There are several factors that determine how fast your mulch, no matter what is used, will be digested starting with how healthy your soil is. If you have a good, active Soil Food Web they will digest your mulch (provided it is not stone or rubber) fairly quickly, but that then depends on the type of material and wood chips can take longer then would shredded leaves. Thickness is also a factor, because the more there is to digest the longer it will take, but in some of my beds wood chips 4 to 6 inches thick get digested in 2 years. Shredded leaves are an excellent mulch, although in my soil the shredded leaf mulch I applied last fall is now gone leaving the soil now bare and exposed to the ravages of the sun, wind, and rain. There is no need to remove a mulch from a planting bed, unless your soil is in such bad condition that the plants have a difficult time growing. I would put shredded leaves on top of the wood chips. I find that the soil bacteria apparently work on the easier to digest leaves because after spring I see few, if any, leaves and only see the wood chips. Leaves, left whole on grass, can keep the grass from gettng access to the sunlight all plants need to grow so whole leaves could kill the grass they cover. You can mulch mow those leaves into your turf and the soil bacteria will move them into the soil for you feeding your grass so it grows better next year. Joe Vargas turf grass students, back in the 1980's, mulch mowed leaves into a turf plot at MSU and found the grass in that plot (nothing else was done except normal watering) grew greener, thicker, faster than any other grass plot they had.

Beautiful... Thanks so much for sharing! It really makes me regret not starting with hosta's earlier in my lifetime! Now that I've hit the big 5-0... I don't have enough time to create such a masterpiece! Not to mention all the work involved! DH just isn't interested.. more to mow around.. so he actually doesn't want too many beds. And, well, I'm just getting too darned tired after working on what I already have. It must be a group effort (love) to create such breathtaking landscapes. I'm jealous... there! I said it.

