This is my friend's house-

Please get me a link to this or a photo or something- "I'd suggest MIDNIGHT BLUE™ PPAF, rose; its a multiflora, shrub rose and they require little care. This rose is a deep purple with yellow stamens and very fragrant." I think that's going to be a hit based on what he's shared with me so far. Trick is going to be finding where it can be purchased. In all these years I don't think I've ever seen him use a credit card so ordering online might be out BUT.... I've got a credit card and that could be the plant I buy for him. It could be a surprise and both you and me could go back and edit out our posts so he doesn't see it before I print out the whole thread for him. I call that a work around!

Lots of choices in purple with these
http://www.heirloomroses.com/

I don't do roses. Long story. Just pick a few climbers that are bombproof and let me know what the names of them are.

A climbing Bourbon that may be the most consistently blooming, large flowered climbing rose, with the added benefit that it is thornless. The blooms are deep rose-pink, fragrant, and produced in great quantities. Prone to disease in some climates. May also be grown as a shrub. z 6/7-10, continual bloom, 16 petals.
Height:
10 - 12' x 6'
Fragrance:
Exceptionally Fragrant
Year:
1868
Country:
France
Item #:
BO735
Price:
$16.95 per rose bush
Those climbing roses whose names start with 'Climbing' or 'Cl' are sports (genetic mutations of the bush varieties of the same name). They generally have a heavy spring bloom followed by scattered blooms throughout the season. The individual blooms on climbing roses can be of a finer quality and larger than those of the bush form. Climbing roses whose names are not prefaced with ‘Climbing’ or 'Cl' are bred by crossing two roses. They generally have a heavy spring crop followed by a better repeat bloom and usually a good fall crop of blooms with a few exceptions. A few seedling Climbing roses bloom only once and are so noted here. Climbing roses are a diverse group with many different heritages, which makes this a wonderfully useful collection of roses. More climbing roses should be grown as they provide wonderful color in the garden without taking up much ground. Large flowered climbing roses differ from Ramblers in that they have fewer, yet larger blooms (4-6 inches in size) and are not quite as vigorous growers. Being so diverse, they vary in winter hardiness. Generally climbing roses are hardy zones 5 or 6 through 10 except as noted, some with more hardiness as noted.
Picture is copied directly from the rose catalog along with the description.
You said he wanted easy maintenance. These type are the way to go. The do require some care, mostly pruning, watering and feeding. Most are very disease resistant. This is a old rose so it's should be very hardy.



This message was edited Dec 4, 2007 3:56 PM

The tree I was talking about: http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/67206-product.html

I'll get back to you later with more links,


My concern about the rose just suggested in the previous post is the zone limitations

I'm sorry I thought you said your friend was in zone 6. Here's another fragrant, hardy climber
Climbing English Legend) A Harkness introduction that still today is rated by the Royal National Rose Society as the number one climbing rose in England. Most beautiful, large, fully double blooms that are a lovely shade of apricot, copper and gold which are produced in cascades. Amost profuse blooming climber that should find a spot in every garden. May also be grown as a large shrub like 'Westerland'. The marvelous fragrance of 'Compassion' has earned it the RNRS winner of Edland Medal for fragrance. Continuous blooming, very disease resistant, z 5-10, petals 20+
Height:
cl 8 - 10' x 5' shrub 6 - 7'
Fragrance:
Exceptionally Fragrant
Year:
1973
Country:
ENGLAND
Item #:
EL485

Again I'm posting pic and description directly from the catalog for your information.

Here ya go, E.

edit to say: the picture doesn't show it, but I was thinking a brick red stone or bricks with Black Mondo grass or Liriope m. ’Royal Purple’ along the path against the lawn would finish the look. Yellow marigolds and purple petunias around a specimen tree would compliment his color choices.
http://classygroundcovers.com/item--Liriope-m-Royal-Purple-%7B50-Bare-Root-plants%7D-muscari--353



This message was edited Dec 4, 2007 5:16 PM

Nice CordD! I want one of the art programs for drawing landscaping!!!! One of the other threads had a gal who was playing with it, REALLY got my attention.

Thank you psychw2 Actually it's not a program at all. My print preview just gives you the option for a black and white picture. My husband left with the camera so I had to print and scan E's post (2 of them). One picture I used to cut out the little "gone to heaven" cedar just to use it as an example of planting one at the edge of the house in front of the pavers. The arbor and gate is another paper doll cutout and taped down to the sheet then scanned again to get it into my photo gallery.

