Thanks, all, for the additional comments. That steep bank is very dangerous for the new neighbor to mow. It is stable and not subject to erosion except when a local utility contractor screws up--and now this winter with the damage the snow plow has done. The utility fixed the problem that's shown in the photos. It's OK now. Unfortunately, those are the only photos of the area that I have available to upload and they seem to have become too much of a distraction. If this were my property, I would have replaced the grass with low-maintenance plant material long ago. Definitely not hardscaping. Rip rap would be my very last choice if it were my property. I think the neighbor agrees. I'm looking for plant material suggestions from you guys to supplement whatever recommendations (and whatever limitations) we get locally. The immediate concern will be the portion of that sloped area that the errant snow plow and the tow truck tore up last month. Replanting that torn-up area with grass would make no sense at all. For those of you commenting on the unrelated erosion at the stream bends.........I obtained a rudimentary plan from either SCS or SWCD about 30 years ago for the former neighbor after the stream flooding was exacerbated by the city's street construction project in '79. (Back in those days, I knew people at most of the state and federal agencies.) That plan didn't address the embankment along the street because that area was not eroding and not a concern. The plan focused on the two 90� bends and proposed using limestone rip rap. The neighbor felt the plan was too expensive and nothing was ever done. The new neighbor now has that old plan, but didn't particularly like it either. In any case that problem is less pressing. Ken, That link you provided is one I hadn't seen. Unfortunately, none of the shrubs in that list are identified for erosion control. Other than the trees, the only thing recommended for erosion control is the Pachysandra and I thought it was better suited to shade. It does extremely well in shade near the stream in our yard. If it can tolerate full sun, it might be something to consider. Strobiculate, you mentioned Forsythia. I've got F. 'Ottawa' near the street in my yard. It stays relatively small and will tip-root. It's something I had considered supplying to the neighbor, but hadn't seen it recommended specifically as a shrub that's good for erosion. Do you have experience with Forsythia as an erosion control plant? I'll have to check it out, too. I've also got American Cranberry growing along that stream in my yard, but I don't know how well it would do on a steep slope for erosion control. Have you had experience with it or seen it used in a situation like this? No one has commented on my query re the Calycanthus 'Athens." The species is supposed to be good for erosion control, but I don't know about full sun on this kind of a slope. It suckers and that's probably why it's recommended, but can we keep it away from the street? Maybe we'll have to be the guinea pigs on that one if the neighbor's willing.

Gee I don't know if I can help you more than NYWOODSMAN (joking of course) ;o) Are you planning to fill in the page with all the growing zones in it? That seems like an awful lot of work. Why not just start with your own state and get it all filled in rather than posting all the zones and leaving people scratching their heads as to why they are dead links. Most people get annoyed with links that don't work. The index page (main page) really needs a punch of colour so why not create some photo images (using your own will be easier) to make a montage of your state's native flora. Use it as a logo for each of your pages. Articles page and links looks good but again, very plain. Contact page good...easy to use Botanical Dictionary... will you be adding to it on an ongoing basis? If so, you may want to create (I think they are called...) jumplinks or hotlinks or something like that where you can jump to a spot on a page without having to scroll down looking for it. So say you want to look up "leaf roller", you will just click on "L" at the top of the page to jump down to the "L's". The Language of flowers page... I don't understand why the title "Language of flowers" is written 3x before you get to the text and then the hyperlink is located in the tiny green word "this link". I would either get rid of all the "Language of Flowers" titles leaving only one and hyperlink to the title in addition to the "this link". this page also needs something pleasing to the eye, either a logo or a few pictures of native plants, shrubs or trees. Soil/Mulch page...good but again needs some pictures. Drive around and take close up photos of your hand with each type of soil in it. Simple but effective. If your camera is fast enough to capture it, spilling a bit of each soil off the side of your hand will show the density of each soil type in addition to the general appearance. Garden Supplies page... use store logos if you can to showcase your sponsors. It's visually more pleasing and attractive to potential customers. You might also make suggestions for tools that work with various soil types. State Trees and Flowers... cool idea, possibly hyperlink each tree's name to an image of the tree species so that people can look at it as well as read about it. native plant societies page... looks good, very plain but in this case, plain is ok. The only thing that might make the page a bit more user friendly is to place the "state name" in Bold print. Public Garden of the month page could use a photo or logo from the park, otherwise it's good and complete with a map link. You 'could' provide a direct link to each featured garden but it's not necessary as you have the form there already to do the search. Book reviews... a work in progress as well. Have you considered to add comments on what you found useful and not-so-useful for each book? The reviews don't look like so much "reviews" as they are "synopsis". you could also consider letting readers submit their personal reviews using an online-form. Of course you will want to review the submissions before they are placed on the page but it will give a better rounded perspective on each book if you allow comments from other readers. Free Gardening Books page... looks good but again lacks "punch". You might consider a logo at the top of the page and then thumbprint photos of the book jackets (if that's legal to do, which I expect it must be if the books themselves are already in the public domain). Hope that's somewhat helpful. You have a big job ahead of you with some of those pages, esp. the Growing Zone pages but best of luck to you in creating them. Barb southern Ontario, CANADA

