In article , Priscilla
Ballou wrote:

In article ,
"sue and dave" wrote:

hello Priscilla!
perhaps a Spirea Japonica would go well there?

Interesting! I just googled it. That's a definite possibility.

The cultivar 'Magic Carpet' has the prettiest color of any of its many
cultivars. Here's a young specimen in its early-spring brightness:
http://www.paghat.com/images/spireamagic_mar.jpg

I may have lost my heart to a mini-dwarf Honeycrisp apple tree, though,
from Raintree Nursery. I expect I'll have to get two, though, and I'll
need to know how far apart they can be, since I'd want to stick the
second behind the house.

Apples need two DIFFERENT cultivars that bloom simultaneously to fruit
properly. Even the dwarf will seem huge in a yard as small as you
describe. Fruiting plums trees are much more apt to be fully self-fertile
so that a single tree will fruit nicely, & have the same flowering beauty.

To me the best shrubs are deciduous azaleas, & care should be taken to
select varieties that are notable for their perfume. Some like R.
atlanticum prefer a partially shady spot, others like R. calendulaceum or
R. vaseyi like quite a bit of sun but may not be as perfumy. Select them
in flower to make sure they're redolent. They grow slowly, however, & to
have a really nice specimen right away requires investing in somewhat
mature shrubs & can be pricy.

Here's one of my favorites, wonderful perfume, gorgeous leaves when the
flowers ore done, more gorgeous still in its autumn colors, & nice
structure for winter appearance:
In spring:
http://www.paghat.com/rhodyblossoms1.html
In autumn:
http://www.paghat.com/azaleaautumnwalk1.html

-paggers
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