We all have our problems, different due to the variety of environments we garden in. I'm trying to create a garden in which the plants I like flourish while the weeds get discouraged. This may be a mad fantasy, of course. But, as I understand it, disturbed ground encourages weeds. So I don't dig more than I have to. I plant a lot of shrubs that will shade out sun-loving weeds in time, and lots of herbaceous plants to compete with the weeds. If I pull the weeds and leave the desirable plants, in time the desirables ought to prevail, always assuming they have decent growing conditions. In some beds that have been heavily mulched with hay we have a lot of annual grass: I'm trying to restrain myself and just cut the grass at ground level, leaving the roots as organic matter in the soil. I have a fuzzy notion that as the biological structure of the undisturbed soil changes, so will the ground become less receptive to weeds...think of ground near established shrubs. I'm relying on the dense shade of rosemary to help me deal with Bermuda grass and, to some extent, with bindweed. As ground becomes less receptive to herbaceous weeds, it becomes friendlier to tree seedlings. I don't have the problems with these that a lot of you seem to, whether because so much of our ground is still so heavy, or because we don't have that many trees to seed themselves around, or because our dry summers don't encourage heavy seeding. But when I begin to find the occasional oak or elm seedling in the beds, it's a sign of progress. That was very interesting about dodder! I don't know that I've ever seen it before. Melissa P.S. By the way, I still have plenty of weeds!

I saw her book when I was at Nancy's Flower Camp in October. www.flowercamp.org The book is gorgeous - she spoke about how amazing some of these trees are.

The price of geothermal is keeping us from that option. Otherwise, it would be our #1 choice for HVAC. I emailed our HVAC sub and here are his replies on the topics you mentioned. Media Cabinet: "media cabinet is included, but the one we offer is only a 4 inch media" DO I NEED TO ASK FOR AN UPGRADE ON THIS, OR IS 4" SUFFICIENT? Thermostat: "If you guys want to do some shopping around for a thermostat that does dehumidification, that fine" Humidifier: "The cost to add a humidifier adds about $675. That price includes an IAQ thermostat made by Honeywell that will serve as a humdistat as well. Come to think of it that thermostat will also give you the dehumidification control that I think you are looking for. It will also operate the fresh air damper if we determine that we need to bring in fresh air. Typically a humidifier's expense to operate is pretty low as far as electricity, but the water consumption could be a bit high, as most operate on around 12 to 17 gallons a day." I WONDER IF THE IAQ HE'S TALKING ABOUT IS THE VISION PRO--THIS IS A GOOD ONE, RIGHT? DOES THIS SOUND LIKE A GOOD PRICE FOR THIS ADD-ON? Strip Heat: "As for the strip heat, the size would be a 10 KW heater that can be broken into to 5 KW section when set up with the thermostat. I personally can not see the purpose or benefit to break them into two 5 KW sections, simply because when the temps fall to low for the heat pump to operate, you generally want the the strips to be energized to take ofF what the heat pump can not keep up with. Thats why we design the strips to take ofF the additional load not the full load when the temps fall off." DOES THIS SOUND OKAY? THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR TIME ON THIS! I THINK I'M FINALLY GETTING THERE.

Jencjudd, If the builder wants to put that warranty in writing before signing...I suspect he was talking to hear himself rather than knowing what he was saying. Soap Box Note: Personal preference, In-Floor systems are expensive, need a substantial amount of flow to work well, and have issues when an algae bloom strikes. I prefer the Polaris 280 and Legend and Legend-II pressure side cleaners. Cheaper, highly effective in most situations, and reliable. Jennyn, If the difference in price is only $1000, go with the PebbleTec. Its worth it for the fact that it's a proven product and will continue to be around a long time to back the warranty. Terryibra, The Badu is Speck. Have two broom sticks handy so you can set the jet nozzles direction to suit your needs. What Hayward equipment? I assume the flagstone is just the coping? Its going to be a very cozy foot well with more than 2 people in the spa. I suspect that one LED in the pool may not be enough, especially when you go from white to colors. White tends to travel better than red, blue or green and will be dim and washed at the perimeter.