I also really do not like drop ceilings. If they are are the pressed wood dust ones they crumble with age. The fiberglass are, well, fiberglass. Who wants that in your living space!
I have a locust tree out front and have a problem with some sort of webworm!
They make tents in ends of the branches in the trees and we have green frass dropping all over the place. At the end of the season they weave little silk bags on the bark and under shingles, on planters and the foundation, really tough little bags that are hard to poke through!.
Early in the year birds love to eat them, but there are not enough birds. I have tried releasing parasitic wasps and spraying with spinosad but its not enough. I also sprayed the silk bags on the trunk with soap and horticultural oil to try and smother them. I am getting it treated this year to some thing that will be soaked around the trunk to prevent the problem.
Inexpensive landscaping for color and .
Yellow blossoms; Daffodils: a forsythia bush or two. If you know some one with forsythia or find one along a country road get some cuttings. Right now is a fine time; poke some holes in the ground, push the cuttings in and water a couple of times. Prune heavily each year!
Lilacs; From Jungs or a local garden center. Get 3 or 4 different colors for contrast. (Sometimes you can pick up stuff for next to nothing at end of the year garden center sales, but probably not end of the year lilacs!)
My (Free) forsythia is currently fading out....one lilac bush is blooming right now, 3 others are just beginning!
Diane; any suggestions for inexpensive landscaping?