So what are you growing new in 2008?

My tree peony will have to wait until fall for planting in the ground. Fairweather recommends spring planting only if it has not broken dormancy. It has. Oh well. Can't wait to see the blooms anyway.

I like the juniper idea too Doc. I could put them around Arlene's hollies. I heard that deer don't like american holly as much as japanese holly. Maria, I love the look of tall cypresses in a row as a privacy barrier.

Robin - I will let you know if/when we go to WFF.

Jo Ann - as to the ladders for the pergola.....yes, we will water-seal them to prevent the rot. When I get back to the farm, I'll scan in (and attach) a photo of the pergola that gave me the idea to use the ladders. It is very pretty. Next to my potting shed, I planted a wisteria that my friend dug up in her yard (80 year old plant she wanted to get rid of) with the thought of training it up and over the pergola. I'm a bit concerned that the ladders may not hold up under the weight of the wisteria though. For now (until we get the pergola built) I just keep trimming back the wisteria to keep it manageable. I really like the look of yours, and I like Victor's "nook" too.

Harper - that's an interesting challenge to get shrubs or trees that will fill in quickly. Do you prefer blooming shrubs/trees or are evergreens preferable in your mind?

Harper, You will need to cage the junipers until they get established as the rabbits and deer will eat the lower parts if you have a bad winter. They don't touch Inkberry (Ilex glabra ) which is ever green here and it grows fast and is not prickly. One of my favorite filler plants.. Also Dwarf Alberta Spruce would work. I think you have enough sun for it. Or perhaps a mixed group of including a shade tolerant viburnum, juniper, inkberry and pines. Here are some in various seasons.

Nice Patti. But Alberta spruce grows slowly. ^_^

Um, would you consider a nice privacy fence? Seriously, I went through all the possibilities when I wanted privacy between me and my neighbor, and I ended up with a 6' privacy fence. Instant gratification! Now I have a whole new palette of border to work with, and I can plant anything without worrying whether the deer will bother it or how fast it will grow. You can plant lovely shrubs against that backdrop. Not sure how well you get along with the neighbor, though. In my case, it was basically install a fence or move.

Oh, Patti, your property is gorgeous. I love the inkberries. I especially like your idea of using a mixed group of viburnum, juniper, inkberry and pines. I think there's room for it all. I just will need some time.

Drumlin, I spent nearly $7,000 on a fence in my back yard. It's 6' tall and doesn't block the neighbors at all because they're uphill from me... I've planted trees in the back, though. Can't swing any more money for more fence.

I love your pictures Patti- your plantings are so balanced and graceful..

Victor- back to the tree peony.. I always think a plant is better in the ground no matter what.. I think you can plant it carefully! I have had some serious die-back on tree peonies I've planted in the fall, so I'm leary of that, I guess... I LOVE tree peonies, even if their bloom season is so short.

Good morning everyone
Donnybrook: It seems to me you will need to have a very sturdy pergola for Wysteria.
Perhaps a grid of rebar sunk in concrete then attach the ladders. There must be a clever metal fabricator somewhere.
When you have such a neat idea it's a shame not to make it work.

Thanks Sarah. I'll consider it. They are reportedly very sensitive to root disturbance once leafed out. They need to be planted deeply in a very well-drained area.

I started lavatera seeds on Monday and some are already sprouting!

Patti nice looking beds. The use of evergreens and shrubs gives them all a nice flow even without flowers blooming.
I have the same problem with view to neighbors except I'm higher. They have a fence but also need tall trees and shrubs to block the view. Since DH cut down all the little trees and fill brush from that side of driveway there will be nothing even in summer for a screen. So the new shrub border is to be started this year. Hoping to get Norway Spruce and western (more deer resistant) arborvitae planted along with some flowering shrubs. It will still be a while before the view is screened but you have to start some time. :)

Harper--very tall rhodos would look nice--I have a few that block out everything! Large ones are easily transplanted because they are so shallow rooted--gave an 8 footer to my son last year (it was supposed to be a dwarf) & totally covered my side entrance--it transplanted well & is full of buds---& he lives in the coldest part of CT.

