"I thought the clover was kind of nice. Then I learned the were a weed." A lot of people thought that until they were told it was a weed. I think up until maybe around the 50's or 60's (not sure about the time) clover seed was actually mixed in with a lot of grass seed and people actually wanted it in their lawn. Clover can get it's nitrogen from the air and is usually colonized by bacteria that fix nitrogen into the soil so it's not such a bad weed to have. If you mulch mow clover clippings are high in protein and return more nitrogen to the lawn. That and ground ivy are the two biggest weed problems I have though so it bothers me. When I look at the neighbor's lawns they have worse weed problems which makes me not feel as bad about the clover. From a distance clover doesn't look bad when mixed in with the lawn. What I can't stand is where you have a really dense clump of it but that's usually because the soil or lawn is poor to begin with in that spot. There are worse things to take root in bare or weak spots than clover in my opinion. Bottom line is you don't have to kill it just because someone told you it was a weed. But if you do decide to do it, in the past I used Bayer Advanced All In One Lawn Weed & Crabgrass Killer and it worked well. Make sure to follow the directions about how, when and where to use it. If you can spot treat a few areas instead of spraying it all over the lawn that might be better. I had some clover I must have missed and some that came in from the neighbors but I plan on taking care of them differently this fall. I read about using a thatch rake for ground ivy and clover and plan to buy one to use in the fall and overseed where the grass is week. From time to time I take a small hand held cultivator and go after a few spots here and there and it seems to do a good job. I'd say have a look at your neighbors. If a lot of them have clover too, don't worry about it. Since you had issues with lawn disease I would focus first on getting the lawn healthy this year because the clover can help cover up some problems. Overseed in the fall to help improve the lawn and worry about the weeds next year. There are better things you can do with a summer home than worry about weeds :) Just my opinion.

+1 Everybody KGB hands down for where you are for its stronger recuperative powers and enjoyment of bright sun. Overseeding in fall and/or patching the spots with small pieces of sod (in whatever month as long as it's not late fall or winter) will work well. KBG fills in, but we are talking about filling in 2-3" spots in a year - even under favorable conditions. Roundly true. In a given worn spot, not all the grass usually dies. Plus you get spreading from each point on the outside of the circle inwards. Somehow I managed to get a two foot incursion of bluegrass in two months (far exceeding the 3" per year given). I think I had more in the middle than I thought. Plus I have to cut six inches away from the gardens twice a year. The ground there tends to stay damper and cooler, and it gets fed very regularly from whatever runs off the gardens. Treat a worn spot well (keep it watered, fed, and as protected as possible) and you can get tillering far beyond the average and well into optimal territory.

Do you want to add some KBG to your lawn? TTTF/KGB lawns look great, but only if they are consistent in color and they are fairly homogenous. If you dormant seed with just KBG the bare spots would fill in with KBG only, and those areas would probably be noticeable. It would probably be best to dormant seed some TTTF and some KBG to get even results. If you do decide to put down some KBG then I would probably go with varieties that are medium green in color as the darkest blue green varieties (Emblem, Midnight, Blueberry, etc) might clash with your existing lawn. I am certainly not a KBG expert, so you should probably consult the NTEP trials to pick a cultivar that would do well where you live, and one that does well in the color trial, but not the absolute darkest (in the 6-7 range might be best). Also take a look at Orfeo. It has a very fast germination time, and is medium green. It is an aggressive cultivar as well however, a trait some people find desirable, but others don't. As far as TTTF choices, davidnj recommended a good blend from Hogan Seed (well I recommended part of it to him so I am a little biased, plus I would add Faith instead of Monet) but you would probably be fine with just using one of those cultivars if you wanted, but it's your call. With all due respect to david, I must disagree with some of what he wrote. TTTF isn't exactly low maintenance. It's fertilizer requirements are similar to KBG, and it's water needs are similar, especially in the first few years, and if TTTF can't develop deep roots then the difference is pretty negligible. KBG also goes dormant in the summer, and can stay dormant till conditions become more favorable. TTTF doesn't have this ability for long dormancy, and it also can't spread to fill in bare areas anywhere near as well. The other mix he recommended I'm sure is fine, although the phrase "everyone says this is a very good mix" might mean everyone at the seed store.

