You said you don't know what you are doing, but you don't look like a beginner by any stretch of the imagination. I like your "cottage style" planter (window box), and you made a great choice with the bricks too, BTW. I'm new to container planting - if you ever need suggestions, the container gardening forum is a great place for advice (you seem to have more of a knack for it than I do, however). I also arranged a window box this year, and only recently transplanted into other containers...in doing so, I found that it was one big root system (I could pull it out in one piece and it was a 36" planter). Yikes! I had sweet potato vine, 2 coleus plants, black potato vine, alyssum, and ivy. I think it was the vines...huge root systems. So, next year I have to consider the number of plants in one planter - early in the season it will be ok, but as the roots grow the need for fertilizer and water increases with it (I learned the hard way). Have you considered planting clematis vines? I think they'd look fabulous on your balcony and it would be a great splash of color! You could grow them in pots up a small trellis or obelisk. Check out the clematis forum if you are interested. Are you open to constructive feedback? I think the bistro set would look spectacular if you positioned it more to the left or right, rather than direcly in the middle. Since your balcony is symmetrical, asymmetry would be a nice balance. And instead of the chairs being directly across from eachother, you can place them both facing outward (see my picture). This might not work for various reasons, and I can't tell where your "exit" is based on these pictures, but it doesn't hurt to play around with it and see what works. Good luck with decorating your balcony - it looks fabulous, and you've only just begun.

PEACE PIPE TIME. and no will know what you put in that pipe. Mike, take it from someone whose remarks are sometimes interpreted as challenging or harsh, take it down a notch with gardeners who are kinda new at this stuff. I've been gardening for 30 years...and never managed to post a picture to prove it....but I'd be pretty upset if someone told me "I did everything wrong." The OP isn't passing himself off as professional and if OP wasted time or money, that's his business. And show me the beginner, intermediate or experienced gardener who hasn't wasted time or money. BTW, I"m assuming those photos are your life's work. Wow! Pretty impressive. Clearly plants are spaced well, and with 20 year growth horizon. But for me, some of the landscapes are not what I'd enjoy for my own use: too busy, not restful. Are you part of that great population of plant collectors? Thanks for sharing your photos. Perhaps you'd consider posting on a new thread so your gardens are buried in the middle of someone else's thread? There's a thread right now on the Perennials Forum called something like "Post your photos". You could post a few or a milion and people would really appreciate the opportunity to see what you've done. Sorry, everyone, for going soooooooooooooooooooo Off Topic. idabean/Marie

thanks for all of the input! oakley, i love yellow too. The room was previously turquoise and lime green and while I like those colors, it was a little dark in there and not very cheery. I just checked out PB rugs. I love the rugs at PB teen, but braided rugs are a little traditional for the space, which is leaning towards eclectic/modern. pricklypear, very nice C&B rug - that led me to the rug i ended up buying. The rug should ship in 7-10 days. I'm excited as this room has been in disarray for months. My little one will have a fun, happy spot to play in soon. :) I'll post photos once the room is done. thanks, Pip

chispa, I agree that our winter quilt is not the perfect match, but we had no other place to put this rug, and I hope it will look better with the summer quilt which is cream with some embroidered flowers (the shams in pictures 2 and 3 are actually from the summer quilt set, which we use the most). Yayagal, I love the fact that you understand my style, even though it's not exactly in vogue right now. It's a good thing that we have at least one place where we can express ourselves freely, although other people's opinions are often useful to show us where our blind spots are.