Schefflera pueckleri does develop some rather aggressive surface roots with age, and may be perfectly safe it your wall has a properly reinforced foundation of concrete with rebar, but not enough info here to advise you in your circumstances. In general Podocarpus latifolius or another species is probably a safer choice if your retaining walls are of questionable construction.I've also seen Magnolia grandiflora dwarfer cultivars used as trained espaliers in narrow planters without foundation problems. As to just one 2 month drop of flowers for Bougainvillea, not how I see them work here in northern California where most cultivars have two to three waves of bloom throughout the year, and drop massive amounts of flowers. Not a vine I'd use by a pool without a pool cover.

Please give japanese styrax a place in your garden!!I also love Euonymus americanus"hearts-a-burstig".It can't be beat this time of the year along with toad lillies,red buckeye seeds bursting from their pods.Now is the time of year also for Illicium Parviflorum to be loaded with seed pods!!Awesome!!Also give Giant Dogwood a place(Cornus Controversa).Water in dry times. If you can obtain Pseudocydonia chinensis(Chinese Quince) give it a try.This is NOT Chaenomeles speciosa(Flowering Quince).Also give the little guys like Asarum and Hexastylis a chance in your shade area,with a little extra water.Don't be scared to plant Sugar maples either!!They do well if planted in a good hole and watered for the first couple of years. If you have a source for Baptisia perfoliata,plant it!It is a sandhills endemic where I live and it is bulletproof!!Interesting perfoliate leaves clasping the stem and yellow flowers in the leaf axils.Foliage looks like eucalyptus and some people call it that.Drives me nuts!!Learn to ID your plants and you'll be much better off.I'll go for now and give someone else some"airtime".P.S. Red Buckeye seeds and Euonymus americanus seeds available now!!!!

this is one of my favs that I use with leftover or grilled chicken from the store - more of a warm weather meal. From The Splendid Table Almond Chutney Chicken in Lettuce Roll-Ups Ingredients: Chicken Salad: One 3-pound roasted chicken(take-out works here) 1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice Grated zest of 1 large lemon Juice of 3 large lemons, or more to taste 2 jalapenos, seeded and minced, or hot sauce to taste 9-ounce jar Major Grey Chutney, cut into bite-size pieces if necessary 1/2 cup mayonnaise Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste 3 large stalks celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice 1 cup whole salted almonds, coarse chopped Lettuce Cups and Herbs: 1 large head Bibb lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried 1 large bunch fresh basil, washed and dried 1 large bunch fresh coriander, washed and dried 8 radishes, thin sliced 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced into thin rounds or 2-inch sticks Method: Pull the meat from the chicken carcass, discarding the skin and bones. Cut it into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl combine the onions, lemon zest and juice, jalapeno, chutney, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. Fold in the chicken. Taste the mix for lemon, mayonnaise, and herbs, adding more as needed. Let it stand 20 minutes to blend flavors, or refrigerate overnight. To serve, blend the celery and nuts into the chicken mixture. Mound the salad at one side of a big platter. Pile up the lettuce leaves at the other side, and cluster sprigs of herbs in the center. Tuck the radishes and cucumbers next to the herbs. Put a few herb leaves in the bottom of a lettuce "cup," top them with a spoonful of the salad, a slice each of radish and cucumber, and roll up. Here is a link that might be useful: Almond Chutney Chicken in Lettuce Roll-Ups

We just celebrated our 20th this year, so I'm feeling ya! I think for me the problem is the decision-making part. Oh, and the shopping. And the mess. And feeding some kinda-picky-eaters too. Yeah, pretty much the whole thing... Here are some things I have found helpful for myself: This is going to sound too simple to work, but try it anyway. Forget cookbooks. Get a 3-ring binder and a passel of clear sheet protectors. Get some dividers and label: Dinner, Veggies/Sides, Casseroles, Deserts, and Other. Now, photocopy any recipe you use/like and file it away behind the appropriate tab. What I have found is that I ACTUALLY FORGET what I know how to make (food my kids/DH will eat willingly). If it's all scattered in random sources then there is no way I'm going to think to fix that. This binder will be for TRIED AND TRUE favorites only. No storing recipes that you *want* to try. (They belong in a separate file somewhere else in the kitchen.) Now, ask your friends/family to email you their 4 favorite family recipes. I have gotten some FAB recipes from friends. We try to keep them in a Word document so they can be passed around easily. Far and away better than what I'd find randomly online or from a cookbook or mag. That said, if you do have a magazine recipe you use, just slip it into the sheet protector and you're all set. Make copies of these family/friends recipes and try them out with your family. Only the "keepers" get filed. In a short time you'll have a great resource to pop open when you are feeling harried or desperate! I like some other poster's suggestion of having your kids pick some new recipes for you to make--they just may surprise you! Also, with the binder concept, do a separate binder for only holiday food. Even if this means that you need to make a copy of one of your regular recipes. I've done this for about 10 years now with GREAT success. In fact, the holiday binder is how I got started with the binder thing in the first place. I've got my menus, time-lines, guest lists, etc. still in that binder. It's fun to look at and remember those past holidays! My last suggestion is to get acquainted with allrecipes.com for ideas. I only try 4-5 star recipes, and I read those reviews before I start :) Good luck in finding the Mojo!!