Here is a list that got off this web site. Ken had some pictures posted not too long ago of Sum and Substance along his driveway. I think those are in full sun (but not really sure just a guess) I had a full sun question and first thing he said was 'plantaginea'. Hope this helps * 'Abba Dabba Do' * 'Abiqua Recluse' * 'Allan P. McConnell * 'Aphrodite' * 'Arctic Rim' * 'Aspen Gold' * 'August Moon' * 'Avocado' * 'Birchwood Parky's Gold' * 'Blue Angel' * 'Blue Mammoth' * 'Blue Umbrellas' * 'Bright Lights' * 'Brother Stefan' * 'Captain Kirk' * 'Carolina Sunshine' * 'Cathedral Windows' * 'Cheatin Heart' * 'Chingbanyuzan' * 'Christmas Gold' * 'Circle of Light' * 'City Lights' * 'Color Glory' * 'Crown Prince' * 'Dawn's Early Light' * 'Daybreak' * 'Dee's Golden Jewel' * 'Devon Green' * 'Dixie Chick' * 'Don Stevens' * 'Dust Devil' * 'Eagle's Nest' * 'Emerald Tiara' * 'Eternal Flame' * 'Fantasy Island' * 'Fire and Ice' * 'Fireworks' * 'Fortunei Aureomarginata' * 'Fragrant Bouquet' * 'Fragrant Dream' * 'Fragrant Fire' * 'Fragrant Flame' * 'Fragrant King' * 'Fragrant Star' * 'Francee' * 'Fried Bananas' * 'Fried Green Tomatoes' * 'Fringe Benefit' * 'Fujibotan' * 'Garden Party' * 'Geisha' * 'Gentle Giant' * 'George Smith' * 'Glory' * 'Gold Glory' * 'Gold Regal' * 'Gold Standard' * 'Golden Bullion' * 'Golden Delight' * 'Golden Fascination' * 'Golden Friendship' * 'Golden Galleon' * 'Golden Prayers' * 'Golden Sculpture' * 'Golden Waffles' * 'Golden Years' * 'Gosan Sunproof' * 'Guacamole' * 'Grand Master' * 'Grand Tiara' * 'Green Acres' * 'Green Fountain' * 'Green Wedge' * 'Guacamole' * 'Hadspen Blue' * 'Halcyon' * 'Hanky Panky' * 'Heart and Soul' * 'Heartache' * 'High Noon' * 'High Society' * 'Hole Mole' * 'Honeybells' * 'Ice Cream' * 'Independence' * 'Inniswood' * 'Invincible' * 'Joshua's Banner' * 'Julia' * 'June Fever' * 'Just So' * 'Katie Q' * 'King Tut' * 'Korean Snow' * 'Krossa Regal' * 'Lancifolia' * 'Last Dance' * 'Leather Sheen' * 'Lemon Delight' * 'Lemon Frost' * 'Lemon Lime' * 'Lime Piecrust' * 'Little Aurora' * 'Little Sunspot' * 'Little Wonder' * 'Maekawa' * 'Marilyn' * 'Maui Buttercups' * 'Midas Touch' * 'Millie's Memoirs' * 'Ming Treasure' * 'Minuteman' * 'Miss Saigon' * 'Mister Watson' * 'Morning Light' * 'nigrescens' * 'Old Faithful' * 'Old Glory' * 'Olive Bailey Langdon' * 'Olympic Sunrise' * 'On Stage' * 'Orange Marmalade' * 'Paradigm' * 'Paradise Joyce' * 'Paradise On Fire' * 'Patriot' * 'Paul's Glory' * 'Pearl Lake' * 'Piedmont Gold' * 'plantaginea' * 'Punky' * 'Queen Josephine' * 'Quill' * 'Radiant Edger' * 'Raleigh Rememberance' * 'Rascal' * 'Regal Splendor' * 'Remember Me' * 'Reptillian' * 'Revolution' * 'Rhino Hide' * 'Rising Sun' * 'Rosedale Genevieve' * 'Roxsanne' * 'Royal Standard' * 'Ryan's Big One' * 'Savannah' * 'Second Wind' * 'September Sun' * 'Shade Fanfare' * 'Sherborne Swan' * 'Shining Tot' * sieboldiana 'Elegans' * 'So Sweet' * 'Spritzer' * 'Squash Casserole' * 'Stained Glass' * 'Sugar and Cream' * 'Sugar and Spice' * 'Sun Glow' * 'Sundance' * 'Sum and Substance' * 'Summer Breeze' * 'Summer Fragrance' * 'Summer Lovin' * 'Sun Glow' * 'Sun Power' * 'Sun's Glory' * 'Sundance' * 'Super Bowl' * 'Sweet Bo Peep' * 'Sweet Tator Pie' * 'Tattoo' * 'Tears of Joy' * 'Tenryu' * 'Tick Tock' * 'Tijuana Brass' * 'Touch of Class' * 'Treasure' * 'Twenty Four Carat Gold' * 'Twilight' * 'Twist of Lime' * 'Undulata' * 'Undulata Albomarginata' * 'Valerie's Vanity' * 'Vanilla Cream' * 'Venus' * 'Vera Verde' * 'Wheaton Blue' * 'Whirling Dervish' * 'Whirlwind' * 'Winfield Gold' * 'Wylde Green Cream' * 'Zippity Do Dah' * 'Zounds'

As far as efficiency of fuel use, I'm not so sure I agree. Prorate the fuel of the plane vs the fuel to drive, keep in mind the plane will probably travel a shorter distance than the car will since you're dodging Great Lakes and subject to various roads. The trip is about 1640 mi. as the buzzard flies and yes the plane probably will take a little less than direct route but let's leave it at that for now. Driving via Duluth/Grand Forks is 1978 mi. (according to Streets & Trips), and assuming no detours or anything that's a best scenario. Going via Duluth/Fargo shows 2021 miles. Often winds up being longer. I'd sure like to see you Ed, but I think you're better off to fly. Now that doesn't mean you couldn't get a flight with a stop or two along the way! Or each way. I'm quite a bit south of there, yes, but might just be willing to make a drive to meet somewhere. I haven't had a vacation in a while. I wouldn't mind picking some other(s) up too in that event. Kind of depends on timing. Probably have to work around some therapy sessions but those could be rearranged too and I'm only going in every other day now so it's possible. And a lot depends on what route you'd take. The Fargo route shows going through Brainerd which wouldn't be too bad a trip for me to catch you there. Although I wouldn't mind catching up with you in Duluth or Grand Rapids. Or somewhere else. But I'm still going to suggest flying... You could pick up feathers, form some cardboard wings and flap your arms for 1700 miles! :D Well, maybe not.