froggy, why not take the "glass is half full" view of this? An ecotourism approach would serve to make more people aware of the importance of ecological restoration projects. Participants would learn how restoration is done and where it is done; they would learn some interesting facts about the plants and animals involved, and they could come away with a better understanding of the importance of this work and the need for funding. As a result, the professionals would have more opportunites and therefore be better paid. Back in 1988, my husband and I went to an outing sponsored by the local Nature Conservancy chapter. At that time, I was unaware of ecological restoration. As a result of that simple half-day walk in the woods, the following has evolved: 1. I became a volunteer at the site. 2. I took several classes, including a series of restoration classes taught by Steve Packard. 3. My husband and I eventually bought property with some natural areas worthy of restoration. 4. The payoff to froggy - we have hired some professionals to assist us! 5. I have become a board member of a local environmental group. While restoration work does need to be overseen by someone who understands what they are doing, I think there are a lot of opportunities to train volunteers on specific tasks and then use them. Consider this: start the day with breakfast and a lecture on buckthorn - why it is a problem, what it looks like, how to control it. Then out to a wooded area for a few hours of buckthorn removal. After a lunch break, the group moves on to another wooded area that has been cleared of buckthorn, and they see the end results of their morning's work. That evening, a lecture by a rep of a non-profit group that supports such restoration efforts. This would be along the lines of educating the participants as to the group's mission, not a blatant pitch for dollars, but of course the appropriate info would be in their packets. Substitute your local ecosystem and restoration problem accordingly. Some of those people will leave and become supporters of the cause, and eventually more professionals will be hired. Some of the people will go home and find similar projects in their own back yard, and still increase the opportunities for professionals. The more the word is spread, the better. Yes, there is a seasonality factor. But remember, tulip time in Holland is big, as is cherry blossom time in Washington. No one makes those trips in August. Seasonality does not mean it can't work; it just has to be scheduled. V.

One thing I know I would try would be Hart's Tongue fern but it looks like you are looking for understory (shrub/tree). Maple leaf and black haw viburnum are pretty adaptable. There is one anthracnose resistant Cornus florida, it is Apalachian Spring but I thought Dogwoods liked neutral to acidic? For herbaceous layer try columbine, ebony spleenwort, cliff brake, bulblet fern, walking fern (if you have any moist spots). Best to figure out what plant community type or ecosytem is supposed to be on a calcareous ridge in the piedmont(?) of New Jersey and start getting some ideas from there. Even if you aren't going native it will give you ideas. Eastern red cedars are pretty tough to grow anything beneath. Because they are evergreen (shading anything herbaceous) and also due to their efficient and opportunistic use of moisture they effect the soil and any groundcover beneath their canopy. They can actually further raise the soil surface ph of your limestone ridge and substantially decrease moisture. I think they have some kind of toxicity that impedes germination of some species too. Combine that with the known toxicity of black walnut on many plants and you've got a tough nut to crack (no pun intended). Black Walnut Toxicity Good luck.