Thanks for all the color suggestions.. I was finally able to go downstairs during the day (plaster walls are drying so NOONE is working down there today.. kind of nice actually) I think we are gong to go with BM Stone Hearth (thanks Sueb20) and for the bathroom I am going to go with BM tranquility (an affinity color). Its amazing how much color changes at different times of day. I am looking forward to showing you pictures when it is at least painted :) Thanks again for all your help!!

I have to confess to being an over-planter. It's just blind enthusiasm and impatience I suppose. Your subject says it all... so many trees! I've certainly had a couple of reality checks over the years. What you have to consider is that the mistakes can come at a price. A considerable one financially if you are needing to remove mature trees or constantly lop ones intruding on your neighbours. Or a turn-off to potential buyers if you want to sell and your market is not so green. That said, your choices did not seem so deadly to me... given the distances and your soil, I reckon you won't see anything absolutely taking over for well over 10 years. The frangi can be butchered and restarted from cuttings anywhere anytime it is unsuited to its spot. Personally I found the little corymbias quite manageable and a gem magnolia is hardly going to take over the world. (Your ultimate problem is actually going to be that poinciana :-) but we all know who to blame for that decision). Your under planting isn't going to be any easier for years, none of the trees will provide much shade. IYou would be better off looking at summer sun-stopping options for a few years while you get your understory plants going, even if in pots that you shift around. Shade sails might work, also large tubs of clumping bamboo that will grow quickly, even temporary arches of vines that can be sacrificed later when you have the shade you need. Bamboo, thatch products, trellises and a bit of ingenuity should give you a cooler feel for a while. Don't discount a couple of cheap water features and water plants, either - a few tubs of waterlilies or cannas plus gold-fish and a little solar pump can do quite a reasonable job on the cheap

Well, one down. While we were taking a walk, I stopped by another nursery that is within a walking distance from me and they also had a few DAs, but only Crown Princess Margareta was in bloom. I instantly fell in love. I was very impressed that all the blooms made it through rain last night. When I carried it back home (just half a mile) not one petal dropped at our slightly windy condition today. I did notice that the color is differently reflected depending on where it is positioned so I don't think she should be exposed to afternoon sun, likely to fade I think. Here she is at her new home (I already put bamboo stakes with twine to hold the stems as they are still weak while blooms abundant): It doesn't seem that CPM would go well with MR and MW, so I definitely have to get the second one. :-) I'll go back to the nurseries in a couple of days, when they start to bloom, to see how 'Charlotte' and others look like. 'Tess' on obelisk sounds like a grand idea too! This is the only picture I have of the area with 'Mary Rose' (at the bottom corner) & 'Munstead Wood'. I'll move MW more up front because it doesn't grow too large for me and then perhaps another DA right behind or between them.

Kim, Prayers for fast healing for you. Bon, Where would we be without our beloved OK Mesonet? It has all the most helpful info in so many different formats. I just love it. I'm glad Bill made it home in time to chop wood. Hopefully that wood will keep the stove fed and keep you all toasty warm. Maybe you coulda/woulda/shoulda been chopping wood, but we know that it wouldn't feed your soul the way that gardening does, so we totally get it. Your wind chill was bad and it was bad so much earlier than ours. The cold front didn't make it this far south until tonight, but we're plenty chilly now. Megan, If you need some time to just chill, then allow yourself to do that. I think when our bodies are telling us what it needs, we need to listen. With a three day weekend, you should have adequate time for chilling and seed starting. Enjoy your holiday weekend. dbarron, Maybe the cat and dog were just playing and neither is too much of a fraidy cat? I'm glad you got the car into the garage so you won't have to chisel ice off the windshield later. The plants don't seem as bothered by the cold as we do. I guess that's because they are out in it 24/7 and are somewhat better adapted to it perhaps. Rebecca, I hope the procedure went well and that you and your mom made it home just fine. Y'all, the models look like somebody is going to get some snow next week, but I do not necessarily think it will hit many of us unless something changes. We have an unexpected, last-minute bonus weekend with the older granddaughter this week as her dad is unavailable for his weekend with her. Well, his loss is our gain and we're going to enjoy having her here with us, though she might climb the walls a little bit without her little sis around to play with. Of course, we can do things we don't do when little sis is here, like maybe go to a more mature movie (something not G-rated) or to a restaurant that little sis doesn't like. Tomorrow will be just her day and she's already voiced her opinion on where we should eat lunch. : ) Before they called to see if she could come stay with us, I had thought I might do a little plant shopping or something tomorrow but I think instead we'll do something she'll enjoy. It still is pretty chilly to be buying plants, especially since the cold weather doesn't want to go away. I'm ready to do some gardening, but the weather isn't really right for it yet, especially with the persistently soggy soil. Dawn