Dawn - This is sortof a timely thread now because that time is coming soon (sigh). I have to really think about this for myself too since I have a big pile of new plants this year that need to be established. You might want to try to find very hardy plants rated 1 -2 zones colder than you, which would be a good first step (I list some of mine below that you could grow). There are a couple Zone 5 posters here who will hopefully weigh in. Straw would be good to try (I have packed some young transplants and marginals in pine needles). Pulling the plants against the wall and grouping pots together will help to keep them out of the prevailing winds and will help maintain a more constant temperature around them. You might want to consider some white reflective plastic (rather than clear) to keep the sun away from them in winter, as the south-facing spots still do get sun in winter, whereas in my NE-facing location, I get none in winter. The sun issue is because you want to avoid continual freezes and thaws and sun on plants during mid-winter will trigger that (and can scald the plants). What kind of blueberries do you have? The northern types are usually hardy to your Zone and there have been some bred to Zone 4 like 'Northblue'. But you may want to protect it to keep the branches from dessicating and the container from freezing too much, as they would be considered marginal in a container for you. Believe it or not though, snow is a good insulator and I have used it for my plants against the rail. I have 5 blueberries ('Bluecrop', 'Nelson', 'Elliott', and 2 'Patio'). The strawberries could stay out, although you may want to keep them back out of the weather as often rot from perpetually wet and cold soil can kill them more than any cold. The rosemary isn't going to survive outside and will need to be brought in. The lavender (depending on type) is iffy - even here in my area in the ground, mostly because they like it dry in winter, so you might want to bring that in too. One of my sisters has been babying a lavender growing against the SW corner of her house and it still got some winter damage, but not as bad as when she had it out in a bed in her yard. I have some marginal perennials and shrubs (along with subtropicals) and I have to bring those inside. I generally put them in my bedroom in winter, which I keep cool (low - mid 60 Fs). Otherwise they'll die. I do have a couple high-light subtrops like some habaneros that I have overwintered for 4 years and I usually put those under lights, although I may consider doing something else for some of those. An alternative which I haven't really tried but others have, is to construct a small greenhouse or cold frame that you can vent on warm days and heat on very cold days. You can buy remote temperature probes (I have 3 myself) and place one in the structure to monitor the temp inside. I have some plants reported as hardy to Zone 4 like: Lilac (S. patula 'Miss Kim') Weigela (W. florida 'Red Prince') * Weigela (W. florida 'Wine and Roses') * Orienpet lilies Salvia nemerosa 'May Night' Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora' French pussy willow (S. discolor) Lady fern Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline' Royal Heritage hellebore % Agastache rupestris Mandarin honeysuckle (L. x mandarin) % Coral honeysuckle (L. sempervirens 'Blache Sandman') Prickly pear cactus (O. humifusa) Clematis (C. viticella 'Prince Charles') Rainbow leucothoe (L. fontansiana 'Girard's Rainbow') * % * = these get winter damage/tip burn even in Zone 7, so Zone is probably more 5 and for the leucothoe, its evergreen leaves need some wind protection % = these are either evergreen or try to stay evergreen (honeysuckle), but can crisp up in cold temps. I also have a new sambucus 'Black Lace' that can reportedly survive to Zone 4 if protected per a thread on the Far North forum. Some of my Zone 2/3s include: Lilac (S. x prestonia 'James McFarlane') Heuchera (Heuchera x brizoides 'Firefly') % Bleeding hearts (Dicentra spectabilis) Redosier red twig dogwood (Cornus sericea) Variegated red twig dogwood (Cornus alba 'Elegantissima') Hostas (H. albomarginata, etc) Dianthus gratianopolitanus (Cheddar pinks) Sarah Bernhardt peony Tree peony 'Seidei' Daylily ('Pardon Me') Sedum 'Autumn Joy' Siberian columbine (Aquilegia sibirica 'Biedermeier') Asiatic lilies Tiger lilies Lily of the valley Crocuses (spring blooming) Muscari % Mints (peppermint, pineapple mint) % = evergreen or has foliage up in winter None of the above are protected at all and usually stay put where they grow in summer, although I sometimes pull smaller pots back and sit them on or under a table against my wall. I have some Zone 5s like my penstemon 'Sunburst Ruby', blueberries, Methley plum, american wisteria (W. frutescens 'Amethyst Falls'), and Itea virginica 'Little Henry' that I can do similar to. I also have Zone 6/7 marginals (for me) like Beautyberry (C. bodinieri 'Profusion' and C. americana), golden bamboo, Salvia subrotunda, crocosmia 'Lucifer', and some Salvias (S. guaranitica, S. microphylla x greggii 'Red Velvet'), a crape myrtle (L. indinca 'Victor'), Tea shrub (a pink blooming, red leaf Camellia sinensis), cannas, and calla lilies, where I have to decide how to protect (eg., keeping out as long as I can and then possibly bringing them in during cold snaps). My Zone 8s and above (coffee arabica, pineapple sage, tropical hibiscus, pentas, pointsettias, christmas cactus, etc.,) have to come in. My hardy perennial herbs like my pineapple mint (the peppermint stays in a trough), lemon thyme, and greek oregano are in small pots and may get brought in for winter, although I may just stick them under a table outside so I can water them as needed.

