Hi HDD and Lisa, Thanks a lot for the feedback. HDD, the plant belongs to a friend of many years who is very, very ill and has been in and out of hospital since early last year and she asked me to see if I could find anyone to ID her plant. The leaves must be naturally shiny as I only washed the leaves in water to remove some dust and waited till they dried before I took the pic. I also forgot to mention that it is only quite small, about 12 inches overall the whole plant and about 8 inches high from the bottom of the pot to the top of the leaves. It is growing beneath 50% green shade cloth which gets the sun from 0900 - 1500 and doesn't get any other shade. Lisa, that's the only pic I have and it was taken with my old camera which I could never use to good effect. I have tried to make the flower a bit bigger so you can see it better and maybe help in the ID. All the best, Nev.

I'd say possibly an Echeveria pulvinata. You'll need to wait for it to grow out a bit...and blooms would help clinch the deal.

I think you've got the right idea to do wall pockets along the front, eventually building it into a living wall of plants. I would plant lots of sedums along the edges of the rocks to help soften the edges of the rocks and they will help fill in the area pretty quickly. I would also plant some mounding plants or bushes at the edge of the retaining walls you already have to help transition between the different building materials. On cutting the back, are you using a push mower or riding mower? Do you have a self-propelled mower? My hill is steeper than yours and I couldn't cut it at all until we got the self-propelled mower. I can now cut across the hill with no problem, the self-propelled mower keeps it going across the hill with little effort. I would highly suggest wearing shoes with cleats or boots though when the grass is damp. Good Luck and keep us updated!

Terminox has gotten good results. Like any of the iron-removal methods I listed, it will depend on water conditions. When dealing with well waters, dissolved oxygen will be a concern with any system. You will want to know how much dissolved oxygen your water has in order to determine the best system for your water. This requires a special procedure for sampling that you will need to discuss with the lab that will be doing the test. TAC variants: They will all be expensive to maintain - the media is not cheap. Softeners: If you decide to purchase a softener, a 0.75 cubic ft softener will work nicely for your situation. If you install a separate iron removal system upstream, the softener will only need to regen every couple of weeks. If you choose to use only the softener, it will regen every 4 days. As to specific systems, this is where your research takes place. I can tell you what to specify, and help to evaluate quotes once you have them, but ultimately you are the one that has to have a comfort level with the vendor you choose. I suggest starting with the local water treatment pros to see what they can offer. The benefit of this approach is having someone to turn to if something goes wrong. You pay for that benefit, of course, but for most people it is the way to go. If you decide to order online, you will be provided only what you specify and any and all problems are yours to diagnose and fix. Provided you are comfortable with that, it can be a good option. Be aware that though you will spend less money, you will spend more time. The following requirements are for an industry standard softener. If you are looking for a non-electronic softener, Kinetico offers the more reliable options at a premium price (and you would need to deal with a local Kinetico rep). Any decent softener vendor should be able to provide the following: High quality American or German made resin. This will provide a tight size distribution for optimal flow within the resin Since you have WELL WATER: 8% crosslinked resin. Top basket. This serves two purposes. It sets up a proper water distribution during normal operation and prevents resin loss during backwash. Gravel underbed. The gravel underbed is there to set up proper flow patterns, improve backwash, keep the bottom basket in place and prevent basket failure, and prevent channeling. Many softener sales companies like to leave this out or sell softeners with a vortex system instead. Vortex systems weigh less than gravel so they cost less to ship. In addition, they are a more expensive item that adds profit for the softener salesperson, but provides no additional benefit to the homeowner . It simply adds another piece of equipment that can break. Fleck or Clack valves. These set the industry standard. Be aware that you will not be able to purchase Clack valves online. This is not a problem if you purchase locally. The valve should regen based on...