Donna, I have never overwintered the smaller brownish cordylines, just buy new each year. I have overwintered for years a large maroon/burgandy one, looks like a red corn plant. I treat it as a houseplant. I have a south facing door wall with an additional long low east facing window on the side wall in my kitchen eating area where I overwinter most tropicals. I also use my garage. I have some deep metal shelving on the inside wall where I put large pots, after cutting plants back (or letting them dieback) in the fall. The plants in the garage I water only a couple of times a winter (or none). The ones inside the house also get very little watering, just enough to keep them from drying out completely, since they are mostly semi-dormant, just sitting there. Some plants like clivia miniata get put in a dark corner of the kitchen or hidden behind other plants & need no watering at all from late fall until about April. The cordyline actually grows some indoors so it gets a bit more water. BTW, I grow the salvia B&B and the elephant ears in separate pots, because the ears need lots of water & the salvias don't. I just place the pots next to each other. Thanks also for the compliments on the pictures - just remember pictures allow you to show just the pretty stuff - not the failures or the messes! LOL Janice, Most of my pots are plastic or fiberglass or tufa. I own some big ceramic pots that I use inside for some of the overwintering plants, but I seldom bring them outside - too easy to break them, they are also heavy, & they won't overwinter outside in zone 5. I also put lots of my outdoor pots on wheeled trays. The really big ones are too heavy for trays and have to be dragged around on a dolly. I also use some old stacked patio stones to stagger the heights of some of my patio pots. Most all this stuff was collected over a period of time & I'm always on the lookout for inexpensive decent looking sturdy pots - the bigger the better. Keep in mind also that once things get going, you just can't see much of the pot anyway. As to what I plant in pots - just about everything. I have two large Alberta Spruces, started small & moved up over the years until they are now in 20+ inch pots & outgrowing those. I also have 2 Green Velvet boxwoods in pots that have been that way for the last 4 years. I have a bunch of mini evergreens & deciduous shrubs in low tufa containers. I have one planter with Hens & Chicks that stays outside all winter. I have also (not so much anymore) raised numerous deciduous shrubs in pots, including roses & wiegelas, and a nice collection of mini hostas & a few daylilies, along with cuttings and new starts of various perennials. Some of these need winter protection outside from hay, leaves or bubblewrap. Most eventually (usually sooner than later) go out into the yard. Many of my pots have tender perennials or tropicals in them, that go into the garage or the kitchen for winter. I generally only overwinter things like elephant ears, hibiscus, fuschias, brugmansias for only 3 or 4 years. By that time they are tired & so am I, & the plants are usually just too big and heavy even with lots of cutting back. I've not had much luck with lifting and storing dahlias or other tubers, so I often just keep them going (barely) in the kitchen or the woody stuff in the garage. I also direct seed some easy plants like zinnias, coresopsis, calendula, & poppies into small pots for fillers here and there. I often start larger things like canna tubers or castor bean inside the house in late March and then plant them into my outdoor pots. I also like to do leaf lettuces of all sorts and a few other veggies in patio pots. Most of the stuff though is bought either locally (I have several good nurseries near me where I always seem to find something new to try) or through some place like Select Seeds. SS sells plants as well as seeds and has a nice selection of plants with scent. I love their scented geraniums & that's where I got my original jasmine nicotianas. I never disturb my pots until I can see the nics coming up! I also usually buy a tropical vine or two (or three) from them as well. I have several 3 foot tall black metal tuteurs that I use in large pots for the vines & to give height to my plantins. Upside down hanging tomatoes (bought locally) do well in pots hanging from the Arbor! Oh, I forgot to mention that I have a collection of odd houseplants, mostly euphorbias & cactus, with a few bulbous palms & aralias, plus some large leafed things, that go outside for the summer starting in late May until late August-early September. (I've been known to frost/freeze a few of these over the years). The only thing I leave inside are my orchids & the occasional violet. I love taking them all out - it's bringing them in that's a pain - try moving a five foot cactus sometime! Anyway, have fun with your container growing - I am hereby enabling you to try anything in a pot. I sure have. :~)).