newhomebuilder, I loved my clematis I had in WI - I miss it.

Very pretty. Mine is just 2 years old. I planted another on the shadier side of the house last year. I keep forgetting that it is there. It has not done as well, but will hopefully come around.

I will have to find out if the clematis would survive here in Phoenix. Next time I go to a real nursery I will have to ask. Plus I used to have peonies - huge lovely peonies that came back every year. I miss those too.

These views are all so different but equally appealing. I love the open flat spaces as well as the mountain views. The thick growth of trees and the visitors that come with them are beautiful. The porches just make me want to sit down and enjoy a glass of tea as I watch the world go by.

Ahhh, but the skilled photographers here...some of the pics look like they belong in a gallery.

I'm really enjoying this thread.

I love the picture of the wheat fields. I feel that as long as this country can grow its wheat, we can get through just about anything.

Here's the view from my breakfast room (and what I see from my kitchen sink, too). I'm gonna miss it. We just sold the house and are moving from IL to NC in 2 weeks.

A few more:

Hubby's grape row

The goldfish pond and waterfall just off the patio and under a wisteria-covered arbor

From the patio

Tracey, I'm gonna miss your house too. lol. I just looked at your photobucket pictures. The house looks to be very old on the outside (which is a compliment)but brand new on the inside. Gosh it's pretty.

Thanks, oakleyok! We built it 11 years ago, so everything you see is that old (except for the basement which was just finished 2 yrs ago). It had been nothing but a former cornfield with "sunswept landscaping".

We sold in 1 week for asking price. I met the new homeowners and they can't wait to get in it. I feel good about leaving it (and my 10-yr-old goldfish) in their hands. Now to find something I can love just as well in our new locaiton.....

tracey, what town in IL is your old house? NW Chicago suburbs? Very pretty views!!!!

Fun thread! Awesome views everyone. Very jealous of those of you on water. Trailrunner, I LOVE your big, cozy porch! I wish we had thought of a porch.
View from our living room window:

View from our kitchen window:

And one of my constantly favorite views:

cork2win - Those 4 legged grins are the best sights of all! :) Beautiful views, too!

tracey_b - I think I would also be sad to leave that view. However, I imagine that you can find what you want in NC. What area of NC are you looking in. I am just over the hill.

Did someone say PEONIES?

These are from my backyard.
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We're just outside of Champaign, IL, moving to the Raleigh-Durham area. Gonna rent while we learn which part of the Triangle we like best--gotta find that next perfect lot and/or house! This time I want water (again) AND woods....all with a bit more space, too. Hubby works in RTP, and we don't want to be more than a 30-minute drive from his office.

Newhomebuilder: We're south of Franklin, which is south of Nashville -- small town called Thompson's Station. Where are you?

LOVE all the views!

Tracy - I have never been to Raleigh-Durham, but I hear it is a beautiful town. That's smart to rent and look.

hostagrams - I know where Franklin is. We are in East TN...in Jonesborough (Johnson City.)

Tracy-WELCOME! We're in Chapel Hill. We moved here from NY and found that as soon as you hit the Carolina border, you are welcomed as a Southerner and a Tarheel! If you want water in the Triangle, you might want to look into something around Jordan Lake. Do you have children? We chose Chapel Hill specifically for the schools
One of my favorite views-DS and DGD

Tracy,love your landscaping! We live just north of Peoria. We vacationed in SC(Hilton Head) this spring and fell in love with the area. Just think of all the new plants you can use now :) I really enjoy this thread, such prettiness...

ThreeGrad, if you want to grow clematis where you are now, try group 3. You can plant them in plastic pots and bury the pots deep (about 3-4 inches below ground level) and the roots will come through the pots, so if you decide to move and want to take it with you, you can take the bucket with you and there will be clematis for you and for the person who moves into the house next. ;-)

patricia, do they like shade? And when you say group 3, do the clematis come in different groups. Remember the 3 roses I had ordered from Jackson & Perkins? Well, two of the three plants survived the shipment. Sweetness, the new lilac colored rose had to be replaced. Well, the 2nd one arrived dead too. So when I called for another replacement I found out that they were sold out as was the other two varieties of roses. So I got the Peace rose instead since it was the same price. I have not received that yet. It is so hot now that I would be amazed if this plant makes it here alive.

Most plants cannot handle AZ direct sun except for winter and early spring when highs are in the 70's. Buring the flowers deep may be very difficult since the dirt here is so very hard. I was going to plant a climbing rose in the group and I could not get down past a few inches. So I kept it in a pot. The dirt along front window seems softer. I place the tropical bird of paradise plant there. It gets watered every morning along with my hanging coco lined baskets.

I am not sure the stores would have the clematis now - probably not until January or February since that is planting season here. Can you believe that? Thanks.

My "views" pale in comparison to all the lovely pictures here. I live in a suburban tract home in a working-class town that still has heavy industry (mostly refining and chemicals).

This is the view from the back porch:

From House View

If you crane your neck just right, you can see the delta, which is an industrial shipping lane. Beyond the haze is the windmill farm. To the right is the refinery and power plant. We are also "blessed" with the noise from the major highway that runs between our home and the delta.

