Hi starla I posted you in the wrong place..
I have two youngsters I keep their toys in one corner of the yard.. I would do some kinda hansel and grettle thing with the play house plant flowers around it make it a part of the scape... they have those bamboo fences that roll out you could use something like that to hide the trampaline and larger toys.. you have a great area to work with..

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Tonight I am having friends for dinner... Hanibal Lector My Album

Hi Starla,

Here are some plants that might help make it feel more like a secret garden.

I'm thinking climbing vines to create more of a garden feel than you get with a fence of any type.

I'm looking at zone 8 types since at least half of Georgia is in that zone.

Adlumia fungosa Mountain Fringe Bleeding Heart
Akebia quinata 'Amethyst Glow' Chocolate Vine
Mock Orange Blossoms
Climbing Roses
Ampelopsis b. 'Elegans' Porcelain Berry Vine
Clematis 'Bee's Jubilee'
Clematis 'Etiole Violette'
And many many more Clematis. Choose according to your tastes on that type.

I would probably also choose some dwarf trees of one type or another to provide shade when the sun gets to be alittle to much.

I love the Royal Poinciana but that isn't a dwarf tree lol.

I would try for some of the jasmine even if I had to go with the mock jasmine like Carolina. Since I like flowers that have a scent.

I would also consider some type of mint grown from seed for between the paving stones. It smells great when stepped on and looks nice too.

Arbutus unedo 'Compacta' Strawberry Tree - someday I hope to get one of these. And the birds love them so very critter friendly.

Camassia quamash Common Camas

Along with the shade tree and vines for the fence and a ground cover that is fregrant I would think about adding a selection of fast growing herbs that the kids can harvest for you. That's great fun for them and saves on the grocery bill. We all know how expensive herbs are. And fresh are so much nicer. And I always love it when my garden does double duty.

Hope some of these suggestions help you come up with additional ideas for your back yard paradise.

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Thank you all for the suggestions!

This week I have added some Clematis behind the whiskey barrel fountain so that it will vine around the water tube. I plan to add some Clematis to the side fence along with possibly some jasmin (mmmmm smells so nice!) I also added some purple salvia around the whiskey barrel and WOW did that make a difference! Even my Dh commented on how much nicer it looked.

I did sprinkle some wild flower seeds along the back fence to grow in between the Butterfly bushes.

As the spring/summer progresses I'm sure I will add a ton more I'm just trying to think about what will attract birds and butterflies.

Oh and BTW I am in extreme North GA actually on the TN border so I am in zone 7a

Oh and btw the reason why I dont plant a bed in the middle of the yard is because.. in the summer we moove the trampoline into the middle of the yard and set the pool up in the back corner where the trampoline normally is. I think this year though I might think about planting some bushes and such around the tramp. in the middle of the yard and just keep it set up there permanatly.

Lot's to do lot's to do LOL A gardeners work is never done, is it?!

Thank you all!!!

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~*~Starla~*~


Pictures of: My back yard "garden" http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2107756626&idx=0
Pictures of :My back yard "visitors" http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2107551253
My water garden in progress http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2106370269