Thanks for the nice compliments. I love to share my pond, as I am sure we all do. I wish that you all could come on over and see it up close and personal. I have gotten so much inspiration from all the wonderful postings on the garden web. Yes the yellow flower is a marsh marigold. It truly is at it's best right now. I have to cut it down by the end of June, by then it looks terrible.

It makes a beautiful tree with its red bark and silvery leaves, and is drouth and salt tolerant and produces its own nitrogen. The reason you saw it out there is because of the drouth tolerance--it is one of the few that can be planted in lower rainfall zones and survive as an unwatered windbreak. Depending where you are at, it is a cherished tree or a noxious weed. It has a habit of spreading in riparian areas in the west and forming a super dense invasion, choking out natives and making an impassible monoculture. It also has thorns. But, as a specimen tree and pruned up well, it will get to 40' or more and is really beautiful. Plus the seeds are sought after by an abundance of wildlife.

Hey artemis; a great site you are fortunate to have! Thought I might share something on deer and landscaping in our neck of the woods. First your neighbors are a source of a wealth of information. If you're shy or don't care to go face to face with them just observe what is planted and doing well in their landscapes and gardens. It will tell you a great deal. If you're the gregarious type seek them out and talk to them, the local garden club even, or county ag, extension. Here in Tioga County NY z4 to z5; deer population is I think out of control. Plants that may have been possible to grow years past are not so easy now. You see plants and wonder, how did this fellow manage to grow this, it would never survive at my place. But they are mature plants that were started back in a time when the deer were less. Now they are mature specimens and mostly tall enough to be out of the reach of deer. It is very hard to tell what the deer will eat and seems to very site specific, to the point that things I can't keep the deer from eating, I see doing fine a half mile down the road! Yews are serious deer food on my place, anything lower than 5' is browsed, yet other homes in the woods here have them and they seem untouched. After 20 years trial and error the standbys, as far as the evergreens go, for relative deer resistance are juniper, spruce and pine and box. I often here junipers disparaged, I don't know why, beautiful to me if properly cared for. And tons to choose from, from ground hugging a few inches tall to our native juniper, the eastern red cedar, which is not a cedar at all but juniperus virginiana and can become a full sized and beautiful tree. Every shape and size in between. The same is true for the spruces and pines, of which there are hundreds to choose from, forms, sizes and colors. I keep experimenting and trying new things, lately inkberry; ilex glabra a supposedly deer resistant holly and larch; larix. Such a variety that a completely successful garden is possible with just these few species. Those are the species I can rely on to be deer resistant, as I said I keep experimenting, but with the mindset that I am taking a chance when planting and not to be surprised at seeing a well gnawed stump were a plant used to be. Here's a link to some of the conifers available for the landscape. http://www.iselinursery.com/

I recently moved to western Massachusetts, up in the hill towns. I'm sure that's too far for you from anything, but taking a look at the general area you are interested in: I know nothing about Longmeadow, but my take on some of the other Connecticut Valley area towns: Northampton and Amherst are great college towns, but they're always full of traffic (less so in the summer, when colleges are out). I've not been to either since the weed sales started in November, so I guess Northampton has only gotten worse traffic-wise. I have a good friend who just moved to Easthampton, and loves it. I've visited her several times, and it seems to have a good traffic flow, and decent restaurants, and is close enough to the fun things to do in other towns, and is close enough to I-91, which will get you down to NYC easily enough. Easthampton is also close enough to big boxes without itself being a big box town, and in the right locations, some nice charm, and a great view of Mount Tom. Westfield is a place I got to explore when undergoing physical therapy. Definitely a big box town and not appealing (but, dang, the best Vietnamese restaurant I've ever tried!), but I'd consider places on route 202 north and south of there. (Southwick, Southampton...) Regards the lower Berkshires: If you stay out of Pittsfield (although it's handy for big box shopping), there are some really nice areas in this region. Some places are pricier than others, but you can find affordable towns that are close to the Mass Pike and other conveniences. I love western MA. People here are so friendly and they don't cut you off when you are driving!