I can't wait to post some pics of the yard around the little house I'm renting. It's along narrow lot. First off, I NEED a garden shed for tools and my bikes, since there is no garage. And oh my! The amount they want for those things! I'm hoping I can figure out how to build one and use salvaged pieces. I have some great gingerbread trim off an old house and some cool old windows. I also want to make a little pond of some sort, either from an old clawfoot tub, or maybe a water trough, or any other ideas for this? I have a small bottle tree form...and I'm thinking that an old fruit tree on the property could host some pretty blue bottles too. Digger, you should go for it with your birdbath! I did mine because it was slowly leaking water from a hairline crack, but since I did the mosaic...no leak!

Oh I have struggled with the winter doldrums and posted on this on some of these forums. I came from zone 9b to zone 7b, it was a shock. I have done what many here have posted about. Main points: add evergreens - I have hollies, camellias, hellebores, Little Gem Magnolia, Carolina Sapphire looks like a Christmas tree. I make sure I have early bloomers - daffodils, quinces, forsythia. I make sure I have some flowers in winter - hellebores, camellias, I plant pansies and flowering cabbage/kale. Very important I have 3 double shepherd hooks and feed the birds all winter. Move the shepherd hooks closer as the birds get used to them and you will have a fairly close up view. Look at your view and make sure you have something nice out of your important viewing windows. I have beautiful camellia right outside kitchen window where I am cooking, washing, also an evergreen leucothoe, and a Coral Bark japanese maple which is red bark in winter right there too. Also a bird bath there. Outside the back window (a big window) is where I have the "Christmas tree" and magnolia, and all the bird feeders and another birdbath. This year I added yew I also have carolina jessamine and added many nandina firepower which are evergreen and very colorful in fall/winter. I plan to take extra vit D this winter, I think I am suffering a withdrawal in winter from lack of sunlight exposure! Laurie

the OP clearly states his having an appreciation for the tree All other landscape design considerations fall outside of this question Yet the opening statement I see is I have a Norway (pretty sure) spruce that a maniac tree guy recently mutilated thereby establishing a clear belief that there is an undesirable aesthetic situation present right at the start. you can plant other stuff around it. And the trunk is good for some vine to climb now Area beneath tree is going to be full of roots and subject to dripping from high crown. So it may turn out to not be a prime planting site - as is often the case beneath evergreen conifers.

Nicholsworth, I'm glad your hostas are safe. Karin, it would be fun to grow hostas with students, but one little problem: in our cold spring preschool ends before hosta pips show up, LOL. However I rather take this real cold and snowy winter than wet and dark winter that we had last year. Zkathy: Yes in picture my students and I are skiing. Aren't they cute. We made little trip and we had packed lunch in backpack. Usually we ski or ice-skate many times in week in school area, but this time we made little longer trip. Beth I think I need also those flowers :)