areas. Hydrangea arborescens (Annabelle is one cultivar), spicebush/Lindera benzoin, native deciduous azaleas and their cultivars, several Viburnums, all of which have nice flowers, berries if you have different cultivars or wild type of the same species, and and lovely autumn color. Sambucus/elderberry likes sun and is much enjoyed by pollinators and birds, though they tend to sucker and spread. Look at Fothergilla which has honey-scented, bottle brush spring flowers and stunning fall color, especially when it gets at least a half day of good light. Consider having some plants with winter interest since winter in your area, like in mine, can be long and gray. Evergreen perennials look good in late fall until the snow falls, and then woody plants with nice structure or bark or evergreen leaves (either broadleafed or needled) look good. Put the winter interest plants where they will be visible from windows that overlook the yard. Look at cultivars of native red-twigged dogwoods/Cornus, striped AKA moose maple/Acer pensylvanicum, and Cornus alternifolia/pagoda dogwood for winter bark or shape, and rhododendrons (many of the natives are quite large) and mountain laurel/Kalmia latifolia for broadleafed evergreen foliage. Most of these will do fine in part shade. Evergreen conifers such as some of the smaller cultivars of Thuja occidentalis/white cedar or any smaller selections of the native firs and spruces will provide not only green, blue, or gold foliage all year, but winter shelter and nesting for birds along with the rhodies. I much prefer Lonicera sempervirens, the native coral or trumpet honeysuckle, to Virginia creeper in a yard like this since VC/Parthenocissus quinquefolia tends to spread where not wanted with underground stems/suckers. I grow both, but VC is restricted to wooded areas because of its aggressive spreading while the honeysuckle is well-behaved, though large. I have the cultivar Major Wheeler, which has a really heavy bloom in late spring followed by continuous bloom all summer on new growth. The hummingbirds love it. I don't understand the area around the patio and garage. Are those paths along the side and back of the garage, and where is the back door? How will you fit in the trellised honeysuckle? I would remove the thin strips of sod on both sides of the patio. IME most folks don't use a sitting area as far from the house as the far corner of your yard since shlepping a beverage, reading matter, etc. out there can be a bit of a hassle. If you would use it, then fine, but I would be more likely to shade the patio near the house since it is more likely to be used, and put some of the larger shrubs such as some of the native Rhododendron maximum cultivars there.