I think it's a lovely idea but I guess this involves creativity like building the accessories that comes with fairie gardens. I think you should approach the forum that deals with acroutemont as well. I have made little 'tree houses' out of twigs and leaves and stones for my daughter but it was something not permanent.

"Maybe in a way its a good think most people dont know about cold tolerant palms. Even though it would grace the streets of our neighborhoods, it wouldnt really make growing one very special." Good point! Besides, how are people able to find me when I give directios saying--"it's the house behind the palm trees" (Trachys). I think what's interesting about the M. grandifloras is that they are an EXCELLENT indicator species for cold hardiness. What I mean, is that if they can be successfully and vigorously grown (without eleborate excessives--like dropping a greenhouse over them or anything resembling mummification), you're a solid zone 7 and should also be successful with Trachycarpus and a few other cold hardier palms (some Sabals, Needles, Mediterranean fans (especially with modifications to the soil and microclimate consideration), and perhaps Saw palmetto (Seranoa repens). I am going to be experimenting soon with these species soon as the Trachys have done well so far. I guess one thing I really like about our zone is the expance of plant species we can potentially grow here (from marginal subarctic to subtropical zones). At the cold end, I have my Canadian Hemlocks and other conifers and on the warm side I have had success growing a variety of subtropicals (M.grandifloras, camelias, Fatsia japonica, Opuntias, Podocarpus, Trachys, and even a loquat (the latter espaliated against the house). One of my favorite garden centers stopped selling the Opuntias for fear that people whould compain about their thorns. Imagine that, a cactus with thorns! As plant enthusiasts, we sometimes forget that for most people plants are just green things that grow in the dirt, period. PS. Although Needles would be cold hardy enough for Cape Cod, I'm not sure the area offers the summer heat this species requires during the growing season to thrive (probably best from NYC metro and south).

Lisa Sorry, what I meant is that since zmat doesn't have clay soil, he/she doesn't need to worry about it. Clay drains very slowly. In areas with lots of moisture (rain or snow) it will sit in that 'clay bowl' for too long, keeping plant's roots wet for too long. It would act like a container without drainage hole. That's why I said that would be the worse solution... During winter, hardy plants do very well if under snow cover. But area like zmat has will heat up more on sunny days (even if it is quite cold otherwise) since there is a wall and also rocks & stones (creating a microclimate). I do not see that as a big problem at all, unless there is poor drainage: snow will melt while sunny, but water doesn't drain fast enough before it starts freezing again. This will kill many plants. Just the same as in containers with poor drainage. This is common problem with planting any perennials, trees, shrubs. If there is a 'bowl' - which ppl often create by digging a bigger hole in badly draining soil, then filling it with very good soil (compost, manure) - roots do not actually grow into surrounding soil, only into a 'good' soil. They end up filling this 'bowl' as they would a container, very often with roots circling. I have seen trees dying and when dug up, it was visible that roots didn't grow into native soil. (This is even worse if the root ball was very compacted and roots not spread). So it is best to add only very little or not any of 'good' soil and also mix it well with native soil, to encourage roots growing and spreading into native soil. Same problem happens if there is water filling that 'faux bowl' - either thaw&freeze cycle in winter, or roots sitting in a 'muck' after rains, for too long. They can't breathe and start dying. With clay soil, drainage is always problem. Adding lots of organic matter - I am talking about planting in ground - will help but needs to be done often to be of help (in a way, same as mixing lots of perlite with C&S soil - just a handful of perlite (or pumice or any gritty ingredient) will not improve drainage). If possible, planting on a slope would help a lot: grading the clay soil, than putting 'good' soil on top will provide drainage down the slope. In area with little moisture during the year, it may not be as much of a problem (?) - much less water accumulating, and there is no freeze. But any bowl - faux container created in ground or otherwise, should have drainage hole...I would not advice anyone to create a 'faux bowl' in ground, unless they want to grow bog plants.

Where do you drop things right now? Put an official "drop station" exactly where you already drop things. This way you're not changing habits, just the look of it. Where do you take off your shoes? Where do you plonk your jacket when you take it off? Where do you dump the letters? I would have hooks for coats on that big wall, boot drop below. A basket for holding mittens, hats, and boot socks... I have somewhat of a challenge myself, but I'm thinking of solving it with an Ikea rolling cart, letter dump on top, mittens and hats in the middle, trowel and gardening gloves on the bottom.