Cabots Timber Oil has been a fine product for our clients over the years, but after extensive testing, comparison, and evaluation, (and a few similar problem jobs) I am encouraging our clients to consider One Time Wood Protector as a superior alternative to the outdated oil base technology of Timber Oil. The problems with traditional oil finishes are magnified with exotic hardwood like Ipe. Ipe is already full of natural oils and is extremely dense. One TIME overcomes and eliminates many of the drying issues and long term buildup issues of traditional oil base wood stains like Timber Oil. One TIME contains neither water nor paint thinner, and is 100% solids in liquid form. One TIME cures with UV exposure. Below is a link to an article from our "go to" guys for deck care advice. Here is a link that might be useful: Protecting Ipe and other Hardwoods

Wow, how pretty, T_G! Just beautiful. Mushcreek, did you tongue and groove your flooring? We're beveling mine, since I don't have that skill. I'm waiting for the last piece in the kitchen to go in. The doorway to the mudroom. We got sidetracked by widening the 32" door to a 36", hanging one of my reclaimed French doors in it, and adding trim. This is THE very first stick of trim in my entire house. So we're kinda in the middle, still. Get this: A friend's son needed some work, and doesn't charge me a lot. He also does a beautiful wall prep and paint job. Really nice. Been painting with his mom since he could hold a brush. That kind of thing. Anyway, I had him paint the inside of the only 2 closets in the house. Then finish the drywall in my front bathroom (only has a potty) and the ceiling in the MB shower. (Tile will be finished one day.) What I'm really thrilled about is I chose a color. Zap! Chosen. For the bath, I chose BM's 'Amulet' cut 50%. There aren't any windows in that bathroom, and it's 8x8, so I didn't want it toooooooo yellow. I wanted a soft ivory/gold and it's perfect. I'm so excited. Now... I just want him to repaint the MBR they painted last year. I found out that the quart and sample of this paint doesn't have red in it. When they make the gallon, it does. Huh? That explains the too-pink bedroom. So... I'm planning again. Gotta move crap to get to the next paint project. But I also have to earn a few more tips to continue. I am excited about sanding my kitchen floor. I'm excited about someday having a bathroom in the bathroom. I'm excited about a nice ceiling in the MB shower. Other than that, it's been episodes of Hoarders keeping me going.

Julia I completely understand your point. However, unfortunately "landscape" refers to the area of land around your house and usually refers to the shapes and structural elements of plants and hardscape and how they relate to the lay of the land and shape of the home, as opposed to a garden bed. While I can understand why you wouldn't want to post a photo of your home on the Web, that's all that can really be shown to get some landscape advice. Perhaps you could disguise it somehow. Kinda unlikely that anyone will actually know where it is . . . I never have run across a home I've seen posted on the Web. As for the rudeness, well just say, "It takes all kinds" and move on, or else maybe, "Perhaps I am misunderstanding the tone" if you are an optimist! But understandable if you don't want to post, I understand your reticence. In general, from the window into your home that you have shown, it looks like you have an entrance walkway to your front door, and one would generally not want to hide that or block the view as those shrubs do that you are planning on ripping out. So perhaps a couple of shrubs that stay small or a small tree, then underplanted with ground covers. However, if you really don't know what you are doing, perhaps just do grass until you have a clear idea of what you want. I got most of my best ideas from walking around my neighborhood and noticing thing that folks did that looked good. The reason those shrubs were problematic for you is that they were too big for the space as they matured. That's a common mistake that folks make who don't know what they are doing. They don't plan for the eventual mature size of the plants they chose and plant and then they are forever trying to keep them small when they don't want to be. Fortunately plant breeders have come up with many small and dwarf varieties of plants for home owners. Be sure to seek those out and read the labels on the plants that give the mature sizes. You can often also look online to get that information, and now with cell phones with search engines and Web connections to take along, you have a lot more resources at your fingertips. Also, you can search online for types of garden plans, like "walkway garden plan" and find complete plans with plant suggestions. https://www.bhg.com/gardening/plans/special-spots/

In New England you can count on PSC being short lived due to the multitude of diseases and insect that infest them. So plant where it can be replaced in 10 years. Look at Pieris and Kalmia/mountain laurel for part sun evergreens. Many rhodies will work well in part sun as well. Consider also that there are many evergreen groundcovers that work in part shade. Choose which plants to buy small vs. large. For instance, the Kalmia may be slower growing, so don’t buy as a tiny plant. The panicled hydrangeas will get to 2/3 of their mature size in 4 years from tiny twigs if given good drainage and a fair amount of sun, so you can get them smaller initially. Be sure you have some type of plant, preferably evergreen, that repeats down the bed for continuity. Otherwise you get a random look of one of this and one of that and there is no cohesion. So look at which plant or two you will have repeats of and which will be single features. For instance, most forsythia is a one shot wonder. I love its bright yellow in spring, and one I have has nice autumn color, but it has a tendency to not share space well and look like a bad hair day much of the summer. So put it out on the edge of the lawn where you can enjoy it from inside during black fly season or spring rain, but where it will be part of the background during the rest of the year. Mock orange is similar, but often has a lovely scent, so put it near a door you use or under a window you sit near when It is open. Both forsythia and mock orange come in a range of sizes, so choose carefully for what you want as far as size and growth pattern of the cultivar. edited to add: Skip the privet. Seeds invasively, smells rank when in bloom.