After lurking for months on the gardenweb I find I must come to the defense of our "fair city." We've lived in Las Vegas for 16 years and I've never seen an all plastic landscape. That said there are more faux lawns going in of which I'm not a great fan but I do understand. Las Vegas averages 4 inches of rain a year, for the last 15+ years has had a tremendous move in population, there have been drought conditions throughout the southwest for the last eight or nine years so we now have landscaping restrictions. I believe front lawns are limited to a certain percentage in new construction housing and people and businesses with existing lawns are being paid $1.00 a square foot to convert to water conserving landscape. Some people just can't do without that square of green so they have turned to waterless, weedless, mowless "grass." Personally I like lawns and we are on a well and pay only $30.00 a year + the electricity our pump uses for water but my social conscience won't allow us to put in a lawn so we have a lot of drought tolerant trees, shrubs, grasses and perenials and although different from an east coast landscape I consider it every bit as pleasing and see a lot of private and public spaces with some stunning and water conserving landscapes around town with NO plastic plants. There's more to Las Vegas than the strip! Maria

I like your poem bakemom, it's certainly fitting. Speaking of rain and the lack thereof... hubby and I went to Lee Valley on the weekend and spent waaaay too much money on an irrigation system so we can go away for three weeks this summer without coming back to a crispy fried mess. Last year I was so depressed after I got home, I almost cried! We spent Saturday setting it up... there's something to be said for flipping a switch and having 4 second story window boxes and 2 hanging baskets on the gates watered in 3 minutes flat. Now if I can just get the timers set up correctly, I'll be good to go (literally!) ;) Kristine in Ontario :) PS. This is a good time to hunt down cheap food-grade barrels to make rain barrels with! Ignore the crapulent hoses, I'm still 'fine tuning' the system. Mulch will be added after I get it all figured out. The short grass in the first pic is Deschampsia caespitosa (tufted hair grass) grown from seed 2 winters ago. Here is a link that might be useful: The Chaotic Gardener

I use the bucket of soapy water and it works -- on the ones I catch. Problem is, they fly from far away, so more are waiting. Furthermore, they also eat tree leaves (cherry, linden), so even those you plop into the water down low where you are, remain a small percent of the total population in the treetops. We just have to live with them like the people in the eastern half of the US. The swarm is slowly moving westward. Almost unknown just a few years ago, they are now an established pest here. The plague lasts a few weeks. Persevere and wait them out. Hopefully, you will find plants next year they do not eat.

