Thanks you for all your ideas and suggestions. You all are great! When it comes to planting near the house, I felt like I'm stuck in first gear. Maybe I'm moving into 2nd now. The front and west side of the house bother me more, probably because I see these areas many times a day and they are so BARE. I'm on the road now, traveling from Portland ME, and won't be home until Sunday. When I do get home, I'll take some photos so I can make it clearer what I mean. esh - You and dibbit hit the nail on the head re: using native plants. Yes, Myrica cerifera (Southern wax myrtle) is prolific here. It grows everywhere - even on sand dunes. . It tolerates long periods of wind and high tides (including salt water), and bounces back after tropical storms. Some are huge! I've also seen them pruned into multi-trunked trees - lovely. I'll see if I can find some small ones in the woods that may tolerate transplanting. Your post made me think about what DOES thrive here, not what I can MAKE grow here. In addition to Myrica cerifera, dominant evergreens include native Ilex opaca and magnolia grands. (Maritime forest) Spruce, that's great news about planting so many trees on your new land. It sounds like you are pleased, but maybe a little impatient for them to grow. My knowledge of Ilex opaca is limited to the prickly ones in the woods and next to roads. Since Isabel knocked down so many loblollies, our forests have been transformed - you really notice this in the winter. The dominant color is dark green with so many hollies and magnolias growing fast. Tomorrow, we drive from NJ to to Northern Va so I can make a side trip to McLean Nursery. If there is anything I should keep in mind (besides renting a closed trailer), please let me know. I remember messages between you and beng (I think) about what a great place this is. I've been waiting for a chance to visit. Ken: You asked "what is the descriptive term for that kind of house?" Good question. I don't know the answer but will see what I can find out. As background, my husband wanted to re-create the house he grew up in. That house was in Washington DC and was designed and built by his father in the 1950's. The house had a flat roof where people gathered to watch stars and fireworks, lots of glass "to bring the outside inside," and wonderful views of the city. Pete's father studied architecture under Walter Gropius who is viewed as a founder of Bauhaus, a school of modern architecture. When I first saw that house, I'd never seen anything like it! I think of our house as a beach house although it isn't in the style of most beach houses in the mid- Atlantic or southeast, in VA and NC. Maybe it's more like a California beach house? A modern or contemporary beach house? I think it's a reasonable facsimile of the house Pete grew up in, with lots of glass to bring the outside inside, a flat roof for star watching, and wide decks so we can entertain the neighborhood. Ken, you had a question about our "occasional short periods of salt water flooding during tropical storms." When a tropical storm goes through and if the eye goes is west of us, the Bay backs up and we get flooding. If the ey passes to the east of us, the water in the Bay drains out into the ocean. During Isabel (2003) and Ernesto (2006), the land under the house was under 3-4 feet of salt water with very strong wind and breaking waves. As the eye moves away, the water drains very quickly. The salt water damage is mitigated to a degree by several inches of fresh rainwater. After one of these storms, you swear everything is dead but the native plants spring right back in the Spring as though nothing happened. Yes, our local extension agent (ag agent) and especially the forester have become friends. They are unfailingly helpful but don't have much advice about landscaping. dibbit: The way you describe your entrance sounds similar to ours - a long driveway that curves (through the new forest one day) before you arrive at the house. Our entrance is unimaginative and uninspiring. Most things I planted died - including Nandina 'Firepower'! I like your idea of using cedar trellis to beef up the pilings and screen objects like the propane tank. I thought about using one of the smaller magnolias in that bed, adjacent to the weeping yaupon holly and tank - maybe 'Little Gem.' I usually have a small nursery under the house - it's fairly well protected but the trellis would be useful there. We also have 5- 550 gallon storage tanks for rainwater under the deck. I like your idea of keeping the design but ditching the plants. Your list is good. I've been making some changes since last year but am still stumped in some areas. What trees would you plant in front of a house like this? I thought about the Nuttall oak - it doesn't mind wet feet and is sturdy. Or maybe one of the new red maples like 'October Glory'? A small magnolia? Alabama - I am not familiar with Titi. I just started reading about it - it sounds promising. How do you use it? Do you know a source? Many thanks, Pam

Sherry: Thank you for the wise advice. You are so knowledgeable (and it's interesting that so many of the same plants thrive in southeastern Va and Mississippi). I'll take your advice. Southern wax myrtle grows fast here. I prune the wax myrtle trees that grow on the beach - they have interesting forms and pruning allows you to see this. In general, magnolias grow fast here too. I planted a couple of sweetbay magnolias last year during the drought. They had a tough time but are doing great now, have grown taller and filled out. I have no experience with live oaks but hear they are slow. Thanks for the advice about ways to work around them. Two years ago, I planted a weeping yaupon holly near the house. That holly got off to a bad start when a tropical storm rolled through four months later, uprooted it, and left it 100 feet away. I watered it with fresh water and replanted it, and continued to water it until winter. Now, two years later, it has doubled in size. I'm a big fan of yaupon hollies! I have a lot of work to do. Most could and should be done in the fall. Although fall planting is best for most plants (I think mag grands are an exception), it's hard to find good stock in the fall. So we run around like crazy people in the spring, trying to get everything planted before the summer heat hits. Then we have to water like crazy to keep things alive. It's crazy! Fall is so much better. I just wish I could find good stock in the fall. BTW: All the trees I planted this spring (except the baby seedlings) had a good helping of Black Hen chicken manure. Thank you!

Good for you, for doing your homework! I'm one of those people that feel that the consumer should share the responsibility in obtaining the right product (no matter what it is)! It's too darned bad that so many venders don't seem to be able to take on their fair share! I see it soooo much in the nursery/garden center biz. You're right, we should give our business to knowledgeable, caring professionals. You did GOOD! If you wanted to carry this further, you could print out copies of a simple fact sheet, much like the one I've attached, and take it or send it to the OTHER nurseries who were owned or operated by such uninformed people. It's never too late to learn! People who say things like, " I've been gardening all my life ....", or " I've been doing this for 80 years and..." make me sad. That's like saying that years of experience slams the door on new information! Just in case you're interested, the Latin name for wax myrtle has been changed from Myrica cerifera to Morella cerifera. (In case you wanted to do more research.) I adore Wax myrtle. About the only problem I see with it is that it is very prone to breaking under an ice or snow load. (I'm thinking about this past winter.) Here is a link that might be useful: Click here for a simple fact sheet

You didn't say how high your hedge needs to be. Are deer a problem? How's the drainage? No for Prunus caroliniana. It is a tree and can get damaged in winter. But there may be other Prunus such as Skip laurel, provided they get enough moisture. It can get 8 to 15 feet. Prunus laurocerasus 'Otto Luyken' works for many years. Doesn't get much over 4 or 5 feet. But can eventually get white scale and die out. Euonymus is great provided your area is fenced from deer. Golden euonymus, Silver King euonymus, etc. Wax myrtle may work, but can defoliate in really cold winters. Also, snow loads can break them up, which is discouraging, but deer don't like them. You might consider Viburnum pragense. It's a bit course, but with shaping looks fairly good. Takes regular maintenance. Stays evergreen. It's tough and deer don't care for it. Leaves droop in coldest weather. Then there are all the hollies, such as I cornuta 'Burford', 'Needlepoint', 'Carissa', I. cornuta Rotundifolia, Ilex crenata and all it's cultivars, the Blue hollies and all their cultivars.