You just need some bulk; not bitty things in dibs and dabs running in a line along the foundation. I'm guessing most of Michigan is in Zone 5, unless you're in the UP which drops to Zone 4 and 3 in some spots. I'm in Zone 4 and the ever popular "winter interest" is generally buried under a few feet of snow; so I leave winter interest for those in warmer climes. And if you're limited to the already established planting beds, you want to be aware of how big shrubs and trees can eventually get. You don't want to plant a conifer or potentially large tree 3 feet from your foundation. What I would do is just add some heft. Tulips are great in mass plantings rather than lined up. I'd move what you have to make one or two larger drifts... or simply buy and plant some more when they come into the stores in the early Fall. I see some lilies starting to poke up on the south side among the tulips, so digging without destroying will make the going a little slower. Also, planting your peppers and basil will help to hide the tulip and lily foliage once it starts to die back. Some things are just tried and true - hostas are great plants; they come in a variety of shades of green and "blue", some are mounding, some are uprights and in the cooler zones can take a lot of sun. All around no care plant to fill up space. Sedums are good clumpers with long lasting flower heads. Sedums look good with hostas. Walker's Low Nepeta is a real nice plant; mine blooms from early summer until the first killing frost. Nepeta looks good with hostas and sedums. Perhaps spireas have been done to death, but Anthony Waterer is a winner that doesn't get overly large is easy to keep in bounds and has dusty rose flowers which compliments the dusty rose flower heads on some of the sedums. A tour through a good garden center with a little notebook to write down plant names, mature heights, widths, light and water requirements etc. would be the best first step. I could never tell anyone where to put what - I have to be physically in a space moving things around in their pots until the arrangement looks right.

This morning when my neighbor went to exercise class I snuck the totem into her garden. I'm originally from west Mi too, & I went to visit Mayme a few yrs . We could do a ton of damage junking together!!We had a great time. I was home in May to see my Dad, he has alzheimers & is in a care facility near Grand Rapids. I may try to come again in sept or oct. My husband's sister & brother in law live in Holland. Jill

I am so happy to see your pictures again! I was here back then, but mostly lurking, which I still do a lot because I am not very good about id-ing my plants since the dogs destroyed my labels and I gave up There are a few I know the names of, but not too many. You were one of my secret mentors when I started my hosta planting! I am sorry your 'When I Dream' was a disappointment, but there is so much to love about your gardens! Thank you for that!!!

Here is a "recipe" that uses figs. It was in my email from Arcamax and it is from Wolf Gang Puck. Honestly I haven't tried it (or figs for that matter) but it sounds interesting for you venture-some soles out there: GRILLED FIG AND PROSCIUTTO SALAD Serves 4 SHERRY-DIJON VINAIGRETTE 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup almond oil or safflower oil Sea salt Freshly ground white pepper SALAD 4 thin slices prosciutto 1 head fris lettuce (chicory or curly endive), leaves separated, rinsed, thoroughly dried and torn into bite-sized pieces 1 head Belgian endive, leaves separated, rinsed and thoroughly dried 1 head radicchio, leaves separated, rinsed, thoroughly dried and cut crosswise into thin julienne 1 shallot, peeled and very thinly sliced 4 ripe fresh Mission figs 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt 1 small block Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 3 to 4 ounces 1 leaf fresh sage, rolled lengthwise and cut crosswise to form thin ribbons Freshly ground black pepper Preheat an outdoor or indoor grill. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. In a mixing bowl, stir together the vinegar and mustard. While whisking continuously, drizzle in the oils until thoroughly blended. Season to taste with salt and white pepper and set aside. You should have about 1-1/4 cups, enough for this salad and several other recipes. Store the remaining dressing in a covered container in the refrigerator. When the grill or broiler is hot, begin preparing the salad. First, drape each slice of prosciutto in the middle of a chilled salad plate. Arrange the frisée, endive, radicchio and shallot on top, taking care not to conceal the prosciutto completely, and set aside. Rub the figs with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle them lightly with sea salt. Carefully place them near the cooler edges of the grill's cooking grid and cook them, turning with tongs, just until they are evenly marked all over with dark brown grill marks but not yet cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes total cooking time. Immediately cut each fig lengthwise into quarters and arrange the fig quarters on top of each plate. Drizzle each serving with about 1-1/2 tablespoons of the Sherry-Dijon Vinaigrette. Using a cheese plane or a swivel-bladed vegetable peeler, lightly shave some Parmesan on top of each plate; you'll only need about 1 ounce total for 4 servings, but it's easier to shave that amount from a larger block of cheese. Garnish with the fresh sage and sprinkle lightly with sea salt and black pepper. Serve immediately. If anyone tries it, let us know. Figs are kind of rare here is in CT. Heidi