Wowzers, you guys ROCK!!! I am pretty confident that as of now, there will be no painting of brick. I totally agree with everyone - there are other things I can, and will, try first. I like to think I'm a DIYer, but at the same time, I'm also a procrastinator, so I'll definitely take my time. Franksmom, would you believe that all these years I've been lurking at GW, I've never spent ANY time on the gardening side? It's all sooooo new to me, and also a little overwhelming, it's hard to figure out where to start! It is a GREAT resource though, so I'll be gracing them with my presence, starting with Landscaping design, and the Mid Atlantic forums once I have a better idea on the sun, soil, etc, and once I can get better overall pictures (I don't move in until June and I don't want to seem creepy by showing up and casing the joint even though i'm technically a landlord now ;-) I love the idea of inexpensive stuff to tide me over while I make well-informed decisions, so THANK YOU! Dedtired, TOTALLY agree with the new mailbox! Between the askew, undersized porch light, and the askew mailbox, I feel a little bit slanty myself! Those house numbers have to go too, I never noticed them until you pointed out the mailbox, so thanks! Now I have to obsess about where to put house numbers.... Lazydaisy, you raise a very good point on the maintenance of window boxes. They are a smidge too high to reach from outside, so I would have to attack them from the inside, BUT, I just realize i have those crank out casement windows (which is also new to me, I grew up a "double-hung gal"... ok, that sounds bad >.Lana, thank you again for swooping in and giving me more inspiration! I'm really feeling better about the brick and roof, especially by anchoring with some foundation plantings. I've always been enamored with having a contrasting front door, but perhaps since the roof and brick contrast so much already, maybe a non-different door and accent color is the way to go? Cyn and Gail, I'm just around the beltway in Silver Spring (Montgomery County, MD). *waves* Hey gals! DelMarVa REPRESENT! ;-) Deer are definitely a concern - when I first saw this house, there was a family of them camped out in the back yard. I don't mind them at all (so long as they keep their ticks to themselves, TYVM!) , but at the same time, I don't want them to see my plantings as an open buffet at the Sizzler ;-) Lascatx, love the idea of adding some height to break up that massive ocean of brick on the left! Some DIY raised terraces could be very nice (so long as I figure out how to "do it right" ... and I REALLY like the thought of incorporating something architectural like a trellis or bird bath. My 3 kitties would ADORE having bathing birdies to stare at through those windows! Lynxe, my entire street is filled with houses that are exactly. the. same as mine, LOL! BUT, I am the only house with a bright green roof, so out of the gate, I already have an advantage! It's fun to pull up the house on google street view and just go up and down the road to see what everyone has done! It's actually pretty obvious who are the gardeners (or pay someone on their behalf) and who are not. There's definitely a lot to be gleaned, so thank you sooooo much for the suggestion! Also, Tthere's a tiny light, which is on the chopping block for something better - once the bay window shutters are gone, it won't seem so crowded on that side and I will have some visual breathing room for a nicer fixture. You raise good questions about the shape, size and contents of the beds. I'm honestly a little perplexed with what I have with the plantings right now. The PO left me with a receipt and designer layout (which I'm thankful for, because I now know what is where) but I'm having a hard time with the overall vision the designer must have had. Pretty sure everything will fill in as the season progresses, but it's so BARE in the winter, I wonder what the thinking/vision was with that? The rocks and such will be relegated to the back yard - I have plans to put a pond/rock garden back there (Though I've never put a pond in myself, my current house has one and I ADORE it), so those rocks will come in very handy! I may also decide to do a pond in the front too as time progresses, but that's WAAAAAY down the line! I really do love the look of boxwood, but that cat pee smell is a total turnoff! Having previously had a cat that had bathroom problems towards the end of his days, my nose is "always on the sniff-out" for that dreaded smell. Only recently did I discover that Boxwood is the culprit for that smell in my current front yard, and it's not because some tom-cat got extra happy with my shrubbery! And thank you thank you thank you for your suggestions on deer resistant shrubbery! I think I also read that boxwood is a good choice to keep them from snacking on my yard, so I think I can get over the smell so long as it looks pretty ;-) The slow-growing part totally makes sense, as 3 years ago, a friend of mine accidentally backed in to one of my bushes with a big old truck and took out a few branches. Those suckers STILL haven't filled back in completely! Teacats, thank you for your suggestions, especially with your thoughts on drainage! My property is near the top of a hill, as you can tell, the ground slopes down on the left, so I definitely want to make sure I do everything in my power to keep that water moving on down the hill away from me! I also want to make sure anything I do, I do correctly (I'm a stickler for details like that), so yes, YouTube will be my friend! You're also right, that window does "float". I don't want to block the light coming in with something that may get huge, but perhaps something green and off to the side with a little bit of height will do the trick? Also, AMEN to the walkway to the driveway! Once I pull the beds out a little more, a path to frame the edge will serve nicely! I should mention we are talking about possibly moving the driveway to the other (right) side of the front yard (long term). We want to expand to a 2 car driveway and the street utility cleanout thingamabobbers come in right next to the current driveway, so we need to weigh the costs of working around/with those utilities vs moving the driveway across the yard to the right side of the house. Either way, that path to the existing driveway will be well-served as at the end of the current driveway is the path to go back to the back yard. So regardless of whether the driveway stays or moves, I'll still need that path! Msjay2u, GREAT observation! That roofline doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room for an easy portico! I'm sure there's a way, but as cost is a factor, that project is definitely filed under "long term". I REALLY appreciate the time you took on giving me some inspiration photos! You're right, I can mirror the look of raised beds with some smart plantings (my wallet thanks you, lol!) and OH, all those luscious blooms are making me swoon!!! You've got me worried now, though! I've never looked at wall-mounted mailboxes before and it sounds like I'm in for quite the search! It's a happy worry, though! Mtnrdedux, you've hit the nail on the head: off with the bay shutters and break up that brick with plantings! Around the corner from the left side of the house is my AC, so if I play my cards wisely, I may be able to find something substantial that serves triple duty - conceals some of the brick, softens the corner AND hides the AC from the street! Gotta be careful that I don't end up with a huge, hot mess in a few years though! Jterrilynn, I looooooove looking at houses with all sorts of interesting trim work! Nice, beefy windows, pretty molding at the eaves - i positively swoon for architectural details like that! I'd love to have the opportunity to incorporate some interesting details like that in my front facade! I especially thank you for taking the time to do the mockup for me! That brick path is a stunner and really draws your eyes to the front door while the soft green fades to the background - very nicely done! All those little plantings you included reinforce the fact that I'm going to need a LOT of hand holding to help make everything look purposeful without being too fussy! To top it off, all those brass accents really look classy! I never in a million years would have thought about a brass kickplate on my own! That's just one of those details that really pulls it all together, yet was never on my radar (before today) ;-) Madeyna, thank you for popping back in to my thread! You're the second person to mention a camellia, so I think I have some research ahead of me! Do you know anything about whether they are a "snack of choice" for my four-legged, deer-shaped companions? I'd love something that makes a statement in that corner! Your windowbox ideas are super cute as well! I mentioned to someone else I'm a little worried about the height of what I put in those boxes, as my casement windows still need to open, so the thought of something low growing and easy to maintain like hens and chicks or structural like low rocks and driftwood, perhaps also with something kinda "droopy" and trailing down, may be just what I need to keep my windows openable and enjoyable from all perspectives!! Phew, that was a TON of typing... I need a snack now! You guys are wonderful, and I thank you for your continued support and guidance!