Nice additions. I am guessing the design you have up top is like I said earlier to block the view of the neighbors homes from you house and for a winter windbreak. I didn't read the entire article due to time and it seems yardvark pretty much nailed everything as usual. I would just say personally I would add a little color via roses, would talk to a local nursery on those, and I would certainly look into edibles a bit more like a couple of apples. You could get full size "standard", Semi, or dwarf. I would slap a honeycrispx2 on there and a granny smith. I would also pick up a cherry or two, I personally like ranier but don't know how well they do in your area. That way you get spring blooms, fall apples/color, and something to look forward to seasonally. I would also augment those with evergreens like hollies with red berries for winter interest. When in doubt go for some more evergreens. Spring/Fall pretty much take care of themselves. See what looks best in your area in the summer/winter in the nurseries and go that route when in doubt of what to plant.

Jammarcus: Fireblight is caused by the bacteria Erwinia. It primarily is a spring issue in my area. The only control I know of is spraying with Streptomyocin during blossom time. This is only somewhat effective and is supposed to be applied at night or during low light conditions. The other control is to prune out any cankers or infected parts hopefully before it spreads into the trunk. Be sure to sterilize your pruners or saw between pruning cuts so you do not spread the bacteria in the process. The Erwinia backteria overwinter in infected plants. Infected plants will have a canker form on the the branch. The bark around this canker will be unusual looking, very rough and reddish in appearance. If you cut into the branch, you will see brown streaking in the vascular tissue. The canker will swell and ruture releasing the spores. The spores are spread to other trees by insect, wind, rain ect. If it infects a tree thru the flowers, the flowers/spur will die almost instantly(blossom blight). If you have warm weather and wind or hail (injures the young new growth so the bacteria can gain entry), then you might see the new growing tips wilting like the plant needs water. The next day the the infected new growth will be black(shoot blight). Some varieties are more susceptible to fireblight (Honeygold apple, Jonathan apple ect). Interesting thing I have found is that the rootstock on apples plays an issue in fireblight susceptibility too. Some are more prone to it (M-26). A friend of mine had 2 rows of an apple variety on M7 and the 3rd row of the same variety on M26 as his supplier did not have enough left on M7 when he ordered. One year fireblight struck the row on M26 and killed the whole row. This same apple variety on the M7 was not affected.

Hi MT! Oh, gosh, thanks for the compliment that I "seem to know so much". I want you to know that I am rolling on the floor laughing because EVERYTHING I know I have learned the hard way by doing everything wrong and then having to educate myself to correct my errors!!!! Of course, experience is the best teacher, but it can be a painful (and expensive) one. Anyway, if we'd had an internet with something like Garden Web when I started gardening as a young adult in the 1970s, I think the learning experience would have been a lot less painful. LOL I'll try to come up with some suggestions for shade, but I don't have a lot of experience with shade, as we built our home in an old cow pasture in between two wooded areas, so I have almost all sun, except for the shade of the one large pecan tree in the front yard. I do have lovely natural wooded areas on some of our acreage, but the copperheads and rattlesnakes enjoy them more in the warm weather than I do. First, when you say you have shade, I don't know what kind of shade. Heavy shade? Dappled shade? Shade all day? Most of the day? For the sake of making a list of shade-loving shrubs, I'll assume you have fairly heavy shade all day long. Some good shrubs for shade are: Abelia grandiflora, aka Glossy Abelia: This is a graceful, arching, spreading shrub that will become about as wide as it is tall. It can grow in full sun to part shade, but I don't know if it will flower well if it is in heavy shade. The leaves are fairly small. It flowers in late spring to early summer, and the flowers are small, sort of tubular and white to pink. The old standard form gets about 6' tall and 6' wide. There are smaller dwarf varieties, like "Sherwoodii" and "Compacta" which eventually get about three feet tall. A taller one (3' to 5' when mature) that has really pretty purple flowers is "Edward Goucher". Abelia is considered semi-evergreen to evergreen. Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hyndrangea quercifolia). Different from most hydrangeas, this one has leaves shaped like an oak leaf. It will get about 6' tall and will eventually spread out that wide. It has lovely fall color, which is a bonus. It blooms in early summer. There are many cultivars in different sizes. It isn't truly evergreen, but its foliage and flowers will stay on the plant until mid-winter. Oregon Grape Holly (Mahonia aquifolium): One of my favorites for shade. It gets from 3 to 6 feet tall, and 3 to 4 or 5 feet wide. It has beautiful bluish-green evergreen foliage. It has lovely yellow blooms in the spring, and the berries are bluish-black. It is really prickly, so don't plant it too close to paths or play areas. English Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) does better in our climate than Japanese (littleleaf) Boxwood. It is just your standard, compact green foundation shrub that has little pest and disease problems. Sometimes in very cold winter the foliage will turn brown, though, so that's a negative. It does need very well drained soil as it will drown and die if it sits in waterlogged soil for any length of time. There are many cultivars of English Boxwood available. Kerria aka Japanese Kerria (Kerri Japonica) is a lovely flowering shrub for shady sites. It prefers shady sites with rich, humusy soil. This is one of those shrubs that grows in an arching manner, so it needs room to spread out. You can't prune it tightly like you could Boxwood, for example. It blooms in spring and early summer. And it is prone to foliar dieases, so it needs good air circulation. It is deciduous. Possumhaw Holly (Ilex decidua). I have these everywhere on my property, from full sun to full shade. When mature they can get to be the size of a small tree...15 to 20 feet tall and spreading 5 to 10 or 15' wide. It is deciduous but has lovely berries that stay on the plant until mid- to late-winter. I think it will grow in any soil. There are many named cultivars. One of the prettiest is "Warren's Red" or "Warren Red". It has gorgeous red berries and lots of them. There are some dwarf and compact cultivars that stay much smaller. The birds love the berries. Southern Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera). Another of my faves. There is a standard version and a dwarf version, which is Myrica pussilla. Wax myrtles are in the same family as bayberry and the foliage has an attractive aroma sort of like bayberry. The standard wax myrtles can be pruned and limbed up like trees, which is how I treat mine, and the dwarf ones will top out at about five feet, while the standard ones can go to 15 or 20 feet. They are fairly fast-growing. The foliage is a light green that is almost a yellowish-green. I had to look for quite a while before I found some of them at a Lowe's, as they are not easy to find. Viburnum (Viburnum species) There are many cultivars available in many different sizes. Some are tall, some are short. Some are evergreen, some are deciduous. I have the common native Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum. Many named cultivars are available commecially. Spirea (Spiraea species) These are fairly compact shrubs, reaching from 2' to 6' in height and from 2' to 4' or 5' in width, depending on which cultivar you plant. They bloom in late spring and early summer, and most have flowers in various shade of white, pink or red. They are deciduous. I have them in a place where they get early morning direct sun, and then dappled shade at mid-day and full shade from mid-afternoon on. They are easy to grow. There are many, many cultivars available. Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria) Many cultivars of this evergreen shrub are available in many sizes. They will grow in almost any soil, and in everything from full sun to almost total shade. Mine get some afternoon shade. They bloom in early spring, and the berries are lovely. Some of the common ones you'll see in stores are "Stokes" which is a dwarf and "Pride of Houston" which is a tall, upright version. I don't know of any dwarf red oaks, but Shumard Oak is among the prettier oaks with red fall color. If you have heavy shade and good soil, there are a lot of red-leaved dwarf Japanese maples. You can plant dwarf crape myrtle anytime now, I would think. Hope this info helps. Dawn

