Okay. I put in her name in the top search box, but I got every trade and other message out there for her on GW. So maybe she doesn't have a rate and review yet. I just wish they had it like the old forum where the rate & review itself had a search box. I put other people's names in there, along with "rate & review," and I still got all kinds of other posts, messages, etc. Thanks for your help, though. I figured I was doing something wrong. I actually have a link on my Ideabook for my rate & review page. Makes it easier for people to find me. Just click and you're there to review me. :)

Thank you so very much... Aware of two roses "GN" and "Souvenir de GN" - not ordering this rose. I am in Southern CA, about 7 miles from the beach a bit up the hill, so may be "Gilbert" wouldn't get mildew-:) here. I've decided to order Gilbert Nabonnand and Pink Gruss an Aachen... I liked this rose so much. I will not plant either or... near my cement wall. "Gruss" will go into a big ceramic pot for the moment and "Gilbert" will go into the ground on the opposite, sunny side of the yard, where he could grow 6 ft. wide and as tall:) as he wants and be beautiful. I left "Strike It Reach", even severely underdeveloped, in that corner. Let's see if it's looks are going to imrove in another year. If nothing good happens, perhaps a good sport of a modern rose, bought in a 5-gal. container, will have a better start and, eventually, succeed there. Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart... and hope you'd forgive me for being such a BIG pain. Kindest and warmest -:)) Paola

In general, landscape design looks at the clients' needs and wishes for the property as a whole and the creates a design that then meets as many of those as possible in the most pleasing way. Other than the sheds and the veggie garden, how do you want to use the yard? To my mind, that needs to be answered before any real plans are made. Is privacy (fence) more important than the veggies? Does it need to be there year round, or is privacy only really important in the summer when you will be outside more? Do you want a large open space for games or running around in the center? How much shade is there over the course of the day along the chain link or in other spots of the yard such as along the deck? Do you want a "pretty" yard or a kid-friendly yard or is the growing of food more of a priority or are they all of equal priority? Where will you be most likely to walk or drive and so will need to be left open? Where is water available, and would you be able to add hose bibs in other spots as needed? Do you want afternoon shade for the deck or other areas, and would you be more likely to plant a tree, or add a structure such as an arbor or shade sail? What other wishes do you have for the yard? As others have said, the more sun, the more successful the veggie and fruit beds will be, so too close to the sheds and the nearby solid fence which will provide shade should be avoided. You also will want to change your grouping/way of thinking about the plants from culinary to cultivation. Melons, like all your veggies, are annual plants, while most other "fruits" you have listed are perennials. The annuals and perennials each should have a planting area so that when clearing out and replanting annuals each year you aren't disturbing the perennial plants. The strawberries will need renewing every few years while each of the the shrubs and vines, which are fairly permanent, have different maintenance needs, and so should be planted in separate areas. If you grow herbs, some are annuals and some perennials. Consider overall goals and how else you will use your yard to help determine the best spot for the veggie beds. For instance, if you want the center of the yard left open, then think about putting your food plants along the chain link instead of a fence since it looks like it gets good sun. Or is the solid fence important enough the you should stockpile your soil for now or make temporary beds and then when the fence has been added, create the beds and plant food crops? Could you use the berry bushes and kiwi vines for your privacy instead of a solid fence? They are deciduous, so wouldn't be great for winter privacy. You would need to leave room between the shrubs and the chain link for accessing the vines. Fruit plants don't need as close access as herbs or veggies since fruit tends to be picked in chunks, while veggies tend to get harvested for particular meals, so think about putting the veggies and herbs closer to the house where there is easy access from the kitchen. Would you want veggies as a border around the deck, or does that either not fit the plants' needs or your wishes? So create a list of uses and priorities for the yard as a whole (swimming pool? play structure? bocce court? badminton net? trash can storage? etc, etc), prioritize them, and then start thinking about placement. You have already made one big decision, the shed size and placement, and so before making others, I would stop, step back and look at the yard overall. Take some time over the next growing season to look at sun and shade patterns (if you map sun as it changes from the vernal equinox until the summer solstice, you will have a good grasp on how it will look but in reverse for the rest of the growing season) as well as wind before planting anything permanent if successful cultivation of food crops is a priority. Once you have a good handle on growing conditions and your overall goals for the yard, then you will have a better idea of where is the ideal placement for each of the various uses you have for your yard.

I have tried to help people find stuff. People have helped me before and I appreciated it. Now, It just seems lets bash Houzz. Houzz is bad Garden Web is good. If it can't be like it was 5, 10, 15 years ago, it is bad. If Houzz hadn't of bought GW, you might not have it at all. What you are complaining about is not that much different than before. It is just a different way of looking at it. I hope you have a better day and try to stretch your wings to learn new things and new ways of looking at them.