Hi, I'm hoping to get some good ideas for a project I've had in mind for a long time. We'd like to soften and improve the look of the front, especially the section on the right as you look at the pictures, which is the entrance we use. The driveway you see is still used occasionally, although the car is usually parked in a detached garage further off on the right (not in the picture), and so we do want to keep it, but it could be reduced to something just long enough to be a temporary parking space for loading and unloading in winter, etc. The distance from the front deck to the street is about 26 ft. and since you need about 20 feet for the car, that leaves about 6 ft. for plantings (or something). Picture no. 2 includes a garden area on that side near the street. I'd like to keep that garden but wouldn't mind altering its shape if necessary. The four bushes on each side of the door on what we call the main house (picture no. 3) have seen better days and need to be replaced, but I'd like to keep the lilacs and the quince, which is the next-to-last one on the left that you can see in that pic. Pic no. 4 shows the lilacs that grow on two sides of a screened-in porch. As you can see, it's pretty informal and that's how we live too. I hope this is enough information to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. If anyone has ideas I'd love to hear them! Pics are at this link: http://s1002.photobucket.com/albums/af148/BarbaraNH/

Hi. Congrats on your home and first backyard. How wonderful for you. I am not a designer, just a long-time gardener (but I did win a landscape design competition in New Orleans once!). Couple of thoughts: since your corner is in front of kitchen window you want it to be attractive year round. I guess your winters are mild so this might not be as much of a concern to have winter interest. Or did you mean the corner is immediately outside the window in which case you would not want to grow something tall to obstruct your view. or is it opposite the window? I would suggest at least some native plants that would attract birds and butterflies, as they are so much more interesting than just the plants. Hummingbirds too. As for the gingko tree, I understand they get very very tall. You might want to consider a multi trunk tree (do crape myrtles grow there?) or shrub which might hide the pole more. Or several of them to break up the scene.

Hey guys, just following up. Thanks everyone for your input. TheFoxesPad, i very much imagine a similar use .. for me or my kids! A few general obeservations: 1. I am thinking more about tying it to our house, and to my surprise that means white trim 2. There is a part of our house, a small room off the living room, with very similar dimensions. It is stone about 6.5 ft up then clerestory. It has a gable roof. 3. Before our reno, the house has a very lovely little solarium at the side entrance. We had to demo it to make a mudroom and craftroom (believe me I hated doing it). My DH save the Marvin french doors and oversized windows. We'd love to use them, although whatever facade gets them will really change in character, so still mulling it 4. I want to emphasize its garden setting and path as much as the pond 5. The contractor says if we use too much glass it will be very hot in a stone house ... 6. Decided against post and beam, too much visual weight for the space. Probably shiplap ceiling, painted. Floor should be tile --- maybe antiqued saltillo 7. Our house has a cedar shake roof. Thinking we should copy it although I like tin or even copper too. 8. I think we will put in a sofa bed for those adult guests who want to stay there, and a small loft with a window for the kids as a reading nook. When we have narrowed done more decisions I will post again for input. In the meantime, thanks!

Some crops that will grow in less than 8 hours sun are leafy and salad greens, root crops like radishes and onions, and most herbs. Peas and beans also, but will produce a smaller crop than in full sun. Consider planting the cherry tomatoes in a hanging basket so you can move it to a sunnier location if it is not doing well in the partial sun. Another crop you might consider is garlic; each clove will produce a whole new bulb. It is best planted in fall (September or October, though I've planted as late as early December with success), and will be harvested in May or June, depending on variety and your weather. It will send up some shoots that persist through winter - love seeing those! - then really take off in early spring.