Hi daw_etc, Welcome to Garden Web and The Plant Exchange I thought you might like to know there is no email link on your Member Page, thus no way to email you. Please see addressing newbie and newer member issues for instructions on getting your Member Page email link set up. While you are there editing, you might want to place your state abbreviation in the one box provided for the garden zone (and Location). You will find it is often beneficial if members know where you are located......Some members, myself included, will not respond to a trade post if the member's location is unknown. It is a postage cost, days in transit, temperature/climate thing to be considered. My putting your state location in your profile, it will be displayed on your Member Page, and will also automatically be displayed whenever you make a post. See I am zone 5/6 S IN Happy Trading! Sue

Thanks, all - I *love* the spider plant idea...and I have a spider to start with too, so thanks!! I did do my repotting this weekened...whew, what a chore! All three Ficus look *much* better for the pruning though, and are already tossing out new leaves (no leaf drop even...they seem to really appreciate the new digs & soil). I'll see if I can't get some pictures to post tonight or tomorrow. For now, I have my Philo. "Brasil" under my plain F. benjamina, with plenty of room for another couple of plants. P. Brasil has been super-fussy with me, and if it doesn't shape up in this nice spot under the Ficus, I'm going to chop the rest of him up and just grow it only in my aquariums (where cuttings of the same seem to do nicely). I think I'll put my spider back there with him for awhile, and maybe get a few other forms of spiders to complement it. Under the varigated Ficus, I decided to try a few different things. I put a Pteris cretica (brake fern), underneath (it will probably need more moisture, but we'll see), an Asparagus plumosis (which should be fine water-wise, but obviously will need to be kept trimmed back once it gets going), a swedish ivy (good suggestion!), and a tiny cutting of a basic goldfish plant (which I know will need to be repotted smaller for blooms, but the foliage will be a nice contrast to the lighter plants for now - $1.50 at the grocery store). I potted the F. elastica in a smaller container to keep it's growth a bit slower, so no room there for "extras"...but it's much happier too, and sending out new shoots like crazy. Thanks again for all the suggestions...I think the spider plants will look really cool underneath for contrast, regardless of what any of the rest of the plants do! :-)

According to the Sunset Western Garden Book, creeping fig is very agressive and can be a problem--best to pull it off every few years so you can still use the garage--also not recommended for south-facing walls (page 351 of 2001 edition)--might not be the best choice. It's very delicate and beautiful when young but gets heavier and coarser over time. I've got Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) on my concrete walls. It's the plant that gave the name to the "Ivy League" colleges. It loses its leaves for a few weeks in winter (leaves turn red first--brilliant color). You would only need 1 plant. I pull it all off every 2 or 3 years to the ground (it comes off with a gentle tug) and it all grows back quickly. It gets very lush and looks good. Real ivy (genus Hedera) can be a pest--it spreads all over and rats like to nest in it. If you want a small, fairly clean tree what about dwarf Citrus? Evergreen, good screen, and the smell of citrus blossoms is just heavenly. Plus the fruit. 12-15' size you are looking more at a medium shrub rather than a tree. Most things sold as trees will get much much taller and at 1' away from the fence you don't have much room. Look also at Prunus caroliniana 'Brite and Tite', Nandina...I think this forum's FAQ has a list of 'narrow screen' plants you might want to check out.

Variegated Euonymus fortunei cultivar. Weevils go for these when they are under overhangs, beneath low branching trees and so on.