The front of the house view:

From House View

Only visible if you crane your neck up and over the neighbor's house. When it's green there are generally cows up there.

So I focus on the close-in view:

From House View

Our wisteria as it looks now.

This is what it looks like in bloom (taken before we repaired the trellis):

From Wisteria

And my favorite view looking out:

From House View

Not the best pic of them, but you get the idea.

Threegrad, clematis come in 3 groups and the group 3 can take heat very, very well although the florida siebodi (excuse spelling) can take it extremely well but you get prettier and more blooms from group 3. The main problem with clematis and heat is not getting enough chill. However, in Arizona, you have your very cool nights so they can get chill. In Alabama, we have extreme heat and humidity which they do not like but if I plant them deep and mulch well with pine straw so that the summer heat does not affect them adversely, then they will "fruit" overwinter and bloom the next season.

Go to www.silverstarvinery.com. Debbie's clematis plants are listed alphabetically with photographs, but they also have group number (i.e., 1, 2, 3) indicated by the plant. She is a great helper. In fact, I believe she was named by clematis organization international named as favorite clematis grower for those reasons, that she is willing to inform customers, work with them and advise them for their areas what groups to plant and how to dig the holes, etc.

Her plants (I am working from memory here and could be wrong but what I believe) are 3 years old when they are shipped and she ships bareroot plants ready to be planted.

I wish I could advise you publicly where and what roses to buy but I just do not do that here. I do give speeches (lectures if you will) on roses and gardening, so I feel that I should do only through private e-mail. I have never charged for any speeches or lectures because the payment for me is for people to plant the right roses for their soil, their climate and the garden they want to have. When I have been asked here, someone who bases everything on their single experience would say I was wrong (LOL) so I will only discuss if asked in private e-mail. (I have several certifications and speak to historical gardening folks, master gardeners and very amateur groups about growing roses, interplanting, etc., and what is best for their area. I try not to disparage any rose company because there are so few left).

I have gardening friends in California, Canada, Michigan, New York, Washington, Arizona, South and North Carolina, Florida, Georgia through roses and other plants, and it has been a wonderful experience to get to meet and fraternize with some of the greatest people I have ever known.

Thanks Patricia. I visited the web site and then emailed Debbie to ask her which clematis vines she would recommend. She wrote back with her recommendations. I picked one, maybe even the same type I had in WI. I love that dark purple flower with the green leaves. Debbie suggested I plant the vine on the north side of the house here. I will have to pick a good spot. So she emailed back to complete my order and give me instructions. i will mail her the money order tomorrow. Debbie warns about over watering but here the plants will need much more water than in other places of the country. In Phoenix we will have 100 plus temps until maybe September or even October with dry, dry conditions except during the monsoon which comes in August. So I am excited to get this plant. Maybe I will start a new post asking you all to comment where I should plant this vine. Thanks again.

Thanks for the welcome, Pattiem. No kids, so schools don't matter. When we moved here, kids were still a possibility, so we picked the best school district (and therefore HIGH property taxes--$7000+ last year!). We're glad to hear that property taxes aren't as high in NC, although I know Chapel Hill is still up there. There's a subdivision w/ lots still available (AND a pond included in one or two of them) just south of CH but outside of city taxes that I'd like to check out. We'll also look around Falls Lake area. I'm already a southerner (from Arkansas), but have no desire to be a Tarheel. I'm a Razorback :-)

I can't wait to have Crepe Myrtles again....oh, and southern Magnolias! I have missed that up here in IL. I wish I'd know that about Clematis, Patricia (planting in a pot) so I could take some of mine with me. I have Villa de Lyon, Jackmanii, and Sweet Autumn. Love them all.

I'll probably be asking bunches of questions in the months to come as I start in decorating a new house.....

{{!gwi}}From New House

Great view almagh. With all those trees the pool must require cleaning very often.

You would think so, but we actually don't get leaves in the pool. The picture was taken late October and you can see very few leaves on the cover.

I sure enjoy seeing everyone's views. From all the natural beauty of your views, here is something different from our kitchen window. Please excuse the telephone poles (we sure hate them).

My "views" pale in comparison to all the lovely pictures here. I live in a suburban tract home

First, I enjoyed looking at your views. Second, you're not alone as I'm just in a plain ol' tract home myself. I just happen to have a teensy greenbelt directly behind me is all. Looking at the views in this thread makes me feel like I'm standing in the middle of a party at Bill Gates' house and I'm wearing my painting clothes and no makeup! :o/

I was going to post a similar pic back when this thread was new, but it didn't come out well. I just took these a few minutes ago (OK, I was on BAH forum so posted there 1st - was reading a thread about building in the country).

We saw deer quite often last year (our first in the house), they've been scarce this year until about a month ago, but this is the first time I've seen a buck in our backyard! Up til now it's been does, sometimes with fawns.

This is the *only* view I like, keep the sheers down often b/c I can't stand looking at the crabgrass, front yard is worse (with stumps and limbs from clearing still thrown off edge of lawn on other side of "utility road" where my dad parks his dump truck). I hate looking out my LR and DR windows or sitting on front porch and seeing that mess (and a big blue truck)!

