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

We live in Staten Island and just heard that the Community Gardens in Miller Field will not be planted this year due to contamination. There are sewage treatment plants and small stations in the beach areas. Oil from heaters leaked when they were turned over or floating down streets. I am very worried about what could be in the soil...Marist College had offered free soil testing and is no longer doing it. The salt water killed most of my mother in law's plants and shrubs and what survived is now covered with something - we don't know what it is. Perhaps it is some type of mold. I would be afraid of planting any type of garden with vegetables - I just read an article in today's paper that people are being told not to eat fruit from their fruit trees/fig trees if they survived, and not to eat anything like strawberries or herbs that may come up again. It is suggested that until you know what is in your soil, not to plant vegetables. I have a friend who had the air tested around her home and there were high levels of many different types of contaminants. We and a lot of other people are looking for a place that will test soil. Btw redteddy, I wish you luck in the Rockaways - I have been volunteering for nearly 6 months and have been sending donations to your area with many people here. I hope you recover quickly.

They have it at Chamblee's via mail order. Just read about it and how it survived in someone's yard through Hurricane Katrina and the salt water flooding... http://www.chambleeroses.com/index.php Product Details Price $8.95 Common Name Peggy Martin Classification Climber Rating N/A Year Introduced/ Discovered N/A Color Pink Average Dimensions 6'-15' x 12'-15' 12'-15' Number of Petals N/A Exposure Full Sun Spacing 3'-5' Fertilizing Fertilize in spring just before new growth begins Cold Hardiness Zone 4-9 Water Use Keep moist until completely established. Average water needed during growing season Resistance to Disease Very Fragrance Yes Foliage Medium green Growth Climber; Semi-Thornless Bloom Blooms in clusters; Repeat bloomer, but not continual History EXTREMELY hardy; vigorous climber Misc. Information This rose survived Hurricane Katrina, continuing to live in the salt water flooded yard of Peggy Martin in Plaquemines Parish, New Orleans. Chamblee's Rose Nursery acquired cuttings from the original rose in New Orleans in January, 2007. Read more about this rose: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/southerngarden/PeggyMartinrose.html Hope this helps Lee

What a nice surprise to hear from you, Pam! For the Butterfly Forum people, I posted on the Tree Forum a lot this past winter, and Pam, AlabamaTreeHugger, and several others of us had our little clique - we had to have it to protect ourselves from the many jerks on that forum! I'll probably post some again this winter, Pam, but not as much, since my tree situation is slowly but surely taking care of itself. And thanks again to all of you! This hurricane was hardly bad enough in my part of south MS to even be called a hurricane - unfortunately, I hear there's some damage on the coast. My hubby talked with some people here while we were in Alabama, and they said everything was fine here, so we came on back this afternoon. Just as we pulled up to our road, we saw two power trucks on the corner, working on the equipment there. DH had left the outside lights on, so when we pulled up, we could tell if we had power - when we drove in the driveway, we noticed that the lights were off, but just at the moment he turned the engine off, the lights came on! Apparently, the power hadn't been off too long, because the ice cream in the freezer was just beginning to get soft. Not long before we left AL to come back, I had noticed a tornado warning on TV with the cone of the projected path of the tornado arising close to this area, which worried me considerably - hundreds of tornadoes were embedded in Katrina, and they say that most of the pine trees that snapped in half were broken off by tornadoes, and I believe it, because they all topped off at about the same height. Our neighbor just came over and told us that the majority of the storm wasn't bad here, but that a tornado came right over our houses today and kicked up quite a stir, but didn't touch down - whew! It must have been that one I saw on TV, which I think was seen by radar. All the damage I can see so far is small limbs and such, nothing big, but I haven't looked over all the property yet. I'd not be surprised at all if some more of the Katrina snags are down now - at least none fell around the house. From what I'm hearing on TV right now, the coastal counties did get some damage of significance, though, of course not even a tiny fraction as much as Katrina caused. I feel so sorry for peple there! I hope you and your sons are okay tdr4! One giant swallowtail emerged this morning - I'll release it tomorrow. Everything else with my cats is okay as far as I can tell. Sherry P.S. I baked a turkey breast before the hurricane, so that in case we had to evacuate, I'd have something good to make sandwiches out of. When I pulled it off the bone, I kept the wish bone (or "pulley bone" as we call it) for luck - I'm not really superstitious, but I figured it couldn't hurt. Hmmmm......the tornado didn't touch down, the lights came on at the moment we arrived...... hmmmmmm......:)