http://www.bonsai4me.com/ try looking around this site. If your little plants are just seedlings, treat them well, and wait till next year to tinker around with the root or shoot system at all. If the seedlings have a bit of height to them, try merely bending over (carefully) the branches with a weighted string or loosely wrapped wire (that holds it shape fairly well). Bonsai prefer to get a lot of light, or be placed outside. So if your little seedlings are inside, put them in the window!

Ants are an unsolvable problem, spraying only kills workers, and then you can not eat your crops. I was told to buy a bait to have the workers take back to the colony to feed the queen. No queen equals no workers. I bought every type of bait on the market and the ants would not touch it. They were too smart. If someone knows a cure for ants please post that. Try the soil forum, and add lots of compost. It costs a lot of money to buy a lot of compost and add it. It's a huge investment, but there is not much that can be done about the cost of it. Making compost takes time and also money for bins or other products to add to compost mainly browns or else you need lots of leaves. I have page up on my website about composting, if you want to read all my suggestions. Click on the soil link. Here is a link that might be useful: My website

Hi sheshebop! I'm new myself! Welcome. My best friend has a nearly full shade yard and she created a rock garden with a pond in the center. She has tons of hosta, sweet william, peonies and spiderwort in her yard. Many of these around the stone patio and rock garden. You are plenty creative enough for gardening. It's easy after time. Plant what you think will look nice after finding out if they are hardy to the coldest temperature that you live in. Put taller plants to the back of the beds you create and graduate down in height toward the front. After the plants take off, decide if you like them where they are, if not, then move them somewhere else. We all do this. Gardening is trial and error just like making a new recipe! Here is a few links to some online nurseries that offer suggestions on shadey perennials. Take a look and see if anything looks nice to you! http://www.ruthsgardenshop.com/Shade%20Perennials.htm http://www.4seasonsgc.com/main%20files/pages/perennials/shade.html http://garden.superpageshosting.com/shadeloving/ This next site not only has ideas for plants but also design plans for your beds too. If you look further down the page you will find a link to rock gardens as well. http://www.wilsonbrosnursery.com/DesignsPerennialShadeGardens.html Good Luck and let us know what you do!

I'm not sure about this, but I thought I read once that the Salvation Army helps people find each other. You could call your local unit and ask. If they cannot help you, maybe they could give you some suggestions of where to go. It may take some digging and some time. If you go into it knowing that the results could be good or bad, then I say go for it. I'm very sorry about your health issues and know you must feel so frightened. I hope you'll keep us posted here on how it goes. Take care. Best wishes, Susan