Ink- Yep, guilty as charged. Even though I know betterthere have to be some benefits from hours of forum dawdlingI know better in my head, but in practice it's hard not to get overly focused on one thing, forgetting its relationships to the whole. I call this effect the Nose-of-the-Pekinese Syndrome. The intense focus on one spot in the yard is like someone with a huge canvas on which to work. For some (homeowners with established landscape design) the canvas is already filled. But maybe there's that sense that something is not quite right. Something needs to be fixedThese are the folks seeking to renovate their "paintings". They come to the forum and ask, "Do you like the way I painted a pekinese's nose on my painting?" A few are at least aware that a small dog might be called for in the picture. Others paint away, carefully putting a pekinese nose right in the midddle of a painting of a bowl of fruit. Others re-paint a nose on the dog in their picture, but they ought to be asking themselves if a brand new canvas would be a better starting point. Then there are the blank canvas folks. Their new homes have front yards they describe as "blank slates". In the midst of the emptiness they paint the nose of a pekinese. But they haven't yet asked themselves "what's going to happen in my painting?" Is there a young girl in the foreground looking down coquettishly to the pup in her lap while a lovestruck swain leans against a tree looking on? Is the little pekinese a snarling beast preparing to leap? Is the setting a chinese dynastic piece? Should there be a dog in the picture at all or is it a still life of apples and artichokes? Today is my birthday. Oh, I know. My page says January 1, but that ain't so. I mention it here on the chance that you'll forgive the overly played dog metaphor. It's the slice of cake and glass of wine that's doing it! Oh, and don't ask how tough a week I'm heading intojust let the wine flow! Irene- What you're saying gives flesh and bones to what I was trying to get at. I like what you said about emotional distance and then you reveal the twist that you can get attached to your own ideas. I think that's a fascinating aspect of designers and artists. There is all this work that doesn't necessarily leave the drafting board. I think of all the tens of thousands of sketches and detailed designs Da Vinci created but never built. Part of maturing, I suppose, and keeping the creative juices flowing. Laag- I think you hit the flaw in my post. I ended up suggesting rather gross generalities. Your point is well taken that individuality and specifics of circumstances play a significant role in the different ways homeowners think about their outdoor projects and the different personalities, skills and experiences the designers bring to their work. I think somewhere in that long post that was recently resurrected you commented on how little is known of posters when they post about their landscape issues. They may be dealing with constraints that have led them to paint that pekinese's nose and it may be the "best" answer given the specific circumstances. Naplesgardener- I like your synergy image. Kind of reminds me of Da Vinci again and his like, whose work was geared toward well-heeled patrons. Quite the dance to keep the art in the practice while creating the best design for the application and satisfying the person with the cash. I'm still struck by the dreams that people try to fulfill on their single canvases. Wellspring

Who does our yard work? Almost always my husband and I do it together! The only exception are things we can't do easily--like taking out a 50-foot dying honeylocust. We hired professionals for that. But as for the other work, some years ago we noticed that any task is a lot more fun if you make it a "social occasion." So while he does all the mowing, I'll be out there as well, mostly weeding my rose and flower beds. We've had an overly abundant crop of acorns this year. The best approach we've found so far is first, mow our long fescue pretty short, then rake the acorns into piles, then pick up those pesky nuts with a shop vacuum. He does the mowing, but I'm right behind him with a rake, and we both take turns with the shop vac. We're not retired yet, so most Saturdays we just work outside together for an hour or two, basically until we tell each other we've had "Enough joy!" I love being outside. It is indeed therapeutic. And it sure beats housework. Lol. Cheers!

Oh man, first the beautiful Aloes, then the Hummer? Enough to make me cry. By the way, those of you who think the bella is the best are wrong, wrong, wrong. Suprafolia has it all. The leaves are worthy of an ode, the flowers before they open inspire you to song. The blue overlapped, delicately edged floral scales stop you in mid thought. The flowers after they open are second in the Aloe universe only to A. praetoriensis. (The looks of the 2 species is very similar, but the supra has nicer foliage.) These are not opinions, but facts. ;) lzrddr, if I get a good pic of A. preatoriensis bloom, can i post it here? I don't want to dirty up your thread.

dcarearuthie2 it depends on the type of tree peony. they will basically fall into 2 groups: those with one primary tap root; and those with the roots that branch out in divisions and without dirt look kind of like a bird's nest. The one's with one primary tap root are almost impossible to transplant or move after they are planted. The other with roots that branch out are easy to transplant. Like the others have said, dig the plant up along the outer edge of where the leafs grow. The root mass may be huge (see attached picture); This is a transplanted tree peony that was at least 30 years old. The root mass was about 4 feet by 6 feet and took up my entire trunk of my car. Luckily, it was the kind with multiple root systems that branch out. Take the plant out of the ground and rinse off the roots with a water hose. Any parts that break away that have a root are viable. I actually ended up getting four plants off of this one. Anyway, the plant will have the best chance at survival if you move it after Labor Day when it is dormant (or when the leaves die and fall off). Been there and done that. Good luck. What type of tree peony is it? Color and characteristics? Maybe offer to take the plant and transplant something else nice in its place?