I have been cultivating a view out of my office window since I moved into this house five and a half years ago. There is a beautiful rock house across the street and they have large trees and a beautiful lawn. My yard had a bog case of benign neglect (rented out for many years before I bought it) with an ugly hedge and uninteresting bermuda grass turf, but I hacked out the hedge and planted trees. After five years they've put on some height and girth and provide lovely shady spots. And I've put in beds out by the street, one ambling through the middle (parallel to the house) and some annuals near the house. My view is now of a dappled shade under the multi-stem vitex (that always has a few sweet-smelling bright blue blooms) and a pink rock rose and some bright red/yellow/orange lantana out by the curb. I've just recently situated a shallow tray of water under the vitex, hoping to interest some of the birds that seek shake in it all summer. Nothing so far, but it has been only a few days. They need to discover it.

SRS