Nice you don't have to use that stuff there.me too.And, I always think every plants is ugly as long as it don't match it's master;a plant is beautiful just it match. Before any suggests,I should know where is your landscaping?how long time sun light?or where the landscaping face?any drain or irrigation problem? A panoramic shot is good.how post a photo here?first upload photo to any photo-hosting site.Photobucket and Flickr are examples . While at that photo on the site, look for a link to "share." Then look for a way of obtaining "html code" (don't select the thumbnail version.) Copy that code and paste it directly into your message here.

Woods rose is consistently an interior species, look at range maps for it. Of 217 records for the species on the Burke Herbarium web site, there is not one for Kitsap County. Plants so-called for Kitsap County are either misidentified, escaped from cultivation (if it ever does that over here) or represent a disjunct population I have not seen mentioned before. Baldhip rose "Occurs on very dry to moderately dry, nutrient-medium soils" and is "Common in open-canopy forests on water-shedding sites" where it is "Usually associated with Gaultheria shallon, Kindbergia oregana, and Mahonia nervosa, is "Characteristic of moisture-deficient sites" whereas Nootka rose "Occurs on fresh to very moist, nitrogen-rich soils" where it is "Most frequent on floodplains; sporadic in non-forested communities and open-canopy forests on water-shedding sites with fluctuating groundwater tables" and is also "Occasional on sites affected by ocean spray and brackish water" --Klinka et al, Indicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia (1989, UBC Press, Vancouver) There's a difference between a plant being at home under the trees and surviving it, just as there are different degrees of shade.

Here's a link to a previous thread on Crape myrtles, including personal accounts of varieties that have bloomed here in the PNW. In fall 2009 we planted a 'Red Rocket' Crape myrtle in full sun about 5-6 feet away from the south-facing wall of our house, probably the hottest spot on our yard near Green Lake. It's a multi-trunk tree that's about 6-7' feet tall, and it has beautiful red new growth and shiny green leaves. However, it didn't bloom last summer since it was too cool, but it had beautiful red-orange fall color. Our neighbors have a Natchez Crape myrtle that's on the East side of their house, so not scorchingly hot but sun from early morning until early afternoon. It was planted about 5-6 years ago and is now 9-10' feet high, and it has had beautiful white blooms every summer, except last summer which was unusually cool. Another neighbor down the street has two huge, mature Crape myrtles planted in their parking strip, and they are usually full of blooms if we get a more typically warm summer. That's why we planted two more 'Natchez' Crape myrtles in our south-facing parking strips last fall. All three Crape myrtles were a few weeks late to leaf out this year, probably not until late May, but they all look beautiful now. Even if they don't bloom, they're beautiful, low-maintenance trees with beautiful exfoliating bark and a lovely winter form. I would definitely plant a Crape myrtle if I had a sunny spot for it. Wells-Medina Nursery always has several varieties of Crape myrtles, so go there to see the different varieties available. However, I would do some research on those that bloom the earliest and actual heights and widths at maturity because what's indicated on the Wells-Medina's tags don't seem very accurate. Also, I would wait to buy and plant a tree or large shrub until the rain starts again in the fall, so you won't have to water it just to keep it alive.

WSU has grown Braeburn for a number of years at their trial fields in Mt. Vernon. They indicate it is a good producer although late to ripen (late October/November). They suggest an earlier ripening clone, Hillwell. I have never seen this selection available for sale in this area but have never looked for it online. You might want to check through the archives on this forum, as this topic has been discussed at length previously. Some of the top performers for this area - and great tasting apples as well - are Liberty, Akane, Chehalis, Melrose, Spartan and Gala. Honeycrisp is becoming very popular as well. Gravenstein is a wonderful apple and in my book, one of the best tasting and most versatile in use, but it will not work as pollenizer for other apple varieties, has some disease issues and an extremely short shelf life. (it is also the only apple I grow - very small garden - because I DO enjoy it so much and it is impossible to find in stores except for a couple of weeks in early September and then mostly at fruit stands or farmer's markets) You just missed the "apple-looza festival" at the University District Farmer's Market this past weekend. They had apple tastings of locally grown fruit so you could make some taste bud-informed choices :-) There is a similar event coming up in Portland this weekend at the Portland Nursery on Stark.....might make a nice weekend jaunt. It is important to understand that many of the better commercial apples - those you find in the grocery store and at fruit stands - are not well suited to home orchards in this area. Most of these are grown in eastern WA with very different growing conditions than we can manage here on the west side. Local varieties tend not have great commercial qualities, primarily the ability to be held in cold storage indefinitely. Honeycrisp and Gala seem to be the exceptions.