Colette should be available at Heirloom Roses soon, and they're selling bands as well as larger sizes now. Several Austins might be possibilities. I'm growing Wollerton Old Hall. Its gorgeous blooms are deeply cupped, in a creamy color with just a hint of the palest apricot. It seems easy to train, and is blooming beautifully this hot and erratic spring. I don't know how big it will get or how well it will continue to repeat through the rest of the year, since this rose is new to me. Another new rose I'm falling in love with is Crown Princess Margareta. It's said to be a small climber, has been easy to shape on a wall, and is a true apricot that pales to a lovely effect on the outer petals, giving the impression of a sheer fabric over a pastel. Again, I can't say a thing about how this rose will perform down the line, because I don't know yet, but there's an ongoing thread with photos and feedback from people more experienced. The many Westerlands I've grown have not done well for me. I've gotten great advice on this forum, and I wish you the same. Below is a picture of Wollerton, and I'll post Crown Princess right after. jannike Here is a link that might be useful: Colette at Heirloom Roses

All fruit trees prefer full sun. For your location I think apples espaliered would work the best. I would plan on keeping them about 6 feet which would be easy to support and prune and pick. Al

I've had pears, peaches, figs, persimmons, and citrus in close to a full shade area before, and all of them have produced. With that said, my persimmon tree actually grew out toward the sun so much until it was ready to fall over. The roots were coming out of the ground. We had to do some severe pruning on the tree or it would have fallen down completely in the next couple years. Pears - our pineapple pear has produced in the shade for many years as well, and although it hasn't fallen over, it still tends to want to grow toward the sunlight, making it look fairly ugly over the years. About 8 of the citrus trees we have are planted in full or partial shade, shaded by the house, oak trees, bald cypress, river birch, and red maples, and they seem to do well with very little pruning. The peach tree we had produced well for many years, but it was always kind of leggy in the shade. Last, our fig trees have always grown in a good amount of shade, and they usually have a good crop 8 or 9 out of ten years or so. They don't have a huge problem with the shade because of being heavily pruned every year. So, they don't have a chance to go leggy.

Honeysuckle - be sure you get a native, non-invasive variety. Clematis virginiana - although native, some, including Cornell U., consider this plant "weedy and invasive" Trumpet creeper - I'd stay away from this one - take a look at the USDA/NRDC fact sheet before buying: http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_cara2.pdf Be prepared to control any of these assertive vining plants, including the passiflora incarnata (passionflower vine, a/k/a Maypop) ... I have one and it spreads underground, popping up all over, even 8 feet away from the parent plant. What I see as missing is some year-round interest. How about some deciduous and evergreen shrubs (either needled or broad-leaved), spring bulbs, fall color? There are so many; just a few: Leucothoe is a native broad-leaf evergreen with small flowers similar to those on pieris; it is available in green and variegated varieties. Fothergilla, deciduous, early spring small white bottle-brush flowers, bright yellow fall foliage. If you have enough sun, winterberry holly will provide bright red berries for your visual enjoyment and the birds' sustenance through winter. You'll need male & female plants, unless someone in your neighborhood has a male plant. Ninebark (physocarpus) 'Diabolo' has deep red leaves that would echo your 'Forest Pansy' redbud. Digitalis is a biennial, so will die after its second year (or so they say ... I swear mine lived three), but will re-seed if it is happy. Herbaceous perennials, it's sooo hard to choose. Tiarella is one of my favorites, available in many varieties, some with red markings on the leaves; attractive leaves long after the delicate flowers are gone. Lungwort (plumbago) will form a nice groundcover in a shady spot; some varieties have silver-speckled leaves to brighten the shade; spring-blooming flowers start out pink and open blue, though some varieties will stay pink. Dicentras also - d. eximia is fern leaf bleeding heart, reblooms at end of summer when weather cools down; d. cucullaria is Dutchman's breeches. If you have at least half-sun, purple coneflower will give a decent bloom season and if you don't deadhead, birds, especially goldfinches, will really appreciate the seeds. Whatever they don't eat will sprout next spring. Native ginger also makes a nice groundcover in shade, and has the most interesting (if well-hidden) little flowers. There are so many to choose from - we are truly blessed here in the Garden State - I shouldn't even get started. I've left out tons of wonderful plants ... explore the web, local nurseries, public gardens (Mt. Cuba in Delaware and Bowman's Hill near New Hope PA are just two that focus on native plants). If you're anywhere near Monmouth County, stop in at Deep Cut Gardens in Middletown and check out the second largest horticultural library in the state (while you're there, ask for a copy of the list of Native Plants That Thrive in Monmouth County ... oh and the NPSNJ native plant list is printed out, arranged alphabetically by common name as well as by scientific name). I realize you want privacy, but try not to rush it - enjoy the process. The Native Plant Society of NJ has plant lists on their website - npsnj.org The NJ Invasive Species Strike Team has lots of information about all kinds of invasive species (plants, insects, mammals, pathogens) and a "Do Not Plant List" ... with so many invasives available commercially, I wish everyone had a laminated copy in their glove compartment! On his website, Doug Tallamy, Professor and Chair of the Dept. of of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, U of Delaware, has lists of the top beneficial plans for various regions. He also has an excellent essay on the importance of supporting wildlife through our gardening/landscaping efforts. bringingnaturehome.net P.S. Deep Cut Gardens is a county park, so no admission or parking fees. This post was edited by agardenstateof_mind on Fri, May 24, 13 at 19:18