Hey all you shy people! Now that it's warm and we can actually get out and garden, I know you're finding plants that need to be divided, or volunteer seedlings that need a home. Pot 'em up and bring 'em to the swap. I am here to testify! It's fun! It's unique! It's an easy way to find new homes for your extras. and It saves money because of all the plants I don't have to buy. Come join us! OK, I was really nervous the first time - what if I brought stuff that nobody wanted? What if I took home things I didn't want? What if nobody else came? What if it was just a bunch of friends and I didn't know anyone? Take a chance - I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I finally mailed mine today. I hope my partner likes what I got them. I had a hard time sticking to the three item limit,so I didn't!!!LOL I just love shopping to much!!! Diana55

Of the 18 roses "too close together" last year, only 11 are still living. Today, I dug up: 4 dead roses 3 roses that had been overtaken by the Dr. Huey rootstock The remaining 11 roses are now far apart. I contacted my city's Public Works Department. They have FREE recycled green waste but they couldn't vouch for the quality of the ingredients. I live in a condo so I can't have a truckload of mulch delivered to my garden. It would have to be dumped in a driveway 200 feet away then I'd have to transport it to my garden. Bagged mulch -- although more expensive than bulk mulch -- is much easier to handle.

I had a long response typed out to this and somehow, somewhere, it just vanished! Trying again..... You have options to removing a lawn without any chemicals. Which method you might choose will depend on how much effort you might care to devote to the project and how quickly you want the cleared area to be plantable. Dig out the lawn. Cheapest method but most labor intensive. Also one way to be assured to get the best results as you can (and should) be as thorough as possible. Takes as long as it takes for removal....you set the pace. Rent a sod cutter. Available at any equipment rental outlet and a relatively easy DIY project. Efficient and fast.......you will have a cleared, plantable area by the end of the day! Solarization. As has been previously stated, covering the entire area to be cleared of grass with plastic and leaving it in place will kill off the grass. But it will take 2-3 months, will probably require some follow up and your front garden will look like a bit like a construction zone or termite tenting in the interim. You want to use black plastic for this, not clear! Clear plastic is used in solarization to kill off pathogens via heat but needs to be done in midsummer when the most intense sunlight is available. And is less effective for killing plants....for the reasons floral mentioned. To kill off grass and other weeds, use black plastic. This prevents sunlight reaching them and prevents photosynthesis. Without photosynthesis, the plants are unable to nourish themselves and they will die. Not a fast process.....allow 2-3 months in summer; 4-6 weeks in winter. Smothering. Similar to covering with plastic, layering the area to be cleared with cardboard or layers of newspaper, wetting them thoroughly and then covering with a layer of compost or other mulch will smother the weeds/grasses and deprive them of both oxygen and sunlight and will prevent photosynthesis. Takes about 6 months for best efficacy but the process is fully biodegradable and you can plant in the interim by carefully cutting through the layers and inserting the plants. Will also improve the soil with the addition of the organic matter, so an added bonus! A few additional thoughts. If you leave parts of the lawn intact, make sure you leave adequate clearance around any plants so the grass does not immediately invade. Trying to prise grass roots out or separate from any plant roots they have invaded can be a time consuming and Herculean chore! Also, if the remaining grass/lawn is not mowed routinely, you run the risk of the front garden looking and becoming a giant weed patch! You could be subject to your neighbors' criticism :-) Both lawn and weed grasses are tenacious creatures and can have an ability to outcompete other, larger plants. If not fully removed first, they will come through any sort of groundcover and need to be carefully weeded out. Not all groundcovers will work equally as well and there is no such thing as an "all purpose" groundcover :-) They all have different growth habits and require different growing conditions. Your pachysandra for example wants shade only....it struggles and bleaches out in much sun. And finally, by removing the lawn, you are opting for a higher maintenance landscape. Almost anything you plant will require periodic maintenance to keep the property from turning feral and overgrown. Lawns tend to take some of the least amount of maintenance of any type pf planting, especially if you do not insist on it being pristine and weed free. Covering any open areas with rocks or gravel is also pretty low maintenance.....but not NO maintenance either!! And some terminology to help you through this process. A 'lawn' is a planted expanse of grass. And there are many types of lawn grass and where they are used for this purpose will depend on your location as to a suitable type. There are also many types of weed grasses. And you can also have a lawn that is comprised of something other than grass....like clover or thyme. 'Turf' is just another word for a lawn comprised of grasses. 'Sod' is the grass in its actively growing condition and this is what you can purchase in rolls to lay for an almost instant lawn. Or what you remove with the power equipment :-) Lawn grasses can also be planted from seeds and sometimes plugs or small starts. It depends on the type.