For leveling I would just add top soil to the barespots that need built up (making sure to compact it somewhat, I just walk over every square inch) and re-seed it at the same time. That's what I do for my tall fescue lawn. You need to get your watering cut down too, at best you only want to water 1-2 times a week max...long deep watering for those roots to grow downward and get established well. Just gradually start to increase your watering time (until it starts to pool or run-off) and start to skip watering days until you're at 1-2 times per week.

I remember how difficult it is to get started when you have a bare, flat yard. I kept staring out the windows, trying to imagine what I could plant where. It helps if you have someone stand outside while you look out the windows. Have your helper walk around from place to place, waving his/her arms, and maybe even holding a broom up overhead. Try to imagine your helper is a bush or a tree. When your helper gets to a spot that looks good from the inside, make a note of the position, or have your helper plant a garden stake (much easier to move than a tree!) Then go stand outside, or across the street, and see if that really is a good place for a tree. Use pots of annuals which you can move around until you find a space placement that suits you. THEN dig a bed. You can always set out empty boxes, or laundry baskets or even chairs to find spots for a shrub. Anything of a similar size that's easily movable will do. Here are some general principals I've found helpful. If the front is your main entrance, plant things that you will be happy to see when you come home. Start planting close to the walk and steps. This will encourage you to expand. Take it slow. I read once that you should live in a house though one set of seasons before you do any major changes. I translated that into planting annuals at first...which will have to be redone anyway. Fall is really the best time to plant trees and shrubs, as then they will get lots of rain. And, they will be cheaper at the 'year end' sales. Plant evergreens and long season perennials in the front as you and the neighbors will be looking at this area every day. Don't be afraid to take out something you don't like. Try to transplant it, or give it away. If it lives, fine, but you don't have to put up with something you don't like. Bare ground will make you feel better than a plant that irriates you. Don't plant acid loving plants close to the foundation of the house or near the cement path or sidewalk. They won't thrive. I figured this out after losing a row of azaleas, one by one. You can buy spray paint that is specially made to be sprayed holding the can upside down, so you can mark the edges of the beds. Just make sure that it isn't 'clear' paint. (Yes, it does come that way - a friend did this!) Or take a container of flour out and use that to mark plant placement or bed edges if you want a very temporary marking. The front yard is your house's public face and a place to show off your gardening skills. Rather than screening off the street, plant so that people driving or walking by will have something pleasant to look at and your visitors will find inviting. And for safety reasons, you don't want to 'hide' your house. Burglars go for entrances that are screened off from the view of the neighbors. Re paths: Make sure you leave good access to the utility boxes. Make sure you can get a lawnmower and wheelbarrow everywhere they'll need to go. You won't want low branching trees too near paths, either. If you don't have a pleasant view out the windows, one small patch of bright color will draw your eye away from the eyesore. Try a few pots of color, just set out on the ground, and see how they draw your attention. You do want to 'hide' the foundation of the house with taller, more solid shrubs. This will help transition the house into the lot, and help it look 'planted' rather than just 'plopped' onto the lot. Place lower plants further away from the house, along the path and sidewalk. You don't have to have ANY lawn in the front, but you don't have to take it all out at once, either. Have fun! Daphne in Tacoma

I've tried for the past few weeks to get used to the awful brown mortar on my flagstone, but I just can't live with the mortar......I've had multiple contractors come out for various things unrelated to the pool and 3 have commented on the "odd", "strange" mortar color without me even mentioning my opinion of it. Very shocking but really why was I surprised. It's kinda nice to finally realize I'm NOT crazy for hating it. It toned down slightly as it cured, but it's still hideous. :( I'm going to start working on a resolution, going to be a pain but I just can't live with this color......infurates me that my PB picked this color for me without asking me what I'd like. I'm sharing all of this in hopes that it will save at least someone from getting slapped with a bad mortar color----I've never seen a pool as far as I can tell that didn't have buff or just regular light gray mortar----so I had no clue to specify especially when all my my PB's pools looked to be to be a buff shade of mortar. All of their gallery pics and the 4 pools of theirs I visited.

Does the soil drain well? These plants grow in habitats similar to orchids, and they prefer a fast draining mix, preferably with some perlite and orchid bark mixed into the soil as well. You may also be fertilizing it too much, too. I have a couple of Anthurium hybrids ( red & white), and I sparingly use fertilizers on them. As with orchids and other epiphytic plants, when fertilizing them, less is more. They fare much better with their fertilizers being more diluted, or "weakly, weekly." If you want to learn more about growing these wonderful plants, here is a link to Exotic Rainforest's website that delves more into everything you'll need to know: Growing the Tropical Anthurium It's the only source of knowledge I turn to when I need to study up on these plants. :)