I do try to go native...since we see wild forsythia all over and cedar trees we figured those were good. I just wish instead of all the ant-eaten oaks we had to take down we could have had a dogwood or redbud! hahaha...I see them growing wild in the wooded areas too! So pretty in spring. Also cone flowers and iris seem to grow wild here too...I'm going to 'dirt up' the rock wall on our easement and try some of those. The rest I will just plant in boxes or large planters. We have a gentle slope to the lake and like I said a natural rock wall along the easement so it does lend itself to grass and just a few good things. No one had lived in our house full time before, just a weekend place so it was overgrown with trees. We had no driveway or any lawn at all. Most folks just do rocks but since we are 'full-timers' we figured we'd try a lawn. We took out 13 trees to make way for the drive and adding a screened in porch on lakeside. The saddest thing was a beautiful oak that was plunk in the middle of the drive area...I just hope with more room for the other oaks, hackberry, etc they'll come back to their glory! I don't think that was a rant Huzzah, just good sense! I appreciate any and all advice. We moved here from the coast of North Carolina and growing there is so very different! Not better, just different. I have to say though, that after growing up in Nebraska, Missouri is much better for yard gardening etc. (I don't 'do' vegetables, just flowers and shrubs) but the season is way way longer here and I like that!! :-D

Hi rick. I notice you have a degree in horticulture. Also that we were admiring the tree on your birthday. The leaf sprig with the drupe fruits is very similar to the black haw in our woods. The black haw leaves are a little rounder and the fruits are still green. The fruits from the sprig do have a sour taste as described for sour gum. The tree was much taller than the black haw in our woods which is a mature shrub. Hopefully, our grand daughter will be able to observe the tree in different seasons and give us feed back. Part of the 'delight' of living in this geographical area has been learning to identify the plants. thanks for the input. EP

Mike, read your post as I was headed out the door and decided that I would flip a couple of rocks. Under about as many rocks, I saw a very large gravid syspila (28"), an attractive 18" sypila and a racer. This is the time of the gravid females incubating. When we were in Cali, it was interesting how many things we were told we wouldn't see or would, or more generally, how many things were "always the case" and how many of those things we proved wrong. We left thinking, don't these people know their own species behaviors better than this? (even though we did receive great help overall out there)-- Anyway, the point is that we probably do the same thing out of "the season" because instead of testing as constantly as we do in April/May, we write it off as "season ended" and our knowledge base drops back to general and assumptive.

Thanks Renee! The $166 sf number I received includes septic, excavation (unless we hit major rock and have to bring in someone with bigger equipment) and everything for completing the house except appliances and window coverings. It does not include architect's fee, land or well. It has a big enough cabinetry allowance to buy custom level for mid-size kitchen and a big enough floor allowance for hardwood in living areas and carpet in bedrooms. It doesn't have a breakdown for windows and doors so I don't know what level would be included. Do your sf amounts include septic, well, excavation?