[ hyper]Lattice around the meter is fine by me and probably fine by him if he goes with a few trellises elsewhere on the property to add a little visual interest which he is sorely lacking. One thing I have learned though, don't mess with the meter reader a lot or they will destroy what ever is in their way.[/hyper]
I was thinking of a "box" type lattice set up with a hinged door on the front for the meter reader. One on the neighbors in our old place had his set up like that. Even put a latch on it. Hopefully, you are moderately intelligent meter readers, it's kinda no brainer. Best to check with them first. If they say no, then ask them about an underground set up, since that's an eyesore. Betca get permission for the lattice........grin

Ya, those blankety blank meters... our's is RIGHT in the middle of the area between sheds, basically smack dab in the middle of a 10 x 10 section of ground. I suppose I should count my blessings that it is not in the middle of our front yard or something, it's basically to the side of the house.

Yes, he's in zone 5. I must have forgotten to mention that. Oops.

Your mission doccat5- should you choose to accept it... is to find a climbing white or yellow rose that doesn't need a lot of fussing over it. Whatever that plant is you posted a photo of by the window looks really nice as long as it isn't pink. We are dealing with a MAN here who doesn't garden who wants curb appeal and he isn't into owning chemicals. Your pink "fru fru" plants as he would call them are going to bomb out with him. He "don't want no pink in his yard"! Right about now, I don't think I will point out to him that his Beautyberry bush is borderline purplish/pink in favor of him simply reading it himself when this thread is finished and printed off for him. Some men! Sheesh!

I really like your whatever it is you posted cordeledawg! That shows the flower bed being bumped out a little bit rather than being a ribbon up in tight to the house. Visuals are a good thing. I love the arbor. I doubt he will add one though but you never know once he sees how good it looks in your drawing.

Yes, my meter reader is not the person to mess with either. He's a lot better now about walking around my flower beds as opposed to cutting through them and trampling everything to save a few steps because I posted a photo of him stepping on a bare root Viburnum from a video camera and staked it in front of the plant that he smashed and wrote in big black marker- do not cut through here. Pretty funny actually to watch him in the process of cutting through then stopping dead in his tracks to read what I had written while looking all around realizing he was on the equivalent of candid camera. Could have been worse. I could have forwarded a still to his supervisor. So far he goes around now. I added stepping stones to the meters in anticipation of his continued cooperation.

The trellis and lattice pieces are really a very nice idea. I found a few that are very symmetrical online and I am pretty darn sure Home Depot carries them.

Should your friend decide to camouflage his strip of link fence, I can mail you the plans to build one. It's from BHG but it won't link "to protect the innocent". Should he decide on something to break the front yard view from the backyard, let me know and I'll mail you the wood working plans. Eventhough that strip is narrow, the gate and arbor would not need to stretch from house to property line. It could be flanked on each side with shrubery to keep the cost at a minimum.

I truly have no idea what he's going to do. I suspect he will go with the basics of getting in a few ornamental trees and shrubs first then start bumping out.

I have a girlfriend who just got a job at a some sort of a ceramic shop. She said they had big planters there that could be customized. I've never seen large planters in white before but there's always a first. One white planter with the white trim on his house and the trellises and lattice work might really help pull things together.

I'm surprised at how far this thread has gotten in one day. He'll be very happy to see it all.

While gardens are ever changing, curb appeal does make a lasting impression even if it's just to the mailman. It is best to start with bones and then go from there. Gardening Projects really do take time to materialize . Start with a written plan and a good friend like you E. and it will come to fruition.
Your friend's house is neat as a pin with lots of charm and character.

Well, Joseph's Coat is a mixed yellow orange and blooms nicely. Hardy in zone 5. We have waited many years to offer virus-free, virus-indexed plants of 'Joseph's Coat', the most strikingly colorful of all climbing roses. I can remember almost 30 years ago it was my uncle's (a lover of roses) favorite. Large trusses of medium sized, semi-double blooms of cherry-red, overlaid, shaded and blended with gold. They open to show rich, deep golden centers. A color combination that will catch your eye the minute you enter your garden. Moderately fragrant. An upright plant with dark-green, glossy foliage. May be grown as a free standing shrub, pillar or climbing rose. Makes a wonderful tall hedge. Very vigorous and easy to grow even in inferior soil. Very disease resistant, continual blooming and hardy zones 5-10, 12+ petals.

