Hayward here (though now we're retired we spend a lot of time in Baja - no veggies there - just cactus!) First year garden at this location. I was late getting started because I had to till, bring in soil amendments, till, bring in sand and till some more - still not totally happy with the soil, but ran out of patience. First seedlings didn't get planted out until May 10th - but I ate my first squash yesterday (had to borrow a male flower from my neighbor to pollinate it)and will have bush beans and beet tops within a week. Tomatoes (17 varieties, 22 plants)are full of blossoms and seem to be setting fruit, as are the various cukes, peppers and eggplants. Snap peas are flowering, as are the potatoes (will pinch them off tomorrow), green onions are over a foot tall and Elephant garlic is similar. Have various lettuces growing in a Flowerhouse Seedhouse, along with some Chinese Cabbage. Multiple melons, mostly musk type, went in the ground today. Gonna try to train the little devils to climb - the cukes caught on quite quickly. Winter squash (Dumpling, Delicata, Spaghetti & Butternut) goes in tomorrow. So far the only 'dud' was the English Peas, they went in right before the 3 day heatwave last month and got crisped - got about 3 peas off each vine and they never got above 6 inches tall. Of course, since then we have had no heat at all and cold winds every day (which is why the melons only just graduated from the Seedhouse). From here on, it's just a daily battle between me and the multitude of bugs that want to beat me to the harvest and I am determined they will not win!

Sorry; I was wrong about thinking that the Corintian Rose and Mauve cultivars as being new developments. Did some checking and now realize that a few years after more nurseries began offering the Ornamental trees, I must have seen a photo of the Corintian Rose which appeared to bloom more red colored. But the latest photos I have seen of the Corintian Rose seem to reveal that tree's blooms being more true to what reported descriptions of it have been turning up. Dr. Dennis Werner had successfully developed these Corinthian peach cultivars, and reports of them started showing up in web perspectives back over the winter of 1998-99. Those perspectives projected that nurseries would be making these trees available by the winter of 1999-2000. I have not seen the standard nurseries in my area offering these trees, but after I inquired about them to my favorite nursery on the northwest edge of town. They fairly easily found some being offered to the wholesale markets from a local regional grower. My extra research about the development of the different cultivars has reminded me of what I had obviously forgotten when I posted what I replied above. The truth is that Back in the winter of 1998-99; the cultivars which had already been developed were Corinthian, White, Corinthian Pink, Corintihian Rose, and Corinthian Mauve. With the Rose and the Mauve cultivars just now showing up more often on various web sites, must mean that now those cultivars are catching the eye of people more than the White and Pink cultvars are right now. One thing I do know is that the photos on the web of these trees do not capture the dynamic beauty that one is surprised to see in any of these trees that are thriving out in their planting beds. Must be something about the camera shots being so far away that the size and shapes of the flowers appear more non-descript in the photo's and also the amazing way that the sun make the colors of those flowers to appear so stunning must be an aspect that the camera's missed capturing in those photos of these trees that I have been more recently seeing on the Web. I know that the Pink cultivar blooms certainly are such, simply because a friend of mine planted four of these trees along the narrow strip along her front driveway and that boarders her neighbor's yard. The first Spring that her trees burst out in bloom, her husband who never seems to say much about the items at her house that we have planted, well even he, was taken aback at the sight of how stunning those blooms were. At first sight he rushed to get his camera and quicky attached that photo to an email and sent it to me to let me know how amazed he was at first sight of those tree tree's bloom. That was 3 years ago, and the only other item he has reacted the same about was after he first saw blooms, on the hardy, Blue Satin Hibiscus that I had trained up in a tree form and helped my friend plant at her house. Those clear blue...

Sounds like you would be ever so much better off with a section or two of tall lattice fencing arranged in an off set way... vv or /// (sorry, I cant find a symbol to show what I mean) Anyway, you wouldnt have to worry about the underground pipes, roots bulging up your respective driveways or a too-agressive plant. Also, both you and the neighbors could plant vines or hang baskets on the fences. The conifer forum lists some tall and narrow arborvitae trees if you really want to go with trees. Both of my suggestions might cause problems about where to go with the snow banks in winter. I have a narrow tree called the sentinental maple that grows in the narrowest part of my lot line. The branches stay in an upright position. However, it still rains a ton of leaves onto the neighbors yards in the fall. Not sure they are keen on that. Maybe talk it over with the neighbor and see if they have any ideas. Pondy

Personally, I wouldn't want a shade sail attached to my house. Over time, the constant tugging by wind can exert a substantial force. I have a couple of smaller, triangular shade sails attached to 6x6 posts set in concrete. (Was one of those "temporary" solutions that has outlived its original charter.) One of the posts has been pulled slightly out of plumb from the wind. On windy days I can see there's quite a force involved. Check with the manufacturer to see their specs for attaching sails. Another complaint I have with shade sails is the propensity of their shapes to pinch inward as the corners are stretched outward. Thus, it takes a larger sail than one would think to provide a given amount of shade. I have triangular sails and it seems to me that I am trying to provide shade by using bikinis. They seem skimpy. Nearby, some Mexicanos, have set up a fruit stand (with scrumptious products I might add) for which they pitch a tarp each weekend, stretched between guyed posts. This tarp is rectangular and sturdy and does not pinch in like the shade sales. Also, it sheds rain, which the shade sails do not. (This may add a complication in making sure the tarps is pitched to drain.) All around, the tarp is a much better producer of shade than are the shade sails. Small trees would be less trouble over the long haul as producers of shade, but I don't know what works for your area.