Pachysandra terminalis is the only thing that I have found that will grown under my maple, period. It flourishes and eats up leafs and requires no watering or fertilization. I doubt it can take foot traffic especially children playing. My suggestion is an area of pachysandra set into a definte constrained area with a six inch or more heavy duty edging, Roundup sprayed one or twice a year on the rhizomes that will eventually work their way under the edging and peastone or artificial grass for the kids. The pachysandra, when constrained, will fill in very thick and will earn its nickname "green mulch". Left to wander it will look unkept and straggly. That's my suggestion, good luck whatever you decide. Jon

Yes, I think so too. I was a bit unsure bacause in general I do not like Pungens. I do not like blue conifers in general. Hence my preference for P. martinezii and not Chihauhuana for instance. Pungens is one of those species you won't find near the coast, but it tolerates salt really well. I found a beautiful, weeping form which was quite large really close to the coast. And I have to say I really really like this one. Looks very full and healthy.

I sell heirloom tomato plants but I am in Big Lake and you are in Rochester. I also sell seeds so you might want to contact me for next year. I specialize in varieties that produce well in MN; many from Russia and other north areas. The choices in smaller tomatoes are not so great as large plants but Stupice, Azoychka, Berkeley Pink Tie Dye, and my own Sweet Brown would be about 4 feet tall.

If seedlings are close together, I would snip the ones I don't want. However, yours are far enough apart that pulling one won't disrupt the others. There are some City Picker container types that are sold with a trellis. Since you didn't get that one, you will have to set it where you can have some trellis nearby. For example, put it near the edge of patio or sidewalk somewhere. The trellis vertical shafts will be in the ground and you buy netting or make your own. You can also do the same on a patio or cemented area if you put the vertical shafts in a container of cement to hold them down. In this case you mentioned you have a deck. Using the deck's horizontal structure, along with additional support for the vines, will be a great way to decorate the deck as the plants get bigger. I think the current plants are fine but definitely there is a reason that many container varieties exist. However, with your deck, it sounds like you won't be lacking for horizontal space, and you can make vertical space, so I think you can be OK with keeping what you have.