Maybe the deer like to munch on the crabgrass and clover. Lovely green.

Oops, was just showing DD the pics and I *did* manage to get one with both the buck and the doe (she's under the tree to the right of him and left of the birch).

They liked the clover in the old house's lawn too, we just didn't have that much crabgrass. Comes from putting hay down instead of straw when we planted this yard. So we're reseeding in the fall (would have been perfect to do it this spring if we'd known how much rain we'd have in June! But with our luck July and August will be drought).

Great pictures!

Here is my view from my farm 30 minutes from Buffalo, NY.

My backyard in the winter:
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Hot air balloon landing in my neighbors cow pasture ...
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Back gardens looking from my deck.
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I was blown away by your pictures. Incredible. Beautiful

Wow, you all have such scrumptious views! Tracey, I'm up for adoption. ;o) Ajsmama, love the deer, but I'll bet it makes it hard to garden?

This is the view out my south windows:

This is the view out my north windows:

LOL, Oceanna. Come on? Just siding? That would be disappointing.

Ok, I fudged a little. There actually are NO windows on the south or north ends of my house, except one small one in the side of the garage. Honest. Because that is pretty much the view out both ends. C'mon, I can't be the only one? :o)

So oceanna, we've seen the wilderness in your back yard, your front door, and the north and south side(ings). Do *you* have a garden under that porch at the edge of the wilderness? Or a nice view from the front door?

If not, you make up for it with the views *inside* your house. Can I see pics of that bathroom with the glass-marble edged mirror?

I have a little garden started in the back yard, yes! This was my first year to do winter sowing, so it's exciting. The plants are still so little it's nothing to see. The view out the front door is just up the street. You are so sweet to remember my marble-edged mirror (but I don't think I should post that here). I live in a very beautiful area of the country where everything is green and lovely. The problem is you can't see the twinkle in my eye when I type. :o) I'm amazed at the beautiful views posted above, though. Here ya go...

oceanna: I just saw your comment:
"Looking at the views in this thread makes me feel like I'm standing in the middle of a party at Bill Gates' house and I'm wearing my painting clothes and no makeup! "

That made me chuckle because yeah, that's what it feels like. And no, you're not the only one with views of siding. That's what I have on wither side of my house.

Pbrisjar, thanks! You and I can sit in the corner of the party and chat. And may I say, you look lovely in your painting clothes! :o)

Oceanna, is that siding yours? I can't post a picture, because I'm not there now, but out my kitchen window in Phoenix you see grey cinder-block fence--much more depressing than siding. I painted it turquoise, stuck some beautiful hand-painted Portuguese tiles on it, and planted some vines. It's now a beautiful little living wall painting instead of prison yard. It's not nearly so depressing doing dishes. Next step, I have to get this rental view in shape before I slit my wrists.

Some lovely views posted here.

Here are the views from our rural home in the backwoods in Canada.

This is the view of our front yard taken thru my breakfast room window.

This is the view from the other side of the breakfast room of the lake and mountains. It's a similar view from our LR. New fencing has just been started to fence out livestock and the area within will be landscaped.

This is out my living room window into the back yard

I just discovered this great thread, and am so envious of all of your magnificent views! I live in a condo in NC, and at least am fortunate enough to be adjacent to a wooded area.
A few pics from this year:
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Hi! I'm a lurker here because y'all have such wonderful ideas.

kittypawz-WOW! You live across from the Priddy Fountain? I went to junior high and part of high school in Highland Park and used to drive past that thing (before it was rebuilt) all the time.

oceanna-Your siding pics are too funny. My last home had a huge picture window in the dining room that was 6' from the neighbor's house (all brick). I finally built a trellis on the outside to grow vines over the window and block the view :)

Here's what I see outside my windows now..

{{!gwi}}

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OK, I'll bite...what the heck is that big egg? LOL

star_stuff - The photo of your DH and the two dogs would make a wonderful Christmas card. Great photo!

Holy Schnikies, what awesome views everyone has! When I saw the thread title I thought-- oh how fun, I will have to post a shot of my new little water bubbler but after seeing the jaw dropping views I am a little embarrassed of my humble backdrop. Keep posting though, it's nice to see how the other half lives ;)

I love this thread! So many of you are so very lucky to have such beautiful views...as a SoCal girl, your views look like something from the movies to me. Here, unless you live in Malibu or right on the coast, gorgeous views are hard to come by. Such open spaces!

I'll have to see what I can get. might have to stand outside to take it tho. not sure any windows are clean enough to ...ah... see anything thru! lol! besides the screens would make any view look weird.

Here's some of our neighborhood visitors looking for a meal. I live about 40 miles south of Boston on the coast.
Turkeys were re-introduced to the area in the 1970's after they almost were wiped out by development and since then have been doing quite well.

I'm glad I finally decided to be patient and let everything load! What pretty views!

1/4 of our view from our back veranda:

{{!gwi}}

Front the front veranda, 3 years ago when we first moved in: