just about any type of birch i'm familiar with goes after water aggressively, and their roots can damage anything you happen to like nearby. (correct me on that if I'm wrong) tulip trees are big awesome trees, yes if bald cypress grows well there, perhaps a well-behaved cultivar would be nice for that spot, or even a "nanjing beauty" tree, a hybrid of north american trees, created in china. (I'm partial to bald cypress (2) and nanjing (5) )

Josh, That's actually 'Kamsahamnida', because I know the Kimchi Kid would want to know. Karen, Houseleek - from Wikipedia Sempervivum (sÃÂmpÃÂÃÂvaêvÃÂm),[1] known as Houseleeks or Liveforever, are a genus of about 40 species of succulent plants of the Crassulaceae family which grow in rosettes. Another name used for some species (and also for some plants in other related genera) is Hen and chicks. Yes, leeks are great in soup and baked, aren't they!

My caryopteris (bluebeard) is just coming into bloom now and will continue through September. It's backed by helianthus "First Light" (medium yellow) and next to Nippon daisies (white) which will bloom come late October. I also like contorted hazelnut (Henry Lauder's Walking Stick) in the winter. The knarled and twisted form is striking in a winter landscape. American Cranberry viburnum is beautiful during the holiday season. I actually prefer its berries for holiday decorations over holly. The berries hang is beautiful clusters and they are a transluscent (sp?) clear red...georgous things, IMO. I second, or third, the comments about ornamental grasses. They look terrific and draw birds to the garden which provide their own splash of color on a cold January day. There are many evergreen shrubs to consider as well...daphne comes to mind at the moment and hasn't been mentioned. Rhoddies/azaleas are others. And, of course, the conifers are indispensable in winter. If you like juniper..the blue berries not only look pretty but they are edible (used in a lot of venison dishes but also work w/beef). It does take thought for the fall/winter garden. It's so easy in May when the garden centers are full of blooming perennials. Very easy to forget about August-April!

Woodnymph, I also enjoyed it more than Angela's Ashes. That one, as I recall it now, at several years' distance, was truly grim, but there was a redeeming humor in "Glass Castle" that was missing in "Ashes." The fact that the parents were living according to their own ideals also made what their children had to bear seem (to me, at least) not quite so awful. I couldn't help smiling when I found that, even at the end of the book, they were still insisting on living their lives that way, and their daughter had come to terms with it. Sad, but it somehow left me feeling uplifted. I hope I haven't misremembered anything about it and made a stupid comment; it's been a few years since I had it from the library. Yes, it would make a very interesting movie! But perhaps not enough violent action and sex to sell well? (I am being cynical!)