More lovely pics and description courtesy of Heirloom roses.

Or here's pretty white one tinged with light yellow blush Also hardy in zone 5
amed fro the sixtieth anniversary of the Highfield Nurseries in Glouchestershire and a 'sport' (mutation) of 'Compassion', the classic looking, light yellow blooms grace the long, sturdy canes on this climbing rose. Strong fragrance and very good disease resistance. RB, Z 5-10, B 4", P 20+
Height:
9-10' X 6-8'
Fragrance:
Very Fragrant
Year:
1980
Country:
ENGLAND
Item #:
EL428

More lovely pics and description courtesy of Heirloom roses.

Your friend is very lucky that you're going to help him design his garden and establish some wildlife friendly shrubs so that he and his grandkids will enjoy sitting and playing in the yard.

First of all, he needs some "bones" in his garden. No, not a femur or humurus, but the kind of "bones" that are evergreen and will add some vertical height & stay green year round. Since his house is yellowish, there are some evergreens that have a yellowish tinge to them that might look very striking near his home.

Then deepen his borders by pulling them out from his house. Make long sweeping and gently curving beds. That will add a lot of eye appeal as you feel it in with shrubs. I would recommend beginning with trees & shrubs that add beauty and/or interest during all four seasons. Viburnums come to mind because they are so versatile with lovely bark and interesting berries in winter, which will all add interest.

Once the "bones", trees and shrubs have been added, then you can turn your attention to perennials in the colors that he prefers. Don't forget about adding ornamental grasses. Not only do they add color, texture, height & movement, but wildlife also enjoy their seeds.

Will he let you add a water feature or perhaps a bird bath or two? Perfect for bringing wildlife to the garden. Don't forget to add a few bird feeders close by his house so that he can enjoy watching the birds as he drinks his morning coffee.

Oops forgot the pic

More lovely pics and description courtesy of Heirloom roses.
Now this one has lots of potential
(Della Balfour)An English Legend climbing rose. A colorful climber of great beauty. Its fragrant flower is a lovely blend of rich apricot amber and golden yellow, produced in profusion on a sturdy plant with rich deep-green, leathery foliage. May also be grown as a free standing shrub. A most popular color combination. One of my favorite climbers. Hardy zones 5 - 10
Height:
8 - 10' x 5'
Fragrance:
Very Fragrant
Year:
1994
Country:
England
Item #:
EL219

The first climbing English-style rose. The enchanting beauty and artistic coloring of this rose would surely have drawn the attention of the artist of the 19th century. Men like van Gogh, Renoir and Cezanne would have found this rose a subject for their paintings. The striking brilliance of the colorful fully double blooms evolve from a rich van Gogh yellow in the spring to a harvest pumpkin orange in the fall. It is enhanced by a strong old rose, myrrh perfume. Louise was reminded, as she observed this rose, of her experience in the National Art Gallery in London when she first saw The Sunflowers by van Gogh. It was the only van Gogh in a room full of Monet paintings. The Sunflowers stood out like sunshine, complimenting the subtle pastels of the Monet colors. This vigorous climber will stand up and shine in the garden. The rich, dark, green foliage with a slight blue cast provides a perfect blending of hues. Its ancestral color pallette includes lavender, scarlet crimson, buff and orange, tan to brown, yellow, pink, white, cream. Apricot, salmon, creamy pink, peach, coral, several shades of pink, orange red and gold. We feel that a rose with all the characteristics and beauty of 'The Impressionist' will be much sought after for inclusion in the garden of rose lovers. Hardy zones 5 - 10, repeat bloom, 100 petals.
This is just beautiful and it's an old one. Those multiple pedals would just POP against the color of that house.

Ok Lauren, just for the records, these are all periennels, all zone 5 hardy, all full sun. These are selections of red, purple and yellow, lime green. I selected these as plants to use in the front West facing yard. I have links provided. I did not select any particular site to suggest purchasing there, just info & picture.

Earlier I posted the link to the deep purple elderberry tree that looks similar to Japanese Maple, and is much hardier.

