I would change the bed lines to look more inviting. As it is, it looks like you're thinking about engulfing the porch with a barricade of plants. I would not use the large stones as a raised bed edging. Woodyoak makes the point of how unlike the stone on the home they are, and it seems to me they "fight" with one another. The way they are presently organized and arranged adds a haphazard quality to the picture. A better use of those stones would be lining the surface of the slope at the right side of the house ... not quite as a retaining wall, but almost. (The picture is to give an idea, not be a literal interpretation.) This post was edited by Yardvaark on Fri, Sep 6, 13 at 12:02

Back in 2012 I added: Candice (x2), Concord Seedless(x3), Himrod, Niagara(x2), and Mars. Last year I added Reliance. I used plant tags for all of my 2012 grapes but the permanent ink apparently wasn't permanent and washed off all of the tags. From memory and the process of elimination, I think I have worked out all of my grape vines. I just purchased from what was offered locally so I ended up with most of my grape varieties being slip skin, which as mentioned elsewhere in the forum, isn't the greatest for fresh eating. Based on research and forum feedback, I'm going to pull a couple of low performing slip-skin vines and replace them with Jupiter, Gratitude and Hope.

when looking at what to plant you should always consider your microclimate first and water requirements. my garden/ landscaping begins with natives to my area or region. second what do they provide me and local species. ex toyon and elderberry are planted for the birds of which we have many in socal and they need us to help. elderberry is also useful to humans and requires little attention after established. i plant non natives for either beauty or food and medicines, but not my first choice for landscaping.

I grew up in suburban Detroit and was back in the area visiting last weekend. While there, my 19 yr old niece, DH and I took yet another tour through the city because we wanted to get updated. My niece just finished up working a summer internship with a member of the House of Reps and she wanted to show us some projects underway. We had lunch at a really good restaurant that's in a rough area. I am pro-Detroit, recognizing that it has a HUGE road to climb. There are new communities of urban pioneers getting established. There are hundreds of boarded up homes and commercial buildings that have evidence of previous fire damage. There are many lots where homes and buildings used to stand. There is not a widespread, viable economy. Detroit has had a series of inept and corrupt mayors and state politicians have been short-sighted as well. For years, the auto industry ran the show and when it started leaving, nothing was done to replace it's impact. The current mayor is the most qualified mayor in close to 40 yrs. Detroit will never be what it was when I was a kid. Never. There are many reasons to love Detroit, even in 2011. Detroit, and the rest of Michigan, has and continues to need people working together. Attempts at fostering separatism aren't going to help Detroit, Michigan or the USA. I would send the following link to your email sender. It shows many instances of Detroiters helping Detroiters. Here is a link that might be useful: Detroit blog