We use a combination of Nickel Plus and K-Phite. It's working great. We spray with both, using a sticker-spreader we got at Tractor Supply. We also add their blue dye now, because it helps us see where we have missed a spot. It isn't very easy to see through goggles, with sweat pouring down in your eyes. Just avoid spraying any blossoms, unless you are really desperate for a blue daylily. We were advised to spray once a week for 3 weeks, then wait 3 weeks before spraying again. I've only sprayed once this fall, since it has been raining off and on ever since. Occasionally, I will have a plant that shows sign of rust, but nothing like it was before I started using the nickel. I wouldn't use anything else. Well, let me take that back. I am going to try some Actinovate on just a few isolated and unimportant plants to see how it works. The only thing I don't like is having to don all that protective gear, but I wouldn't have it otherwise. I'm very cautious. We use goggles, a special pesticide mask we bought at Lowes, chemical gloves (also at Lowe's), rubber boots and a yellow rain slicker. My hubby and our yardman refuse to put on a garbage bag drawstring skirt, but if I'm doing the spraying, I wear that, too. I'll have to get my hubby to take a picture of me in that fancy outfit so everyone can get a good laugh. When the weather is warm, we get very sweaty in all that garb! We start very early in the morning while it is still cool. We have a big tank sprayer on wheels we pull behind our riding lawn mower. It runs on the lawn mower battery. We got an extra length of hose so we can cover more territory. One of us drives the lawn mower while the other sprays. I could do it by myself, but it takes longer to have to keep stopping to move the mower ahead. We wash the tank out thoroughly after spraying and run clear water through the wand when we have finished. Aren't you cold climate people lucky??? Nancy

Northern Kentucky (the southern Cincy suburbs) has a more Midwestern "feel" than the rest of the state, which is definitely culturally "southern" in demeanor. Climatologically, statewide is more a transistion zone. Winters are definitely cold in comparison to say, GA or AL. In fact they're about as cold as south Jersey or even NYC which is not considered "south" at all! Realistically, although your average winters in KY are warmer than mine by some 8 - 10 degrees, your absolute coldest are in line with what we've had here in Akron, OH (which was recently REclassified from zone 5b to 6) which is why you no longer see as many southern magnolias in Lexington or Louisville! Driving from OH to GA down I-75...you notice that KY vegetation pretty much mirrors Ohio except for all the kudzu along the roadsides which starts appearing south of Lexington. In TN it starts looking more Southern and moreso as you get to GA and see all the southern pines start to dominate. KY isn't the only state without a definite classification. WV is similar-rural-southern in culture but more transitional in climate. Ohio is considered Midwest but is too hilly to really be compared to Kansas or Nebraska.

Hey Tanya, Welcome to GardenWeb and to the Tennessee Forum. It's hard to know where to start with answering your post because it covers so so so so so much ground. I'll respond to a few parts... Inexpensive tree removal: That all depends on the situation. If the trees are not near a building or something that could be damaged, and, you feel qualified, you might consider cutting them down yourself. If the trees are not likely to hurt anything when being felled but you don't feel qualified, ask around and see if you can find a neighbor that has had trees cut for a cheap price. Knoxville, for instance, has a bunch of "amateur arborists" (tree cutters that don't meet the qualifications of a real arborist), and many are willing to remove a tree for not all that much money. If the trees could damage property if not removed correctly, hire someone with insurance (and verify that they do indeed have it). All ISA certified arborists will be properly insured, but they may be a little pricey for just cutting down a tree without any complicating factors (potentially easily damaged properly, tricky removal, etc). Fungus: I'm not sure what gives you the idea that Chattanooga (assuming that is the scope of the area you were referring to) has a particularly unusual fungus problem. You must have something specific in mind, but I'm not sure what you mean. Butterflies: Yes, there are lots of butterflies around here, and if you provide a good habitat, you should see more. GardenWeb's Butterfly Forum has quite a bit of information in the FAQ section (linked at the top of that forum's main page) as well as in forum threads. The University of Tennessee has a publication, Butterfly Gardening, about this topic. When to plant: For edibles, a lot of information can be found in the UT Ag Extension Publication, Growing Vegetables in Home Gardens. Where to get tons of plants: The East Tennessee Plant Swap is a wonderful place to meet fellow gardeners and get tons of plants, seeds, cuttings, tools, etc. The website will be updated soon, when next spring's plans are finalized. An announcement will also be made here in this forum. Someone to talk to: I'm pretty much always available to talk with people about plants. Feel free to email me though GardenWeb anytime you want. I have quite a few resources that might be of help, like lists of edible fruit suppliers with ratings, fairly comprehensive tree and shrub planting instructions, and many others.

I'm trying to build my soil and I have read stories where even the hardest clay changes simply with top dressing every year. It takes much longer this way (years), but the stories have been convincing. I'm leaving the autumn leaves in my garden and I take bags of leaves from my lawn and keep them rather than giving to the county. I try to shred the leaves but we find the process messy and unpleasant (loud shredder) but I usually get a bag or two done which worth about 5 bags unshredded. I use the shredded leaves as a bottom layer of mulch for my vegetable garden and any leftovers for my ornamental garden. The whole leaves are used for the ornamental gardens and back "wild" garden. On top of the leaves, I put shredded hard wood mulch for the ornamental garden and natural bark mulch for the vegetable garden. I use much less than if I only used mulch as I have the (completely free) layer of leaves underneath. My vegetable garden gets turned a bit every year as I plant new, so I have seen the best change in my soil as the broken down mulch from the previous year is incorporated into the top few inches as I break up the soil and create a smooth planting base in the Spring. I'm starting to compost again and hope to have my own compost to use as another layer. My county doesn't do this, but others nearby will deliver for free to residents truck loads of compost (I'm so jealous). You might want to look into your local services to see if they either deliver or allow pickup of mulch or compost for residents. I'm really excited for you and your project! I think you will have an amazing woodland garden!