Thanks joepyeweed and soccer dad, I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I didn't want to add too much information in the first post and overwhelm. Cultural Practices: Yes, I mow at the highest setting and water deeply and infrequently. I am still learning how to measure fertilizer in #/1000sqft instead of using Scott's rotary spreader and throwing it on the lawn, but I think the lawn has plenty of Nitrogen. Using the Scott's 4 step program in the past, I've started with step 1 in late April/early June when the ground temp is 50-55F and I see Forsythia bloom. Other Scott's steps have followed 6-8 weeks after the previous one. As I read more on this site I find steps 2 and 3 are not so good and my constant use of fungicide in the past has probably killed the good fungus too. After reading up on healthy soil I'm betting mine is lacking at this time. While I know it is great to mulch I have bagged since my fungal problems started and, very unfortunately, mulching simply spreads the lawn diseases. I may mulch my leaves this fall. I pull weeds by hand or use weed-B-gon to spot treat. pH: The pH has been a long issue and I'm not sure why. I've had several tests from the local Coop Ext as well as my own solution tester. The back yard has been between 5 and 5.6 for the last 5 years and the front has dropped from 6.8 to 6.2. I do test before I apply lime but I don't know why I can't keep the pH up. This is one reason that the organic method appeals to me - less pH testing and liming. Fungus: I agree with your assessment that N is too high. I should go test that with my solution tester. This is another reason to not follow Scott's program to the letter and go with organic or something hybrid for my lawn. In the past I was uneducated regarding NPK/ compost/ microbes/ bacteria/ good fungus/ and simply followed the steps not knowing if I was putting down a 30-2-4 or a 4-15-10 (just throwing out numbers). Grubs: In year 3 when I applied 24hr control I did have a problem and the grass came up like a carpet. Since then I have used the 3month control (July/Aug/Sep) every year. I don't want to go through that issue again. My area is notorious for grubs and moles and I'm reluctant to skip grub treatment for fear that they will return and I will be unaware until it is too late. Overseeding: Aside from re-seeding small and large(30'x40') patches I haven't overseeded the lawn. I've seeded over some thin areas with some luck by hand and am considering renting a slit-seeder this fall to try and fill out the thin areas. I may wait until next year for this if it takes some time to amend the soil before seeding. Organic: I've been reading lots of posts here about organics and the FAQ is great too. I am going to search my local big box stores and feed stores for corn gluten meal, soybean meal, corn meal and alfalfa meal. And maybe even Scott's organic lawn food (I have lots of gift cards to Lowe's). I understand corn meal is for disease and I'd like to apply it now. How will it affect my current year schedule: Late April: Scott's step 1 Mid June: Scott's step 2 I don't want to over N the lawn again. I don't know much about compost and will read more. 1td/1000sqft sounds like a lot. I have a bad back, is there any way to spread compost other than by hand? A drop spreader? I've read how great compost is but I haven't seen it in any annual schedule. Is that because composting is a one time shot to get microbes and bacteria back in to the soil? How often should one apply a layer of compost? I definitely realize this isn't a quick fix but I'm looking to take the lawn in the proper direction. As long as my practices are good, I'm confident the lawn will respond in time.

kay- It will just give you a long time to add to your springwoods garden order. I know it took me a very long time to decide on my choices as my list was a yard long. And I bought 14 of them so its not as if I only got afew but had such a difficult time deciding which to cross off the list. This fall I will be ordering more Emmerich intros and I am sure that those plants that I didn't get will be back on this list. Kay-phal - Thank you for your suggestion of a late bloomer. I first looked it up on Tinkers and what came up looks nothing like your daylily, wider pedals and much more orange. I did a general search and found what might be it with not such a great picture. Both list it as mid late. Maybe not going to bloom late enough for me here but I will deffinately keep it in mind.

PixieLou, it's always a learning experience. My spinach was a dud this year. Planted only one week later than last year (which was a fantastic year) but a bust. Heard cold, wet spring affected others too in our area, even the market gardeners. I have a partly sunny space on the east side of our house, actually, some of it extends to the driveway so it also has a southern exposure ... but shade from a maple tree part of the day. I planted cherry tomatoes there this year expecting them to not do as well because of less sun and they are scrawny. We'll probably have plenty of cherry tomatoes, which are beginning to ripen, but not the huge harvests of previous years. This is the same bed that was originally my herb garden but I moved to herbs to a new bed next to my kitchen porch. They are doing astoundingly well in that location. Maybe that original bed gets evenn less sun than I thought. What are the sun conditions for your beds? Maybe those perennials need more sun? I used to try to grow sun loving perennials in part sunny conditions and it was really a waste of time and money. I can see where some parts of my garden need additional organic matter (the old herb bed) and a hurried lasagna style bed needs more manure/dirt. I see evidence of blossom end rot so a sure sign those particular tomato plants aren't getting enough nutrients. OTH the good news is that germination was better in pots (herb seeds) when I moved them away from a hot southern spot against the house (further reflection from white house) to the porch steps that get some of that maple tree shade part of the day. I am disappointed in my potting soil. The big plastic pots that are doing better have composted horse manure in the bottom, potting soil on top. The potting soil dries out quickly and seems to have too much peat moss in it. My vegetable beds which get the great composted horse manure are black, soft and full of earthworms. Not so, my flower beds. The herbs don't seem to mind. I'd say the poorer soil seems sandier, finer particles which probably don't hold water very well. Good luck to everyone. Striped cucumber beetles have made winter squash a bust this year and I'm only now just getting my first cucumbers for a second try. So even my great vegetable garden soil isn't enough.

I'm going to say Liberty as well. Mine languished under a hawthorn tree for years - finally decided to move it when I expanded the hosta bed in the front yard this summer. I had intended to move the whole plant but one eye decided to stay behind. The part that I moved really took off compared to the one in its old spot. I always wondered if I had bought a mislabeled plant because it didn't look like most of the pictures of Liberty I've seen here, however, it looks very similar to josephine's first picture upthread. My Great Expectations is five years old and doesn't get all that large because it gets shaded by a shrub...I've heard it's hard to grow, so I think I'll just leave it where it's happy.