On another thread recently, a regular poster here did a *:facepalm:* which perfectly expresses my feelings when I see "window boxes" in posts about landscaping. Honestly, spare yourself. How the heck would you water the things, and if you could they'd drip on your cars... Ditto for clematis up the posts. Very romantic - in summer - but have you ever seen clematis in winter? And they do grow INTO eaves; they do not naturally curve out and go over the roof. Ask me how I know. Blank slates, big or small, are daunting until you start fleshing out the parameters and constraints you face, which can be best done by looking really hard at function. In this case, these include preservation of sight lines, shade and sun preferences, and property lines, both on the ground and in the air. So for example, you want shade on your son's room - so put a tree in spot A. But choose a tree that does not make an overwhelming mess nor spread or seed excessively (hint to my neighbours: not a Norway Maple). You want some screening probably just at a certain spot when people are looking from a certain height to a certain height. A wall of green may not be necessary to block this - perhaps three columnar evergreens, either upright or droopy or some of each. The property line looks like it is a huge issue to me. It looks to me as if your neighbour will want to have walkable space next to that boat, and will step on your plants if they don't have it. Having had my fill of neighbour issues, I personally would either leave that area for them to do something with, or do it in flagstone with ground cover or in brick - end of story. Then it's space you can use to weed or prune your plants too. Legal issues aside, it just has to work on a day to day basis. Now, the next step is debatable depending on whether you DIY or are having this done for you. You see, a designer always has to do a plan in advance and then get approval and work to it, because the designer then goes away. If you are DIY, you have the luxury of feeling your way through this, because you're always going to be there. And plants can be moved. In other words, the designer has to get it right first time. In contrast, you get to make a few mistakes, and change your mind. Yes, it can cost an extra few dollars, but if you get it mostly right, not that much. First maybe you address a boulder(s). If your husband is a rock person, I'd go along with this, because I am one and I know that when you need rocks, you need rocks. If you don't get your rock, you suffer from rock envy, which can make a person grumpy. Go rock shopping together (or watch craigslist or your local construction sites for free ones). Next, you go plant shopping. You get a few plants. You may find tall slender evergreens among them - there are some great junipers in this category (also some great ground-hugging junipers for the front end of the driveway) and some amazing drooping spruces. You argue about where to put them, and then you go back to the nursery a few weeks later and get a few more (lots of new stock coming in through the season, don' t just go once). Then you plant and live with it. Move it around if something isn't right (in the fall, not in the summer). (It is already actually a little late to plant without being sure of watering adequately this first summer - be aware of that). You might find yourself picking up a few new plants as the weeks or months, or years, go by. In a way, though, all my advice is only going to lead you to one key realization: what you and your husband each want is not incompatible. There's plenty of room on that strip for both of you. KarinL

What types of evergreens? If they are close to the neighbors side, are they ok with that? Some evergreens shed their needles and can be messy. Some grow quickly, some grow very slow, most grow in width as well as up and will quickly spread into the space there...and most are likely to give a lot of shade, meaning that you will be limited on what you can plant around them if there is not much sun. Pachysandra is a nice ground cover, very low maintainence and stays green all year. But, it does spread fast. I wouldn't put any ground cover if you have any desire to grow flower there at any point. If it were me, I would put up a hedge type shrub to act as a fence along the neighbors side, look for one that is pretty tame and grows fast - then you won't have to look at that boat. Gotta love people who park boats in their yard. We have neighbors with a boat the size of Rhode Island in their back yard. They got it cheap after Hurricane Katrina, took a flat bed truck and a crane to get it up here to the northeast, they put it in the yard, and there it has sat for the last several years - they worked on it for one summer and then just forgot about it, not even bothering to cover it in the winter...slowly it is turning into the world's largest birdhouse and the neighborhood's biggest eyesore...but what the heck. I digress... Anyway, hedges. Yes. And then something pretty and fast growing, centered in that space there. Like a Bradford Pear or a Wheeping Cherry. Plant pachysandra around it, or make a nice little flower bed with decorative rocks or whatever your husband wants. That's what I would do! Good luck!

UPDATE Mom made it through the night. She had a rough spell for a few hours from about 2:00-4:00 but the doctors got her leveled out. Her surgeon said he is amazed at how well she is doing, and her three doctors had a pow-wow this morning about what procedures, drug adjustments to make today. She is doing OK for now...holding ur her own. I so appreciate your prayers.

Devsence, if you are growing Citron, that IS 'Etrog' (unless you are growing the variety, Buddha's fingers, which as far as I know is the SAME species (Citrus medica, and has the same characteristics and growth requirements), but would not be called 'Etrog', because the name 'Etrog' is reserved for the Citrus medica in which the carpels are united (not divided as they are in Buddha's fingers). While I have seen a variety of Citrus sold at nurseries, I have never seen Etrog, but I have seen Buddha's Fingers, but rarely (Chinatown would be a good place to look for that one.) Regarding growth from seeds, most of my Citrus were bought as small trees with the exception of two..., my pomelo and my bitter/sour/Seville oranges. I don't know why, but the latter have been among the very easiest I have grown from seed. I must have 8 of those.