We live in a world that is changing rapidly due to environmental, financial, and societal pressures. The way we garden is changing, as well, and some are embracing those changes more quickly and completely than others. That is normal and OK. Many communities have not felt the extreme squeeze of drought accompanied by severe water restrictions. So, those regions haven't been forced to adjust their style, yet. I hope everyone can appreciate the beauty of someone else's hard work and unique tastes. I garden for myself, and for the benefit of the environment as much as possible. I choose my plants based on their ability to provide nectar or shelter, or host certain larvae, etc. My measure of success in a garden is the volume of insect buzzing that can be heard during a quiet moment, or the number of species of birds that visit during the season. I also benefit from the calming effect my work in the garden has on my body and mind. I enjoy the fascinating process and intricate web of science at work from the tiniest microbe in my compost pile to the deer who help prune my asters. The physical appearance of my yard is several steps down the ladder of priority. I choose where to plant based on how much sunlight I have and which are the most beneficial plants I can fit in that won't block my neighbors' view of the road as they are pulling out of their drive. I do try to grow plants in masses of each variety, and currently have space between each group with neatly mulched leaves to maintain a well-cared-for appearance. But, as my garden matures, those spaces will be filled in. That will simplify the job of weeding and shade the ground to decrease evaporation and need for irrigation. I'm only describing this to give an example of how someone's approach to gardening can be very different, but still perfectly legitimate. I would bet that the owner of the garden in the photos approaches that garden much like I do mine. I expect we will see more of that style garden as more people learn the advantages of gardening with native plants that are resistant to pests and have lower water requirements. Martha

Hydrangeas are not deer resistant. Oakleaf hydrangeas might be the closest to resistant but I still have read posts of people saying their were nibbled on. So basically, less people post about their oakleaf hydrangeas having this trouble than the other hydrangeas (mopheads, lacecaps, paniculatas, etc). I guess when deer are just hungry, they will eat almost anything. But just do a search in the forum and you will find oodles of people complaining (again, mostly people with the other hydrangeas). Note too that hydrangeas are deciduous. That means that they do not provide privacy during the winter months. However, I thought there were some deer resistant arborvitaes? Have you done a search for those on yahoo.com or google.com? Luis

It depends to a great extent on where you live, some trees do better in different geographic regions of the country. Too bad about that Elm, they can be very attractive trees but prone to disease problems, especially if there are many other Elms around the neighborhood. If you do want to plant a new Elm, I would rip the current one out if it has disease and wait a few years before planting the new one. (and be careful you do not use the same tools on the new one you used on the old one, or be sure to thoroughly sterilize them) Mulberry, European Oak, European Beech, Douglas Fir Another unusual option, you could go with a sweet cherry variety that is growing on its own roots (i.e. not grafted). These can take up to 12-15 years to begin producing fruit (which is why you rarely ever see them) but the trees can grow to be quite large. See if you can find pictures of the Tartarian cherry tree in the Owen Rose Garden (Oregon), it's well over 150 years old. Cherry trees grow fast in first years of their life and then start growing at a much slower rate once they reach close to maximum size, great for quickly filling in when you do not have a lot of patience. Unfortunately cherries are also prone to a cornucopia of different problems, much of this depending on the exact climate. The falling leaves can also poison pet animals if they eat too many of them (livestock think the leaves are tasty). Cherry trees can be beautiful yard specimens though, and the fruit they [will eventually] produce is just an added plus.

Theres' just nothing about this that suggests "foresty" types.....it seems to me that what is needed here is a classic savanna-type oak. That is the most fitting here. Sure, many, many trees can work here, but when I see talk of this birch versus that birch....all is beside the point; this is an extremely open, windswept site. Insisting on only working with inner forest type species strikes me as going down the wrong path immediately. You want stand-alone tree types here. When you say yellow birch, you're talking about one of my very favorite trees, but just because I love the species doesn't mean i'm going to advocate for it where it is not likely to do well. This just doesn't strike me as a suitable location for beech, yellow birch, nor would I suggest hemlock, another tree more suited to cove-like situations. Do as thou wishest, but if it were me, I'd be considering things other than our most shade-tolerant mesic forest species.