With respect to the front bed, I'm on side with removing the tree. The trunks really only look good from one angle, and from the other angles it's not a real beauty. And when it comes to suckers, I have very low tolerance! But what really bugs me in that bed is the shrubs, and I would totally rip them out as well and use that space to create a lower profile flowering garden. My urge is to open the space visually. If you want a tree, I don't see that it has to be in the bed; it could be closer to the front of the property. With the long narrow bed, if liriope will make you smile, you're a pretty happy person :-) it takes more to get a smile out of me, I'm afraid! But in these long narrow beds against a wall, it is often about what will grow the way you want, rather than about what we like, and I admit I've got a long and troubled history with trying to grow more interesting things in a bed like this, because almost anything tall (anything deciduous in particular) will always be snaking away from the wall toward the light. As a general rule, evergreen material will grow much more reliably upright even when the light is one-sided. So from a maintenance and looking tidy perspective, you could do a lot worse than a row of liriope, daylilies, or annuals. So much depends on what kind of a gardener you are; how much effort you want to go to to choose and source plants and so on, and then what kind of maintenance you want to do. For example, what would look quite spectacular along this wall, and go with the somewhat manicured impression that the house itself makes, would be an assortment of specialty conifers and evergreens, the type that are narrow and slow growing, either upright or weeping or just narrow by nature (or even spiralled or otherwise topiaried), either just mulched or dressed up with colourful lower-growing plants. But those plants you have to go hunting for, and it takes some work to arrange them. And then there's the option of containers (on gravel or mulch) and/or wall art. Or vines on trellises, that would require you to tuck them all the time and then clear them in winter. It all depends on what kind of work you want to do initially and ongoing. But what about the area along the fence? You might be able to create a more generous bed there. You can certainly borrow light from across the fence, and if you can also borrow airspace above the fence, then some small trees might even work. KarinL

My friend in Detroit had a pet store and with the moartality being as high as it is, the owner I know has to at least double the wholesale price to make a profit, and cover the losses from fish, that die on the way and also soon after delivery and before they're sold. I guess it's almost the same for other pets as well. I'm still wondering obout that on-line ordering, since I think it's a similar situation, where the price is high , but up to a certain point you can order many more fish for the same shipping price , provided they're not large fish. I guess in a sense the shipping direct wouldnt' be that different than many fish store owners get , since I know my friend had to order his fish direct from the breeders in Florida or wherever they came from and he'd have to drive a long ways to the airport to pick them up at the airport , I guess. I imagine though in some large cities the retailers might have local wholesalers to buy from??? I am thinking about "Freecycle" to locate possibly even a free aquarium, and setup, but I can't seem to get back on their site, and it's maybe a matter of fogetting my right memebership name and password. Seems I have so many different ones nowdays I can't remember them all sometimes, and I must start writing them down. I've heard of numerous people , who for various reasons decide not to continue their aquarium hobby and then just give away all their equipment and aquariums etc. I'd be willing to pay for a used one, but is there a problem with disease or "sterilizing' all that old equipment??

The 1st one is more likely an Echeveria hybrid. When you mention "Paddle Plant Kalanchoe", I assume you are making reference to Kalanchoe luciae or thyrsiflora; the latter is more commonly called "Paddle Plant" while the former is called "Desert Cabbage Plant". The 2nd is an Aeonium possibly purpureum.

They look like Echeverias, which prefer very mild conditions, neither too hot nor too cold, 18C - 25C is ideal . They also do not like hot, humid conditions. They can take heat but not humid heat. Plant in a gritty mix, keep water off the foliage, water sparingly. A few hours of direct early morning sun (before 10 am) followed by shade. In rainy weather keep them dry.