Man can you come do my yard?? I got several ten foot runners already that I have dug up.. hope your right kudzu and if I chop it will stop.. as it went under a crimson maple and I dont want to kill the maple to get it out.. I can chop where its at so hopefully it doesnt put out any more runners where I chopped... my other side of the yard all the runners stopped at the low point in my yard as water gathers there after every rain.. this rotted off all the boo so it contained it there as boo wont grow in saturated soil, it got about 6 ft from the orignial planting.. my dulcis though there is no low point.. the culms grew 6 feet tall in one week in my neighbors yard.. and he cut them all off.. which made it even harder to find it to dig it out.. urg.. I hated to delay digging it out but my body had to rest.... spent all the weekend getting it out of my neighbors yard.. so glad I have understanding good neighbors.. heard so many horror stories on these forums of bad or mean neighbors..

I sincerely apologize. I didn't mean to be aggressive. I just don't want newbies to think that the Thujas (arborvitaes) are not conifers and that holly is fast growing. Some people believe everything they read. Someone else said that Douglas Fir is fast growing. It is in Oregon but not in Pennsylvania. It grows about half as fast as most pines, spruces and true firs like Concolor Fir in Pennsylvania. Regarding a privacy fence, here are my recommendations: Thuja "Green Giant": it is an arborvitae that if planted on 5' spacing will provide a privacy screen. They grow very quickly and will form a screen about 5' thick and about 25' tall. It is evergreen and will form a solid screen. It will take full sun and is very tolerant of soils. It is very cold hardy. "Lelyand Cypress": it is a similar plant. Similar size. It is not as hardy but should be OK is SE PA. It doesn't grow quite as fast. Both of these will probably have to be topped to keep from getting too tall. A more costly solution that takes up less space is 'Skyrocket' juniper. A newer plant is 'Blue Arrow' juniper. They are both cultivars of Juniper virginiana and do very well in this area in sun or partial shade. They grow more slowly but take up less space. If planted 18" apart they would form a screen about 18" deep and about 12' tall. They grow about 18" per year when young. While I am on my truth in botany kick, did you know that there is a broad leaved conifer, one that has leaves rather than needles or scales. It is the yellowwood tree from South Africa. Its leaves are the size and shape of those on a weeping willow. However it is a Podocarpus which are conifers. It is sometimes called Japanese yew, or Buddhist pine but it is neither a yew or pine. I am not suggesting that anyone north of Florida grow it. I just found it interesting when someone told me that a tree that looked like a weeping willow was a conifer. I had never seen a conifer before that didn't look more like a pine or juniper. Here is a photo showing the leaves and cones. Here is a link that might be useful: Wikipedia article on Podocarpus.

1. Your house has great bones. It would look beautiful in any color. I'm advocating preserving the brick, though, because using that brick color was integral to the design of the house, is more appropriate for the era, and also because you can't get that brick anymore. It's historic & perhaps even rare. It's a golden color with a lot of depth & character, looks good no matter what the season, has a natural earthiness to it, and makes the house fit in with the land. And when the sun shines on it, it exudes a warm glow that's just so homey and lovely. 2. The Great Painted Brick Debate: caroleoh brings up a controversial post from last year about a house with gorgeous brick that the owner wanted to paint. The issues with that house were different though. The brick was only on the front, with vinyl siding on the rest of the house. The house looked nice...from one angle. The house looked disjointed from all other views. Also, the windows on that house were awful: unattractive vinyl windows, placed badly too (a lot of tiny windows on a massive facade). The owner especially didn't like how the windows were so prominent. The dark brick, though lovely, just made the bad windows jump out at you. She wanted to paint the entire house a soft, light color to unify the sides and downplay the ugly windows. She did, and it worked. There was a lot of heated argument about painting that brick, though. It was beautiful brick, but it's like the builder tried to cut costs elsewhere by using lots of vinyl, and the house ended up looking awkward for it. That pretty brick juxtaposed with all that vinyl didn't work. 3. Your example, snagd, is gorgeous. Your house could probably wear those colors & accessories very well, and I really can understand why you'd want to "update" the look of the house. In lots of cases, that works for the better. But I feel strongly that pretty old houses like yours are a dying breed. People "update" them or tear them down merely because of fashion. Here you have this exquisite historical home with authentic colors and design, all of which are still fabulous & beautiful. But you want something else, and want to make superficial changes that will destroy the historic character of the home, and perhaps the neighborhood too. (I'm saying all this without anger, btw, just trying to present a reasonable case for historic preservation.) Besides, if you clean the brick instead of painting it, you'll have more $$$ for the interior & landscaping :)

I remember reading that...but it's still just as funny.... I am completely surprised that I didn't find a post from me on there...My DH has done a few things during our 42 years that I tell on him every now and then. patti