Fern-Leaf Yarrow Achillea filipendulina 'Cloth of Gold' http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/64382/
bright yellow 24 to 36 inches and spacing 15 to 18

Dwarf Yarrow 6 to 12 inches spacing 9 to 12 BRIGHT yellow
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1021/

Achillea "Anthea" (yellow yarrow) 18 to 20 inches tall http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/20344-product.html

Red - Echinacea "Big Sky Sundown orange tall coneflower" http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/28496-product.html 32+ and June thru Sept blooms

For info on colors and sizes of asters (good fall blooms): http://pss.uvm.edu/pss123/peraster.html

aster novae-angliae "purple dome" 18 inches tall (fall): http://www.lazyssfarm.com/Plants/Perennials/A_files/As-Au%20Images/aster_novae-angliae_Purple_Dome.htm

Echinacea purple coneflower ?

purple Salvia nemorosa "Caradonna" deeper purple 30 inches tall and 12- 28 wide: http://www.naturehills.com/new/product/perennialsdetails.aspx?prodid=1271

"May Night" 24-30 tall space 15 http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/37620-product.html

Day lily Hermerocallis "stella D'Oro bright yellow http://www.brighterblooms.com/product/stella-doro-daylily.html

" " "Red Hot Returns" is more cherry/orange with yellow and is suppose to be a very long season bloomer ht 24, space 20. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/161903/ ( no picture on Daves) http://www.esbenshades.com/onlineshopping/proddetail.asp?prod=012345140990&cat=14

For lots of day lily pictures: http://finchvilledaylily.com/galleries/daylilies/i-l.htm including:
Day lily Hemerocallis Lady Scarlet (deep red with yellow throat, semi-evergreen, height 22-25 and space 15

Heuchera "Stop light" is chartreuse green with reddish purple veins in center, ht 16 inches and space 12.
http://www.findmeplants.co.uk/plant-heuchera-1398.aspx

Sedum rupestre "Angelina" really bright chartreuse and spiky the tips will go ginger colored. 3-6 inches, space 6 http://www.sedumphotos.net/v/sedum-pqr/Sedum+rupestre+_Angelina_.jpg.html

Snapdragons are NOT hardy to zone 5, sorry

Clematis:

Bulbs: Red tulips, Yellow Tulips, Daffodils, Dutch Iris

Iris: (plant in dryer area, full sun with lots of space and air ANY color and price you can think of!)

Sweet Iris, Variegated Orris Root, Variegated Sweet Iris, Zebra Iris Iris pallida 'Variegata': http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/122968/ (the blooms are lavender/blue but grow it for the beautiful striped bladed foliage 24-36 tall and 18 to 24 apart

These are a "little extreme" for my tastes! I like to combine more white, bright pinks, I'm not into red. HOWEVER the home owner needs to plant what he likes!!! It was REALLY tempting to add some Cannas for height and bold foliage but alas, they are NOT hardy for him and I do NOT want to suggest something that requires more work than he wants to put out. If you want a drawing using these plants let me know. Certainly flame red petunias and bold solid purple could be added. The varigated ones do not make as big of statement, the white kind of dulls them down.

Fun project! Can't wait to see/hear what he selects!
Pat

edited for spacing to activate more of the links -- oops!

This message was edited Dec 4, 2007 9:05 PM

Wow, Pat, I'd love to see a drawing of that and I live in zone 7b.........grin
Ok, Eb, that's all the Heirloom bunch that I can find in climbers in your zone. Let me know, I have mondo rose site listing in my bookmarks I can research.
I'm going to hit the hay, I'm feeling crudey tonight. I suppose now I've got a sinus infection started, I'm barking like a seal.......sigh

doccat5, this one- http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=4263013

psychw2, whoa. That's going to take me quite a while to go through. I can already see a few things I'm pretty sure he's going to like. Thank you!

Shirley1md, viburnums will go over well. They pretty much all bloom white and white was mentioned in with his yellow and purple so that's a definite hit. Definite wildlife magnets too and many have absolutely great berries in fall. Adds winter interest.

Tomorrow morning when I go out to breakfast with him, maybe we'll make a line drawing of the property and we can start plugging things in.

I think he's going to be shocked.

Ya, shocked that so many Fruitcake Extreme Gardeners have WAYYYYYYYY too much time on their hands! LOL... actually it's more like when my own garden is full I have to turn my attention somewhere!! I'm drawing up plans now for a neighbors front yard, he asked me to give him so ideas so I've been doing some studying of low maintance stuff for him.

