Hey everyone....Thanks for all your tips and experiences... Larry....How are you? lol..You are too funny...I once almost hired a kid to water mine until he watered my fakes plastic ones too... Danielle..Congrats on that...If I meant away for a week and someone forgot to water my plants for just two days, many would croak..I've thought of having just succulents, but I can't seem to do away with my fragrant ones... Linda..Yes it has been a while..What's happening? I hope your fish made it this year..Boy it was brutal...All mine did. The water never froze because I kept it turbulent..Thanks for visiting and your ideas.. I'm sure you would do that for me. You are so kind:-))) Planto..Thank you so much..Yes, it is a bummer..It makes my heart heavy with sadness..Such a good guy and destroying his family...I hope he recovers. He loves my plants and the thought of taking care of them got him and I excited.. Purple...I am so glad you got to go away and came back to no issues...That's my plan...I hope you had a great time..You needed it I am sure.. Yes, being able to wake up and go to bed any time you want is something I have not done in years...Not to have to look at the clock is a luxery..I miss those days. I live in Northern Ma...Just on the border of N.H almost near the coast....So it can get cold here still by May which leaves me no choice except to wait until the end of May when all are safe outside. Ia m hoping to go to Florida..Far from here. I tried that stay home and relax thing and it did not work out. All I wanted to do was work on the house and more..Not good. I am talking about sleeping on a beach for days or reading a book on a chair at teh beach or by a pool, maybe Pugs house, Laurs or Patty's..lol I get up at 5 every day, run a cleaning buisiness, then work full time..Work out 4 days a week after work at 8 pm and then care for my parents about that. I also care for my home, feed the birds, cat, fish and plants...lol MIke

Maybe you can divide your garden into 8 more or less equal squares, and start with one, piling whatever OM you can get into it, then, when you get enough that you think it'll last throught he growing season, continue to another section. Depending on the response to your ads to freecycle and craigslist (and I'd try both), you may get enough to do more than one section. Unfortunately, the OM will reduce in volume every year, so you'll need to add more to the sections you've already been able to plant in every year. So, as time goes on, you'll be establishing new areas, but also needing to maintain the existing areas. You mentioned customers who are sheep and horse farmers. I used to work with somebody who had several horses and paid to have his manure hauled away. You should let your customers know that if they have friends who need manure hauled off, you're willing to haul it for free. Freecycle and craigslist may get you some as well. Several people have already mentioned tree trimming companies. I'd second that, and also point you to the utility companies. The utility companies may trim trees themselves around power lines, or they may contract the work done. If they do the work themselves, they'll probably be glad to give you truckloads of chipped wood. If they contract it, they can tell you the companies with which they contract. If you google ramial wood, you'll find that chipped wood is being used to regenerate soil. Good luck, and please keep us posted on your results.

You've gotten lots of great positive feedback here. I'm sorry your feelings were hurt, mine would have been also. The guy probably was just looking for work, either for himself, or someone he knows. I am a 'hodge-podge' gardener, with my tropical/cottage gardens. I'm sure plenty of landscapers would have something to say about them. They make me happy, they help restore my soul. They are my haven in this crazy world that we live in. May you feel love, joy and peace as you continue to work in your gardens. Hugs ~ FlowerLady Here are some thoughts: Gardening is any way that humans and nature come together with the intent of creating beauty. - Tina James, 1999 A garden is a delight to the eye and a solace for the soul. - Sadi He who plants a garden plants happiness. If you want to be happy for a lifetime, plant a garden. - Chinese Proverbs Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity. - Lindley Karstens When gardeners garden, it is not just plants that grow, but the gardeners themselves. - Ken Druse Seek to understand what draws you to the garden. You may discover greater rewards than the blue ribbons awarded for the biggest pumpkin or the best preserves. You may find the garden becomes a teacher and crop "failures" become lessons learned. However big or small your garden is, if you allow nature to touch your spirit, gardening will bring returns of peace, satisfaction, and well-being for as long as you continue to wander the garden path. - Norman H. Hansen, The Worth of Gardening

Hi there. Nice home. Yes there are many lime formulas and techniques to white wash a house on the internet. Does your brick have a smooth finish to it, is it porous? A way to test this is to run water over the brick, does some of the water absorb into the brick? Does the brick stay damp for a bit? If so then your brick will work well with lime washing. If not then lime may not work well on your brick. So test a small area first. I know this may be a bit bold for you but I would consider white washing the entire house. I personally like homes in one color. It gives it more of a classic look. Also it would like very nice with the different textures of material( brick and stone). If you feel that might be a bit too much start with the brick first and see if you like it. Start with thin coats then keep applying. I feel the stone needs to be softened up a bit. So add a few thin coats over that as well. I would personally go all white and add plant, shrubs, trees and vines next to the house to break up the wall height. Plus that would really make your landscaping pop up against that White House and give it character. There is a lime formula that is mixed with white Portland cement that a world renowned architect Ken Tate gave me that we are using on our home. I've done some sample walls and it turned out great! It sort a tad thicker than a straight lime wash and it gives the brick a soft edge. It looks like it's been painted 100 times. Just like the old buildings in Europe were limed washed back in the 1800's. The mix I use is 4 parts white Portland cement and 1 part lime, 4.5 parts of water. Should have a consistency of whole milk but not too thick! You can mix pigment in with any formula but we choose not too. It comes out white but with a very soft gray white. I tested it with the reverse formula and the lime was Greek white. As light hits the lime, light reflects twice as much. So the more lime the brighter it greats unless you add a pigment. Some people like some brick sort of bleeding through, however we are covering all our brick so that it's all white. If you plan to go all white, you'll need several coats to cover. Sounds like you are adding shutters, good idea. That will give the house character. Also make sure when you buy or have them made to make sure they are sized properly to actually cover the window if they were closed. Not too small. I would go with a dark hunter green on your shutter and keep your windows and window trim the taupe color. And other trim white. If you go the lime route make sure you find someone that knows what they're doing. The most import thing when applying lime is to keep the wall wet down but not standing water, after applying the first coat of lime, let it dry 24 hours between coats. If you don't let it cue long enough between coats you'll have crazing (which are a network of very fine cracks). And make sure it's done between outside temperatures 50-90. Morning and afternoons. Try to not apply it when the sun is beating down. You don't want it drying too fast. We are liming the house ourselves, I know it's cray but we can't fine anyone that can do it. Also if you don't want to mix this yourself there is a company called Roma ( google Roma lime wash) they have premixed lime putty formulas and they can also mix in your pigment of choice. Just add water and your ready to start liming. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.