Actually...the more I look at it...the walk wants to be as wide as the brick drainage runnels. I think Ink might be right about the gravel bit...but you DON'T want a gravel walk. They are a PITA unless one has a gardening staff. I did a little research, many houses of this era had brick walks in a herringbone pattern. Not certain if you want to/can invest in that. Wish I were better at mock ups. I'd do a picture for you. Are you wedded to the existing driveway? Perhaps what you REALLY need to do is step back and rethink the whole front yard. You've done such a lovely job with the house...it would be worth the time and trouble to get it right. It's getting late to be planting shrubs and such in zone 8...I'm getting anxious about people planting them here in zone 7b...fall is really the better time to plant here in the south. (I'm up in North Cackalacky.) If you could sketch a rough overview of your plat...where the house sits etc...we MIGHT be able to help you come up with something. Or at least figure out dimensions and such. In the meantime...I'd finish pulling back the sod to the driveway area. I'd plant annuals in the earth you've exposed and mulch it. Then it will look intentional, and you'll be happier. ARE deer an issue? It will make a difference as to what annuals you plant. I work in a garden center. I'm no designer...but I DO know how to help people make things "pretty" until they get their bones in place. If you came in "my" gc the first thing I'd suggest is hiring a landscape designer or architect...and then I'd help you figure out a way to live with it until you could get your plan in place. melanie

I have a lot of experience with planting roses in pots. Consider why you want to use pots instead of planting your roses in the ground. If you want to keep your roses in pots for a long time I would consider a larger pot (10gal+) such as: I got this one at Costco ($20) a few years back. Now, if you want to pot up your roses temporarily for the purpose of giving your roses a head start, which is what I did this past year, I would recommend using cheaper nursery pots (the big box stores don't sell these, I buy mine from Diamond Fertilizer for around $1 each). I go all out and create my own potting mix by mixing top soil with compost, Perilite, granular fertilizer, and peat moss (1 bag + 1 bag + ten cups + 3 cups + 5 cups). It's an inexpensive way to pot up several dozen roses, but is very labor intensive. I used to mix in the crystals for hydration, but I didn't see much of a difference so I cut out the expense. I have found that the Miracle Gro Rose Soil is good, but I get the same outcome using the competitions garden soil (it costs around $6 a bag). I did cover my garden beds in professional grade ground cover to stem off the weeds and prevent the roses from rooting down in the ground, as this sets them back a bit when you have to relocate the pot and tear up the roots in the process. I only have a problem with needing to raise the roses off of the ground during the extreme wet months, and even then there's no predicting what will happen. I have planted several roses on Dr. Huey directly into the ground and the average life span runs between three and five years with very good care. The ones that survive past five years are those that set off on their own roots and tend to be very hardy (Don Juan, Sonia, Mister Lincoln, Queen Elizabeth, etc.). You will have to keep to a regular spray program in order to achieve success with these roses. I've found that planting these roses close to a house tends to increase their success. Unfortunately, I've had limited success with those bagged roses once placed in the ground. They are extremely difficult to start to begin with. Once you DO get them started, they tend to be less healthy than potted roses you'd find in the garden center (my experience). Try posting pictures of your situation for better feedback. Good Luck! -Adrian.

It appears that 3 of the 4 Samoan seedlings sprouts are making some progress with new growth. Don't know why but the 4th one of them seems to be near death, almost completely browned out. :( I've read the strong sun/heat can crack the husk too much and cause the plant to have a reduced resistance to the environment. Maybe sunburn, overwatering, underwatering? Maybe 100% success rate is asking too much. If it dies, I think I'm going to replace it with a Satakentia liukiuensis rather than another coconut palm.

The OP is not suggesting changing the appearance of the house.....only modernizing the landscape. Two very different goals :-) And the second not at all inappropriate to the style of the house. ellirih, since you have identified types of contemporary landscaping you admire, find a local designer you can work with and show them your inspiration photos. Other than providing you with more illustrations (not really any sort of real design plan specific to your property) there is not much more you can achieve here. Personally, I would be inclined to remove the current vegetation and start over :-) Neither is it very modern in character nor in particularly good condition.