I appreciate all of your responses & you all gave me much to think about. Sometimes I'm too much a cheapskate & don't want to fork out big bucks if I can get away with it. We are remodeling a place & it's a blank canvas on the outside at this point. We are not living there yet, but hope to move in next year sometime. Hubby is seeding the grass right now & is marking the flower beds. I thought I would get a head start & plant at least some of the beds around the house this fall. A friend of mine designed our flower beds & gave us suggestions of things to plant. It's a very nice mix of perennials & shrubs. Things like tree peonys, fringe tree, autumn brilliance serviceberry, Black lace elderberry, green velvet boxwood, endless summer hydrangea, holly bushes, blue star junipers, crabapples - pink princess or lollipop, Dwf butterfly bush, grapeleaf anemone golden moneywort, moonbeam coreopsis, Bird's nest spruce, Korean spice or Juddii viburnum, Gold heart bleeding heart, wine & roses weigela, garden plox, bell flowers, etc. LOL! And the list goes on & on! And that's only the beds around the house. There are more beds down by the drive & also above and around a retaining wall. I think we have good soil & bought some Root Master B-1 to use while planting. I started pricing & that's when I got the bright idea of buying small, so I can buy more! But I think I will take your advice & buy bigger on the shrubs & trees. I have friends that I'm sure I can get some starts on the perennials. I have not been found pictures of a fringe tree or tree peony? Do any of you have those?

Thanks for all your comments and support. I appreciate it. This is so way beyond my skill level that Im really nervous about making costly mistakes. Marie, LOLOL "at least they dont talk back or ask for keys to the car." Sue, Deanne, a lot of the design ideas were mine which is why I was so upset w/the designer. I wanted that Weeping Norway Spruce by the front porch, evergreens perhaps Azaleas in the courtyard, boxwood curves, blue spruce shrub/red maple combo (I wanted Acer "Shaina" b/c it stays small but no one has it here), and a tall ornamental behind the pear I asked for Jane or tri-colored beech. Also on my list of OK plants was W&R Weigelas. He extended and redefined the edge of the beds which I liked, and came up with the placement of the blue spruce and Weigelas. He also suggested Fireglow which was the only small upright maple I could find but he had it placed so that it would block the courtyard and the spruces behind as it grew. Tom & I moved that maple around and redug the hole several times before it got planted. Next to the maple, he had 3 dappled willow, Hakuro Nishiki. I liked the plant and texture, but after researching found that it needs constant pruning to keep its color and it often greens-out. Thus, instead I put the rescued daphne there. He suggested the sumac but had 3 instead of one specd. The jury is still out on the sumac for all the reasons you guys stated. Since I got it for $20, its no biggie if it doesnt work out. I wanted evergreens at the end of the beds and he specd Birds Nest Spruce. I like them, but theyre ho-hum and I think I need bright and color against the boxwood and Jane behind. Mary, thats great to know that Jane" has settled in nicely for you. I cant wait to see it when it blooms. What I heard from various nurseries is that the plants in the little girl series havent read the labels. At the nursery where I bot Jane, they have some gorgeous, huge, Betty and Jane, some 15 in diameter. But they can be pruned. Thanks T, and Marian. It has been alot of work, even without the stumps and dumps to clean up. Deanne, Ive heard and read various things about the size of the Weeping Norway Spruce. Its supposed to be a slow-grower, so size hopefully wont be a problem in my lifetime. I like the way the lower branches spread out like a skirt. Im keeping it staked so the leader will grow upright a little more before it starts to weep. Funny, I thot of you when moving those boulders. The two on the end are just there temporarily. I do plan to dig them in when I decide where theyre going. Yesterday, a friend gave me a tip on moving them buy a couple pieces of sheet metal and slide them! Could work! Thanks Michelle. You, Deanne and I are on the same wavelength about the container. I moved that one there for temporary color and found I liked it. I love Marties idea of cascading petunias out of a container. It would work well there if I found the right urn. I also like the idea of incorporating more containers, but Im not sure where. Hmmm. Any ideas on perennials in the courtyard? I thot of echoing the varigation of the azaleas by adding Hosta Patroit or Fire and Ice, or Lamium White Nancy. There might be too much sun tho. Here are some plants I need places for or can redirect out front: Leucanthemum Highland White Dream 2 Hemerocallis 'Romantic Returns' and 2 When My Sweetheart Returns 3 Heliopsis Loraine Sunshine 1 Deep Purple Magic Fountain Delphinium 1 Lt. Blue Magic Fountain Delphinium Hosta plain dk. Green w/yellow edge, sun-tolerant 1 Hemerocallis Big Smile (lt lemon yellow) Bearded Iris, yellow and deep blue (from Jain) 1 Sedum Frosty Morn 5 Sedum Purple Emperor Tons of Hermocallis Happy Returns See why Im overwhelmed? I need more room to plant these treasures!

I spoke to my local nursery man. They raise their own Weigela 'Wine & Roses' shrubs. Last summer was the hottest and driest summer in SC Kansas on record. It was worse than in the Dust Bowl days. The nursery man said that he had his young Weigela 'Wine & Rose' shrubs in pots in the full sun. (Pots tend to dry out faster than in-ground plants.) Anyway, he said that he didn't observe any scorching on any of his Weigela 'Wine & Roses', nor did he see any scorching on any of the other Weigela 'Wine & Roses' shrubs in the area. Basically, I can't assume what happens to the Weigela 'Wine & Roses' shrubs in Florida, Oregon, Iowa, NE Kansas, or any other geographical area is what will also happen to the Weigela 'Wine & Roses' shrubs here in SC Kansas since it is a different climate. And, prairiegirlz5, thanks for the information from your observations. I appreciate it.