In the deep south, liriope is one of those plants that the old saying "familiarity breeds contempt" is referring to. They will, as stated above, thrive in full sun (even OUR sun) all the way to deep shade. There are a number of different sizes, two flower colors (blue and white) and, variegations too. I have been yearning for a new one called Peedee ingot for several years. The leaves are chartreuse. I keep hoping the price will eventually come down. All varieties, even the clumpers, spread, but the spicatas roam far and wide. They are, indeed, tough as nails and if they ever get a running start they can be very difficult to eradicate, at least in my area. Consider yourself warned.

You did say 18 FEET, not 18 INCHES? That plan, then is shot, now I don't know what to do. I've only been feeding there since last fall, and I do like to feed all year, but maintaining 2 bird feeding stations gets expensive, especially when I buy unsalted dry-roasted peanuts for the squirrels and English walnuts (and other nuts if I can afford them for a treat). I hammer the Brazil nuts so they won't ruin their teeth :-). The nuts got to be too expensive, so I just threw one a day out there, lucky the squirrel that got there first. Squirrels will eat corn, but they just take the inner kernel and leave the rest, and I'm here to tell you they like nuts and sunflower seeds better, especially the striped ones over the oil ones. I've hardly any place to grow anything RIGHT. In desperation, I was going to plant some tomatoes along my brick porch and protruding stoops facing west (maybe not a good idea) and I have been feeding birds on that stoop for YEARS. There are sunflower hulls all OVER the ground in that spot. It doesn't seem to faze a forsythia I planted last spring just a few feet back. Morning glory volunteers sprang up there last year and went nuts climbing all over my new porch rail and a bunch of other stuff. I'm going to have to think about this. I could move where I feed them someplace where I never will plant flowers. Hmmm. Just had my yard mapped with a bunch of spray paint and flags. I could feed right over the phone box, why it's buried there is a mystery (but I probably shouldn't sink a post there). Then I could scoop out all that bad dirt and fill with topsoil, another gruelling task I'm just not up to with everything else I have going. I am having rotten luck with a lot of things lately. But thanks for tipping me off. I can quit the sunflower seeds in back, I buy extra striped ones for in front for the squirrels and chipmunks, and maybe find bags of just safflower seeds for the cardinals and get a regular mix with no sunflower seeds in it. Maybe that is the answer to the back bird feeder. That is right outside the back door in the lawn. The Patriot hostas are out behind the garage becaue I didn't have a place for them either, didn't want to look at them. Now I have them mulched. Since it's pretty weed-free behind the garage now, and part shade, I was thinking of black raspberries, partial shade mix or Knockout roses or something. I just can't seem to get it together. I'm usually on the old garden rose forum, and you should see what a mess I've made with my latest planting scheme :-(. But I keep planting more stuff as fast as I can. Sorry it's so long, I read the article, and it's kind of a shock, but better before I bought a bunch more expensive plants for some of those places. Here is the area I am talking about, I must say you have been so patient with me, I feel like a complete ditz, and it's not as if I've never grown things before, just not hostas and heirloom roses and some of the new things I'm trying to grow:

Thanks to all who responded. I did end up purchasing something other than the BlueStar 30" gas range. I really loved the BlueStar and almost purchased it but in the end there were several factors that influenced my decision. The BlueStar range does not have a storage drawer. I have limited cabinet space in my kitchen and would have been hard pressed to find storage for my roasting pan had I purchased the BlueStar. For those with big kitchens and plenty of storage, this would not be a problem but it was an issue for me. I really wanted telescopic sliding racks, which in the BlueStar were an accessory (at $400 each). It would have added $800 to the cost. The burners on the BlueStar are powerful. I would have had to add make-up air (MUA) to my existing ventilation system which would probably be $500 or so (MUA kit, installation, permit). Most of the homes in my neighborhood have pretty basic kitchens and kitchen appliances. I didn't want to over-improve for the area I live in. I am an average cook/baker with average needs. Ultimately, I decided that I didn't need anything with such superior burner and oven capacity at the BlueStar. While I made the right decision for my circumstances at this time, I'm still dreaming about that beautiful BlueStar range and hopefully can reconsider for my next home.

Does it fry? No. Does it cook small amounts of food, convection style? Yes. We like ours and since we are recent empty nesters, I love it for roasted veg, thin cuts of meat which are easy to overcook conventionally. Great for warming up leftovers that could get soggy in the microwave. It cooks faster than our toaster oven and makes the best baked potatoes/sweet potatoes ever. I keep it in the pantry just off our kitchen and of late have been using it several times a week. Today, I did roasted beets which I will reheat when I do baby potatoes and green beans for dinner. My 20 something daughters use theirs several times a week. For the investment it's a great little appliance provided you have the space for it. Since we don't eat a lot of toast and we have a toaster for when we want to, I am thinking of getting rid of my toaster oven, now that we have the air fryer. ETA - when we were a family of four, it wouldn't have been as sufficient as it is for us now.