It sounds like you all have it figured out and all the advice is excellent as far as I can tell. I just couldn't help but agree that it absolutely looks like clopyralid or amiopyralid damage. I had a bad bout with it 3-4 years ago when all my homemade potting soil got contaminated by well composted alpaca manure. It took over a month to figure it out and I lost a bundle of valuable crops in the process. Clopyralid based herbicides have been banned in Oregon except for use on golf courses but then Dow chemical just comes out with Milestone which is amiopyralid instead. It's the same exact problem just with another chemical. To the OP, i'm afraid there really isn't anything you can do for the plants. If the cause is the manure, at least you're not contaminated forever. In the soil the chemicals do break down in a few months. But if left above ground the herbicide can last for years and damage sensitive plants (mostly tomato, potato, legumes) at tiny amounts (parts per million). Oh, I looked into a soil test for herbicide and it was extremely expensive. It's not an average soil test. Seeding some beans or peas is an excellent idea to determine if there's residue. -Mark This post was edited by madroneb on Tue, Jun 25, 13 at 23:20

Dzitmoidonc, I like the idea of chicken wire between poles. I'm looking forward to growing this vine! And that picture of a butterfly drying it's wings… I saw the exact same butterfly today, dead. Leafhead, I just realized I missed your question regarding Cassia. I have seeds for Candlestick (Cassia alata), Winter Cassia (Senna bicapsularis), Golden Shower/ chain Tree (Cassia fistula), Pink Shower/Pink Lady (Cassia javanica). Purple, remember I don't know any local gardeners personally. I've seen Butterfly Bush in St. Augustine, but it's part of their garden tour thing. I've seen it behind people's fences, and I wish I were a door-knocker plant-beggar, but I'm just not. They're not a pest as far as I can tell, they're just sorta scarce. Emailed regarding trade!

Thanks for adding your suggestions, Renee! And gypsy, I think your garden is lovely, don't sell yourself short! And thank you Renee for your kind comments. It is such a pretty, pretty area of our yard, and my husband is on board for it to stay formal. And yes, these rose trees are breathtaking. Every year the perform better and better. They are nearly 8 feet in diameter right now . We're going to have to re-stake them. Again. With something really massive, lol! House is sort of a beige with medium brown trim. Sounds ugly, but it is sort ofTuscan in its style, and it's a nice neutral color. Here's an old photo of the house (much more landscaping and fruit trees, now). My formal garden area is on the left side of the house: Colors for the flowering plants. Thinking purple (have some variegated lavender colored iris that will stay, just need to be dug up and repositioned), pink and white. And some silver foliage and green foliage. The lavender I was thinking of using is Lavandula angustifolia 'Thumbelina Leigh'. Very nice, well behaved, very rich green foliage and deep blue purple flower heads. Plus, it is very fragrant. I have found this to be one of the very best lavenders for small spaces, just has so many great qualities. I was also thinking of maybe using some Dianthus? I found these 'Super Trouper' in a fuschia pink, which I think would be a nice color accent. Foliage is silvery: White Meidiland roses would be great. Or some white rose. I have a lone 'Glamis Castle' that looks gorgeous below the 'Red Fairy' tree rose. So, yes, white roses would be very pretty. I'd love to have any DA rose, so I might try to mix and match pink, purple and white DA's in the middle of the triangles. For the shady areas, I could go with a white Kalanchoe, or a white begonia with the Hellebores. The shady area is much more difficult to plant. Patty S. This post was edited by hoosierquilt on Mon, May 20, 13 at 18:44

Or even try googling "big planters with shrubs" or "big planters with perennials." At least you could get some ideas of what look you like, then try to find plants that fit the bill. Nothing wrong with skip laurels, IMHO, if that's what you like. I'd try to find a plant that naturally stays the size I want without pruning. But I hate pruning. I love the magic carpet spirea for hedges, but not evergreen. But a lot of the season they have something interesting going on. I've also had good luck with dwarf varieties of arborvitae staying relatively small.