That is this one
Or here's pretty white one tinged with light yellow blush Also hardy in zone 5
amed fro the sixtieth anniversary of the Highfield Nurseries in Glouchestershire and a 'sport' (mutation) of 'Compassion', the classic looking, light yellow blooms grace the long, sturdy canes on this climbing rose. Strong fragrance and very good disease resistance. RB, Z 5-10, B 4", P 20+
Height:
9-10' X 6-8'
Fragrance:
Very Fragrant
Year:
1980
Country:
ENGLAND
Item #:
EL428

Half way through your list Pat and I'm running out of steam but I found this while on a little detour-
http://finchvilledaylily.com/daylilies/kindly_light.htm

I'm not into reds either. I find them to be agitating and I'm hyper enough as it is. I do like them in other people's gardens though. Originally he had said yellow, purple, and red but when we started talking on the phone about the white trellis and lattice suggestions; he ditched the red and decided to go with yellow, purple, and white.

Ok, doccat5! Got it. That's probably a go from what I can see. Would that by any chance cover up chain link fencing? I keep thinking of that photo of the pink rose by the window and that looked pretty dense to me.

I would think so. He would be smart to plant more than one for a profusion of blooms. Please help him understand these have to be trained to climb and supported on their way up. This is called Darlow's Enigma and is a rambler, which means they throw long canes and can be trained to go over that fence and drape down. Looks spectacular.
The pic and description are from the Heirloom catalog.
A real mystery. A fantastic rose of unknown origin that has everything going for it. Purest white, semi-double blooms that open flat to show golden centers, produced in clusters that are so wonderfully fragrant with rich, sweet perfume that, when conditions are right, you can smell from 10 feet away. All this on a vigorous, upright plant with dark green, glossy foliage. Very disease-resistant. The plant without bloom is beautiful, but it is never without bloom. Louise has it in her garden in full shade which doesn't faze it at all. Add to this its extreme winter hardiness to zone 4. Visitors continue to take this one home with them. z 4-10, continual bloom, 5-8 petals.
Height:
10 - 12' x 10'
Fragrance:
Exceptionally Fragrant
Year:
Unknown
Country:
Unknown
Item #:
RR785
Price:
$16.95 per rose bush
Ramblers are actually vigorous climbers which bloom once a year (some more often), and flower in great profusion. Most are delightfully fragrant. Ramblers are the magnificent, climbing roses seen in the paintings of Victorian England or in photos of some of today’s English gardens growing over archways or climbing up the walls of houses. They have long been a favorite for planting near cottage doorways and garden entrances. Ramblers can be trained to climb into trees or to cover small buildings. They can be used effectively to hide architectural eyesores or blunders. Like a beautiful tapestry thrown over the scene, they soften irregular lines. They are also excellent for accenting entryways, fences, patio coverings, porches, pergolas and gazebos. (The American Rose Society has decided to eliminate this entire classification and include it in the climbers. We, however, will continue to list these roses in their traditional classification.)

That white rose rambler is AWESOME!

I was also thinking if he decided to go with the arbor like entrance way, this rose would look wonderful. The arbor would have to be colored to make the rose POP, but it would be lovely and so fragrant.

Back to hostas, for a second- in zone 5, there won't be a problem about where to site them; they'll thrive in full sun. The sun issues are only in hot, arid zones. I place them everywhere I don't have a "solution"- they grow in poor soil, and don't mind at all being moved if you get a better idea for a plant! Although, I never do get any better ideas and have at least 300 plants.

Despite a pink rose not being on the table, the easiest, fastest growing rose for my money would be "Cl. New Dawn". After many tries with other climbers, it's the one that finally suceeded in climbing my arbor and is just beautiful. "The Fairy" as a hedge rose is absolutely indestructable (even in the face of dog paws). It's also pink, but I believe there is a red cultivar out there. (Pink with the yellow house sounds best, IMHO!!!)

Forget him! That's my kind of plant.

Went to breakfast with him and he doesn't like pink. Pink anything is not on the table. I drew out the little footpath by his front door with a pen on the paper underneath my plate and he said that wouldn't work because there's actually less space there than what we think. Drove back to his house and he's right. There would be no space to put a little footpath through that flower bed. The way you drew it looks real nice but it's sort of like an Escher drawing I guess in that it's not possible. I should have taken another photo but there's all of 2' before you hit the bottom stair to go up to the front door.

