I would suggest getting a mow lawn. Did you look at all the pictures for the no-mow lawn? The only reason they call it that is because it happens to flop over and becomes unmowable when it is too tall. Furthermore, I would suggest getting a mix of Kentucky bluegrass (for full sun) and fescue (for shady areas). Of if you don't really have shady areas, then just go with KBG. KBG has the advantage of never needing to be reseeded (like fescue does), but it comes with the disadvantage of turning brown in the winter. Having said that, Marathon III is a very compact (dwarf) variety of fescue. That might work for you. Never till to prepare for a lawn. There, I saved you a couple hundred. If you want to soften your soil, try spraying it with shampoo. First test the hardness using a screwdriver. From what you say it won't even penetrate 1/8 inch. You'll need a hose end sprayer (Ortho red and yellow model is about $10). For 13,000 square feet you'll need about 40 ounces of shampoo. The hose end sprayer holds 32 ounces, so fill it up, take the screen off the end of the down tube, and start spraying. The setting doesn't really matter. You will need to spray as evenly as you can until you have used 40 (or more) ounces of shampoo. I suggest generic baby shampoo from Walmart. It has to be clear like baby shampoo. Spray that and then come back and apply a full inch of water with your sprinkler. Measure 1 inch using small cat food or tuna cans. Time how long it takes to fill the cans so you'll remember. Then wait a week to water again. Water again the following week. The second week after, repeat the shampoo and water. That should do it. If you get runoff before you can apply a full inch of water, then stop watering for 15 to 30 minutes and resume after the water has soaked in. If you get runoff again, stop and wait again. Repeat until you get a full inch into the soil. Since your soil is acting like clay (there are may reasons why a soil might act like clay), it might take more than 2 applications of shampoo to soften it and get it to accept moisture. A week after the second application of shampoo, water an inch again and test the penetration with a screwdriver. What the shampoo does is allow the water to penetrate much deeper into the soil. When that happens the beneficial microbes in the soil will come back and soften the soil for you. You can help them along by adding organic fertilizer periodically. My favorite is alfalfa pellets. At a rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet you would need 6 bags of rabbit chow type alfalfa pellets. That size will go through a broadcast type fertilizer spreader. Then stop using whatever other fertilizers you were using because that's all you'll need. I use alfalfa on the federal holiday schedule. They are easy to remember and I am home those days. More specifically, for you in KY, first app would be on Memorial Day, then 4th of July, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving. Living in the south I also apply on Washington's Birthday. You were correct in saying why your soil is "compacted", but you were incorrect about it being compacted. It is simply hard for the reason you said. Compacted soil requires mechanical means such as cattle plunging through soggy soil near the edge of a pond or playing football on saturated soil. The soil has to be saturated first or you cannot compact it. Oh and do all this seeding in early September when the summer heat is beginning to back off.

Well I have all of you beat!!! I put down two leaves of Irish Imp and 4 days later a small plantlet began forming on the edge of the leaf. The leaf was no where near the medium. I had to get out my magnifying glass to make sure what I was seeing.. and sure enough it was there. Not only did it grow from atop of the leaf, but the mother leaf also produced babies from the stem. I was amazed at the speed. The other leaf only produced babies from the inserted stem in the medium. The leaf was girl foliage. Miniature. I took the leafpot to my AV Club's workshop and showed them.. they were amazed also. Guess I could call this "Once in a blue moon!!" Tea

I have enjoyed reading your comments. Thank you for always being so thoughtful in responding...it makes posting pictures worth all the trouble! I asked Tiffany to be my 'model' because without anything to compare them to, I wouldn't be able to show just how HUGE these blooms are. Even though Tiffany is 18 she is teensy (under 5 ft. and under 90 lbs) so maybe they look even bigger next to her....but trust me, they are way bigger than your head. Thank you for your compliments for Tiffany, and my gardens as well. Jean, I also have the rose 'Tiffany'...and I have the daylily 'Tiffany Gold' which is new & didn't bloom yet. Judy, there are roses at the base of the arbor but I had to whack them back in July when the beetles nearly stripped them of leaves. Just for fun, here's a picture of Tiffany from her senior prom this past June. It wasn't easy finding a ballgown in a size 00...(and we even had to have it taken in!). God bless you all, Celeste

At this point the hummers are visiting all the expected plants in the yard, except. I grew out this big group a African Gold Impatiens and planted a patch alongside the garage in a shade garden. They are growing really well, thick stems, lots of flowers, but as of yet I have not caught a hummer feeding at them. They've definitely been visiting the hardy fuschias nearby, but everytime I come around the side of the garage if there is a hummer there it flushes. Maybe a bottle of wine and a big sit is in order. It's the same with the fusion impatiens in another shady area. These things must have nector since ants are visiting the flowers constantly, but again another couple of fuschias are stealing the show. I'm conserned about my liver, it may take a lot of wine to know for sure whether the hummers are using these impatiens. And I would concur about hummers and flowers. Its great to have that feeder up knowing that there is always food available. But there is nothing like watching a hummingbird working a flower patch - that is the best of both worlds. Mimi - you'll probably notice, if you haven't already, that your Cardinal Climber only provides food until early afternoon. Although in the evening I've always loved this plant when it is backlit by the sun. It is so cool it would be worth growing even if it never flowered. I have three posts out in the veggi garden that are connected by wires at the top and bottom, with strings running between the wires - my pea patch in spring. The wire at the top is rather old and lax causing a wave effect. In August when the vines have filled in and reached their full six feet the whole thing looks like a bat with its wings spread.