This site is very sunny and windy. I like that the big bushes give shade to the garage in the summer, and being deciduous they let the sun warm the garage in winter. I'm not sure if they really make a difference in the temperature but it's a nice idea. I like big conifers but I'm not sure about dwarf conifers with such a big backdrop, I think they would look dinky for many years. I don't think I could afford a big dwarf conifer.I think the white garage could give a good background to a dwarf spruce or to a small deciduous tree/bush with interesting branches. Here in Colorado I don't mind deciduous trees/bushes with bare branches, there is lots of sun and blue skies and often snow on the ground, and the grass stays green until early December. The forsythia and currant look messy, but the advantage is that's it's hard to see flaws in individual branches or their overall shape. And you can cut off stems at the base to keep them from getting too big. I have other plans for the part of the strip next to the driveway. There was a big rose of sharon that I took out, and I planted a zelkova from the arbor day foundation which is only 3 feet tall now. Once the zelkova (or some other tree if it doesn't make it) gets some size I think everything will look better. I didn't like the Rose of Sharon at all, it was about the size of the two bushes put together and it looked pointless (there was only one, so it wasn't like a hedge), and I didn't like the flowers because they looked wilted or something.

Well... Hippeastrum bulbs are native to tropical/warm areas, after all... Central and South America... I'm sure someone could explain it all much better than I, and with scientific fact to back up theory... but it seems that cool temperatures are necessary to set buds inside the bulb... in lieu of those cool temperatures, perhaps disturbing the roots to some extent gives the bulbs a signal that they should bloom. I'm not entirely sure if that's what happens... make note of your night time temperatures when you moved your bulbs... 60F is cool enough to have the bulbs set buds, I believe. I'm sure Sir Hans could explain it much better than I...

That's a really good tutorial, Marciakm! I found some info on paper that I'm gonna post to Steve, too! Tiger

I probably could live with a busy lopsided outside since I live mostly inside but that's just me. I suppose there are too many details on the outside as well for my taste if I were to design it. But when I'm inside a house I sure appreciate natural light!