Hi Everyone, Joan... I was so confused as well. When i ordered this "Jean" from Fuzzy, i thought it was a Jean. Well, after i posted this pic to another forum.. I received a post and was corrected that it was a "Jeannie" . I already have a Jeannie from Bud, so i wanted to get a Jean. There is a Jean Jr. (AKA as Jeannie) and Jean Sr. (Jean) So... I contacted Fuzzy and he contacted Richard Criley and said that (Rich) schooled him about the two. Fuzzy had been listing his Jean and it actually was Jeannie. (AKA as Jean Jr.) He was very sorry for the misunderstanding and he has fixed the name on the Ebay website. Rich had mentioned that Jim Little was selling Jean as Moragne # 78. That is all i know. You could ask Fuzzy about the Moragne # 78... I am happy with my Jeannie and will probably just be happy with the Moragnes that i have. : ) Just to know that Fuzzy thanked me and has changed what was listed makes me happy. So here is to Fuzzy to take his time and contact Rich Criley to ask him about my question.. That was very nice of him and i thank him. Now others will get their Jeannie instead of thinking it is a "Jean" Sigh..did you get that? LOL... K, I was talking to James about the Metallica. I had contacted him and had told him about what i wanted and his thoughts. He was most gracious and gave me his valued opinion. So... i was holding my breath that this cutting would root! Oh... "What a relief that was.." LOL... BTW....YOu do have a great "melon"... I always appreciate that you use it wisely!!! Jen... You are more than welcome to use my pic anytime you want!!! I'm glad that it makes you feel relaxed. I love to go outside and mess in my yard. It is my only way to relaz when i get home from work. You know the long hours that i work when im gone.. ARrggg! No CLue... You are welcome to come and live amongst my Plumies whenever you want!!! LOL.. It will give my DH something else to think about!!! : ) As far as the count? I really have stopped counting. Must be a sign of my addiction!! I really think that i have around 90# or so... no more than 100!!! PS.. Don't tell anyone!!! LOL..especially my DH!!! LMAO!! Barbra. I cant wait until you receive your Metallica. I was so excited about this one.. I have never paid a price like this for a cutting and if i knew it would be for sale rooted for ony 10 more dollars... I would have waited. Must less stress on me .. The last few months waiting for a sign of rooting was killing me.... SIgh... I cant wait to see more pics from everyone!! Thanks again for all of the kind comments.. you all are the best!!! Laura