strumhead - I wish I could post pictures, but I can't. I agree that it's hard to get a feel for things without them, and it doesn't help that I can't figure out a way to post a more legible copy of the proposed plan! The front entrance is definitely a problem for a number of reasons. What I've drawn is an improvement to what is there now but but may not be the ideal solution. It is the lowest cost one I could think of; I suspect any major/expensive change would only be viable years down the road.... There are no sidewalks on these streets and street parking is restricted, so the entrance walkways are all oriented to the driveways as that is primary means of access. I agree that it is better to get rid of the maple (which I think is a wimpy, unattractive one!) to allow for more flexibility re width etc. Now to convince the owners, who are reluctant to remove the previous owners plantings, to remove such a visible one...! I don't like the path in the woodland area as it appears on the plan. The reality would likely be different as it will depend on what makes sense when we actually lay it out. The overriding issues that the squiggly line of the path was trying to show is that the path needs to sort of zig-zag across and down the slope to make walking it easier and also to minimize washouts by slowing down the speed of waterflow in a rain; provide access to as many of the plantings as possible to make maintenance easier; provide access to compost bins; etc. Part of the reason the path loops around the tree is actually to provide access to the back side of the saskatoonberries for harvesting. The actual eventual path will undoubtedly be different than the rather awkward one shown :-) (Part of my problem is I'm still learning how to make this cursed software draw the curves I can see in my head!) The grass patch running up the slope to the back fence is somewhat necessary 'breathing space' I think. The owners would be very intimidated with even more of the yard planted than it already shown! Also, while the kids are still young, they expect to use that slope in winter as a place for the kids to slide down. So grass is the best thing there. Since the area is sloped where the veggie garden is drawn, only the bottom strip is flat enough to use for easy planting. That is, in part, because there is the remains of what was obviously once a raised bed made from 6x6 wood. At this point, they are unlikely to be strongly motivated to go to the effort to remove that, so using it as the edge of the veggie bed seemed the best option. Essentially much of what I've drawn/proposed is seeking to minimize the work - and cost - involved in giving what's there a stronger shape/structure while making it suit their current needs, without causing issues for their future (somewhat undefined) plans, while also keeping maintenance relatively easy/simple. As I've said many times before - I have no intention of ever doing this sort of thing professionally! If this was my own garden, there are a lot of things that I would do that I have to eliminate because I know that they would consider it too much work. It would drive me crazy to be constantly running up against that sort of constraint, which would undoubtedly be the case when doing this sort of thing professionally. I'm definitely a gardener (who thinks a lot about the design of the garden). And, I'm very aware that most people do not garden - and have no interest in gardening - to the extent/level of detail that I do :-)

Thanks for the replies. These plants are in potting soil and I did not fertilize until 5 days ago (they were planted for ~2 weeks before the fertilizer was applied). I used 12-12-12 organic fertilizer and applied according to the instructions (1/3 cup on surface of soil, watered thoroughly). I thought that the potting soil had enough organic material to sustain the plants and fertilizing might not even be necessary, but after seeing the plants do poorly I decided to fertilize. The weather during the first 2 weeks after transplant was relatively cool: highs 65-72F, lows 38-50F. On most nights when the temperature dropped close to 40 I moved the plants into the garage. There was one night when it got much colder (38F) than what was forecasted and they were left outside.

See...I totally disagree when parents "encourage" the child to do one or the other. I suppose if I were more of a "step-mom" it would probably be more insulting to a "real" mom. The truth of the matter in my situation is that BM doesn't act like a mom and never did. Even when she was with my husband, she used sit home and email/text all her ex-boyfriends while my husband worked 3 jobs so the kids could go to daycare while she sat home "looking for work" as she called it. He later learned what was really going on and after learning of the occasions of cheating, finally gave up on the marriage. (Yay for me!) Now, at almost 30 years old and a mother of 2 children, she lives with her parents and younger brother in between his many transitions (and her parents pay for everything for her from food, gas, car and insurance to alcohol, cigarettes, and tattoos - she doesn't even work!) She pawns the kids off on her mom and my in-laws any chance she gets during the 8 weeks she has them. When they were in her primary custody, she NEVER signed them up for sports or activities, encouraged friends or playdates, partook in any arts/crafts/activities with them at home (let alone anything educational!) Instead, she used to sneak off to the basement to smoke pot with her brother and father and avoid them altogether. There were multiple neglect issues from not being fed or bathed, to not getting medication for an ear infection; and the youngest was even burned by a cigarette next to his eye! We called child services on her and were about to file an emergency custody order when she decided that we could have them if she didn't have to pay any child support (in the first go-around she actually tried to get us to pay her during the 2 months she has them!) We have a temporary order lasting 2 years (because she didn't want to rewrite it a year later) but we are fighting to change custody as soon as they are back with us in 7 weeks. My husband and I have them for 10 months straight without a dime of support from her (and no visitation) and I am a stay at home mom to them (aka chef, maid, taxi-driver) and do ALL of the things for them that she is not capable of. If they see me as more of a "mom" than she is, that's her own fault. If she put half the effort into mothering that she did into trying to get everything for nothing, she could be "mom of the year". I guess in my situation (which is why I say all of our situations are different) I truly feel that she simply carried my children for me (they even look exactly like me and nothing like her.) I understand how a child having "2 moms" could be insulting to a biological mother but the truth of the matter is that just donating an egg doesn't make you a mom. Adopted children don't call their parents by their first names. If I were an every-other weekend warrior with these boys and SHE did everything I do, than I could see the harm of it. But as far as my family, friends, and even the youngest's therapist sees it (and says it)- I AM the mom. BTW, he sees this therapist because of concerns about sexual abuse and inappropriateness in that house as well as for the damage his "mom's" behavior has caused emotionally. BM herself has said that she is fine with them calling me "mom" and went as far as to say that she was concerned about my DH when he was deployed (we're military) because he is the "father of our children." She doesn't want the work of being a mom, she just wants the title and to hang their pictures up on her myspace and say "look what I made, aren't they cute?" so I think she's actually grateful for me. Even if she wasn't OK with them calling me "mom", my answer to her would be "then step up to the plate and ACT like their mom." But like I said, that's just my situation.

Thanks, AK, for this discussion. I love the show, and found last night’s episode fascinating, heart-wrenching and -warming at the same time. The only part I couldn’t figure out was Miguel and what happened to him in between the Thanksgiving episode where Rebecca went out for the walk and pie and when she got lost and bought flowers. Maybe in her mind, she was still out looking for a bakery. The writers did a great job capturing the confused mind of dementia, imo. And I think it could be inferred it is Kevin’s cabin. Kate maybe is visiting? And what caused the rift between Kevin and Randall? Until he died, didn’t the Pearson clan always live in the same city? Or maybe William followed them from Pittsburgh to Philly. I have forgotten where they lived. I‘m not sure it was ever explained in the beginning how Jack and Miguel first met. Miguel and his first wife just showed up as family friends as I recall. Does someone remember anything differently?