It took me thirty years to grow Rodos high enough to block out one neighbors sights and sounds. That was starting with B & B plants maybe 18 -20 inches in diameter.

Yes, they are slowpokes as well. There just is no such thing as fast growing evergreens for shade.

Robin, my first thought was rhododendrons, but I already have 16! They're beautiful. I'm sure the deer would see them and think "dessert for forever!" I have to work to protect the ones I already have.

I guess you're right Victor. I need some patience for things to grow and fill in... like 10 years patience. I saw a few Norway Spruces yesterday that I just loved. They're so beautiful. Wish they didn't grow so big. Congrats on the lavatera sprouts!

In the back, this summer, I'm going to plant some mammoth sunflowers so I can have at least a fun, temporary screen.

Don't forget evergreen viburnum for the sunny area you wanted to screen out.

Gad you must have a terrible over populated deer herd. Rhodos are starvation food for deer.

Yes, that's one thing the deer have never bothered in my garden.

Ralph Snodsmith isn't that far from you, Victor, and a herd comes through his property every morning and night and munch on his 2500 rhododendrons.

Really? Could just be that I have other goodies they prefer. But rhodos, azalea, mountain laurel have never been bothered here.

We have deer about 5 houses down but they seldom visit us and have never touched the rhododendrons or azaleas, not even the roses. My next door neighbor is blessed with having hostas that are generally kept at an inch tall, compliments of the deer.

Maybe the umbrella hat has more uses than you realized...

Maybe you're right. They're afraid of us. Or, maybe it's the scarecrow. I bought her new outfit today at the thrift shop. She just needs a better head.

'If she only had a brain...'

At least she is just a scarecrow. There are people that I could use your line about and they could use a heart to go with the brain.

Too true!

Just one last thought, I bought those metal spiral Twisters supports that can go as high as 7 feet. You just install a pole the height that you want, and theoretically pull them up and attach them at the top and bottom, and then have vines grow up the the spiral support. Voila, in a couple of months you could have what amounts to a shrub-sized screen. They were really fairly inexpensive. I say theoretically because I haven't tried them out yet, but my plan is to hide that last foot or two of the neighbor that I can still see. My "ground" floor is actually about 2 feet off of the ground, so I can still see him when he gets into his hottub on the porch. *Shiver*. I bought lots of vine seeds this year, and plan on moving my clematis and any other climbing thing that I can get my hands on. Has anyone tried those yet?

Patti, your landscaping is just heavenly! That looks like it took quite a long time to get established.

Victor, congrats on your new babies! Sounds like they're precocious already!

I don't have one neighbor I'd like to see getting into a hot tub. Some could make serious waves!

Where's poison ivy when you need it?!

Or a camera. Then photos could be sent to show Mr. Hot Tub how wonderful his body isn't.

Or a mirror - turned so he can look at himself!

Dare I admit we have a hot tub in our back yard?
But we also have lots of privacy around it.

(Just don't let anyone see your feet.)
^_^

I have one on my porch, but it is not in anyone's view. So I often go in au naturel.

No wet swim suits to take care of that way!

Yes - much easier.

How many hours of sun?

Victor, this Master Gardening class is starting to scare the bajeezus out of me. We just had our Entymology class...evidentally starting in Western Pa, and now in Eastern Pa is some sort of beetle whose larval stage feed on "wild" Viburnums, and for a double whammy, so do the adult beetles. The person teaching the class informed our group that they tend not to affect certain cultivars...not sure what ones. Since, and I hope the hat I'm about to bestow upon you isn't to forthcoming, you are an expert in natives, especially with Viburnums, do you know off hand what cultivars aren't being affected? Not sure exactly where to look for this info.
This new bed that I'm creating, I want the backdrop of it to be some natives, mixed with some shrubs/trees I already have. Would like to get some Vib that have the leathery type leaves, not sure what they are called, and would like to introduce 1 or 2 Amelanchiers, along with 2 hollys (the non picky leaved decideuous ones)...long shift at work, my spelling I know is way off...I do apologize!
Any help is always greatly appreciated!