I think they will just make it very expensive for us. Then the wealthy and the businesses will have green gardens and the rest will have tumbleweeds. I'll probably have a brown lawn surrounded by my pines which are so old that they can make it on their own. I hope my established roses can survive but I worry about the younger own root bands I just planted. Bathwater for them I think. Our air quality is so bad- I got 2 rain barrels but after seeing the toxic amber water that came off the roof after a months of no rain, I just dumped it all out. Now they don't get filled unless it has rained a few days to clean off the roof. Actually, I have hose water in them now, just in case theres a quake. I'm sorry you have to see your garden suffer. It's unfair that people can waste all they want in their homes but gardeners cant water their prized plants. I was using a bucket to rinse my laundry out on the back lawn and it was work but I felt good about it.

You know, that's a really compact clump of yucca- instead of fighting it, why not use it along with the cedar and other shrub as winter backbone? They do have nice fragrant white blooms in summer. If it were spread out or a huge clump, i'd fuss with it, but if you're wanting to make life simple... leave it be. I'd say it depends on the compost whether you till it in. If it seems like it has a good bit of earthy stuff for the plants to dig into, then no, but if it's more top dressing stuff, perhaps till in half and top with compost. The quality can vary year to year and by the time of year, depending on what they are shredding and composting. If you're in wake co, you will need to find a truck/hauler to haul it for you, but the compost itself is fairly cheap- like 30 a big truckload full. City runs 2 for 1 specials sometimes, too. Meaning pay for 1 load, get the second free that same day- but you'd still need to pay for hauling. You could do a lasagna type bed- layer on newspaper, ect, and build up with out messing with tilling at all. There's been a good bit posted about it, and there are at least 2 books. It really does work if you have a little patience/time. There is a thread for the swap on the exchanges forum. It should have the where what when info- tho i can tell you quickly it's may 8th, at white deer park in garner. Doesn't matter if you're a newb. We always have some. Just bring some good food and anything you have to spare that you think gardeners could use- pots, hoses, rocks, etc. Even shallow boxes would be appreciated as folks always need them to haul away their new found goodies.

There is a plant called Wire Vine (Muhlenbrekia or something similar) that is often sold as a filler for combo pots or hanging baskets. I got some years ago and treated it like a tender tropical for years until I noticed a piece of it surviving winter and actually spreading and looking much better with neglect. Now I leave it outside and let it go to town. It looks good up until the temps get down around 10degrees and then the leaves will die back but the stems re-sprout once the temps get back to normal winter temps. It isn't the classiest plant for the garden but it does seem to choke out most weeds and it likes shade and poor soil - even dry soil (but you would have to water it the first year). It doesn't really make much of a vine, just simple looped stems about a foot long with little round leaves every inch or so. The loops stick up about a foot off the ground which makes the area hard to walk through, so it isn't a ground cover for high traffic areas but otherwise it is worthwhile plant for dry shady slopes. If the area is dark shade the only thing I have ever seen survive those places is vinca, with Vinca minor covering the ground better than Vinca major.

Poncirusguy- pics of my kumquat trees would be pretty boring, as none of them are more than 2 feet tall. All except one are in pots, the last is in the ground in the greenhouse and has grown very slowly. (All of these were planted from grocery store kumquat seeds, not sure of type of kumquat) I'm not sure what I may be doing wrong, or if they are just excruciatingly slow growers by nature. Funny thing is I started some poncirus trees from seed about four years ago, and depending where I planted them, they range in size from a foot tall to EIGHT feet tall (the tall one flowered and fruited this year) so there is obviously some discrepancy in the growing conditions. I really would like to get the kumquats going though as I've read a number of reports that they are pretty hardy and hard to kill. (not to mention I like eating kumquats)