Aimeekitty- I know I'm nowhere near your zone, but I did see something very interesting in a magazine about Eden roses. A gal in Mission Viejo, Southern California wanted an English cottage garden in her yard. She planted lots of trees to get the shade she needed for her flowers and she had lots of arbors with roses and clematis. One was covered with Gartendirecktor Otto linne- a pink rose with blooms about 1" across. She also had three arbors covered with Eden roses that are beautiful! She calls that area her rose walk with benches under the arbors, so she can sit in the shade. This article is in the Country Almanac, Flower Gardens magazine, Spring 2008. I don't know if you can look it up, but the pictures are wonderful. I keep the magazine for ideas, even though some of the flowers won't grow in my area. Good luck with your garden. I'm sure whatever you choose will be beautiful :)

Not to worry Mari. As others have said tilling is not necessarily needed. My tiller was never effective in this rocky, hard clay and usually just bounced all over creation so I stopped trying. I've been doing exactly what you did for the last two years with great results. I'm slowly reclaiming what I thought were impossible areas just by putting down a couple of layers of cardboard right overtop of thriving weeds and making sure it overlaps properly to prevent sunlight from penetrating. Then I cover that with a thick layer of mulch/dirt, etc... (heck, sometimes I don't even mulch if it's an area that isn't easily visible and won't be an eyesore. If there are already established plants in the area I just cardboard around them and pull whatever weeds may reach out around their bases. Otherwise I just wait until the weeds are dead before planting new things. Even if a few stray weeds or runners find a way through it's much easier to eliminate those few once all the rest are dead. I had an area that was completely taken over by wild blackberry vines taller than me. They spread 15 feet closer to the house in just one season! So I whacked everything to the ground and then blanketed with the cardboard in the summer and everything underneath is dead now(yay!) I have yet to find a chemical brush or weed killer that actually does what it's supposed to and kill the root of the annoying weed grasses, thorny vines, etc... This takes a little longer but will not waste your money or time like spraying. I also just borrowed a large rubber liner from a relative and I'm going to use that to try and retake my gravel driveway and parking area one section at a time. I have heard this "solarization" is not always recommended for areas where you intend to plant though because the heat will also kill the beneficial microbes & organisms that are in that soil. Weeds in gravel are an awful pain. I look forward to a day when we can afford to blacktop it. Sincerely, Danielle

Thanks All! I love HBV. Last year I failed them too. Probably the location...I call it the Sahara. I think they would look great climbing up to the light and mixed with the purple passion flowers. My one experience (with old seed, I might add) left me feeling cautious, but with y'all sure that they can climb up through the dappled light and onto the top I'll go for it. Will they mind that this is a rose bed and they'll get more fertilizer than a rugged plant usually likes???? Thanks again cynthia....who like cypress vine, but grateful hers is in a narrow bed sandwiched between concrete! Moonflower and morning glories already have a place, so always going for something different! smiles c

Whatever you do, consider that you have a similar area, but shorter, over your sink. I think the treatments needs to stay in balance, and that may be hard to do with a frame. You may be able to do an inset, same color/different size or contrast, or a border if you want some textural variation or a touch of color. My subways have a border at about 2/3 height running all the way. I thought I might do something more at the cooktop, but just kept it straight, and I like it. We did go with a pot filler, so that adds another horizontal line in that area. You have a nice finish and interest details with the valance and the glass front cabinet. Is there a reason you feel like you need more? If it is only because you think you are supposed to -- don't. If it ois something you really want, I'd say go with a light hand. Keep it simple. Do you plan to put a plate/platter or something decorative on the ledge of the hood? If so, anything you did in the BS would have to compliment the items displayed there and in the glass cabinet without fighting or distracting.