April, 2005 -- A beautiful old house with large, established maple trees in a historic section of Asheville had just been remodeled and painted. As often happens, the yard had been used as a parking lot for many months to accommodate the work trucks. 

The owner wanted the yard to be private yet inviting, so we used colorful azaleas in the front that will top out at 4 feet. Two Japanese maples will eventually grow into an arch 10 feet tall over the walkway. We planted the gardens in fragrant roses and honeysuckle, colorful hostas, kiwi vines, butterfly bushes, tropical ginger, pagoda dogwoods, heuchera, jessamine, and -- as you can see below -- many colors of azaleas. Later, we added a native rivercane screen for privacy. The only native bamboo, rivercane stops growing at about 16 feet -- making her backyard feel private, but also preserving her long-range mountain views.