He's not going to do an arbor. He doesn't want the work or cost of installing it. He's also not going to recess bricks in the ground in a soldier row because of the work installing them. He doesn't need any shutters he says. He'll think about a new railing with finials when his existing rod iron railing needs to be replaced. Bumping out the existing flower beds is a possibility... as long as his youngest daugher in law and me do it. She can supervise since she's pregnant again and I'll dig. The trellises and the lattice work interested him. The plants he doesn't really know other than by referring to them as the purple ones or the yellow ones or the white ones.

The hostas are a go. He said he can start with the ones I can divide and give him. Where would those go best?

He likes Pat's purple flowers (coneflowers) and he likes her green leaves with the veins things (Heuchera).

Looks as if he's not interested in any hardscaping.

Colors I would have gone with for a yellow house would have been yellow, apricot, salmon, pink, light lilac, and white but that's just me and I'm a pastel person. I would have also gone for the arbor and a few accent shutters in white because this house lends itself to a cottage garden style with hollyhocks and foxgloves.

I tossed out Kentucky Wisteria on the table for the pole to his Martin House and that seemed to be fine with him. He wants to keep the diseased prunus thing up in the backyard until another tree gets established back there before it gets cut down. He says it still has some leaves on it. Sooooooo, that's going to knock out just about anything that could pick up whatever that infested prunus thing that still gets some leaves has got back there and that thing is looking as if it's infested with borers plus a few other ickies. I never do get too close to that thing... afraid of bringing what ever it's got home to my black cherries and wild plum trees.

Lemme see here, somebody suggested clematis. He knows what those are and likes them and they come in some purples. Wonder how those might do on chain link fences?

I renamed his property the place in bondage because of all the chainlink. He laughed.

Perhaps you need to help the infested prunus thing on to it's just reward, it's holdin up the show. LOL

I have a drill and I have Garlon 4 and not only do I know how to use them properly... I'm not afraid to use them. Muahahahahahahahaha

I can understand not wanting to go to the time and expense of hardscaping but hanging on to an infested prunus thingie? Sorry, that defies logic. I'll be doing the thing a favor when I put it out of its misery and other people may be intimidated by him but I certainly am not. I'll get his daughter in law to lock him in a closet or something while I do my "thang". That infested prunus thingie is standing in the way of progress.

Amen, give the prunus a little help to it's final resting place, and it Ain't gonna be in a compost pile with all THOSE ickies!!!

I hate to say it Lauren, but you do realize YOU want this remake more than he does. Reread your post. You can almost boil it down to "I don't want to do any work or have any expense in these changes." Maybe I'm reading it wrong, afterall, I was not there to see his face or hear his tone.

What is a Garlon 4? Sound's lethal, a drill I know and can use.

Ah ha ha ha ha, I was just discussing this privately. Here's what it boils down to-
I don't want to help him because I'm no good at cookie cutter yards. I told him to go with native plants to save himself time and aggravation and he claimed he only wanted curb appeal and to fit in. He can't go get help from the senior center because there are ladies there who he couldn't get rid of if you know what I mean. His one lady friend that he dates lives pretty far away from him and she's not into gardening at all. He could have little lady helpers standing in line to help him but then he'd have to "reciprocate". He said something about how there's one man to every ten women over there and that some of ladies get a little overzealous. I've seen it before. He's not exaggerating.

Here's a quote of what I wrote- "He wants to do something but he only wants to do what HE wanted to do which was to add some purty flowers to "fit in". Ya know, look like everybody else. The (barf) cookie cutter look. One problem, he doesn't know flowers other than by colors and there are a lot of people at the senior center talking about weedy flowers being sold at nurseries that people definitely don't want and he's really not a gardener and doesn't want to make a mistake by buying any of those "weedy" kinds of plants that create work. Which sort of cracked me up. This is all too funny because what he really wants is somebody to tell him exactly which plants to buy while avoiding the ones that would make him have to dead head or clean up little seedlings everywhere."

So, the poor bloke is stuck with me and his daughter in law and I don't do the fit in and look like everybody else type look because I'm not all that familiar with those kinds of big box store plants and she's about an hour away. Bonus to using me and his DIL is that neither of us is interested in getting into his pants. Like I said, he's stuck with us. He should consider himself lucky I have a subscription to DG.

Amen to that! He's a lucky guy. And that scraggling prunus has to go! Now! If it's infected with something that's contagious his neighbors are not going to be happy with him. Besides that's some serious ughly!

Are you going to tell us what a Garlon 4 is or make us google it?