Look at what we did in our front yard. It was all grass with an aggregate area at the sidewalk to the curb. Our dd was four months old when we got our house., She's now almost 13, and our ds is almost 11. We still have a lawn area in the back yard that's fine for the kids, they climb in the tree all the time in the front along the sidewalk. We recently planted three evergreen pear trees on on side yard we've turned into a Secret Garden for the children, to create some shade canopy. We are going to plant couple of trees good the climb in on the back lawn, still figuring just what (probably apples). I'd wanted to do this for some time, DH just recently came around to the idea. We got tired of the cookie cutter front lawn look that so many people have out here. We're probably thought of as landscaping radicals in the neighborhood (hey, our house is periwinkle blue too!), but we look how it looks now, its truly US as family! We get lots of compliments on the changes we have made over the years. To see pics of our recent landscaping projects including the Secret Garden, and Roses we grow, ck out my Picture Trail: careytearose Here is a link that might be useful: look at Landscaping Projects, Favourite ROSES We Grow albums

FWIW, the imazapyr will breakdown as well. Not as rapidly as the glyphosate, but it certainly won't take decades. A raised bed will give a certain degree of protection, depending on depth. If of a reasonable depth - like at least 10 inches - there is minimal concern the plants will take up any of the herbicide - it migrates down, not up :-) And many annual veggie roots will not go very deep. The above advice is very reasonable. Just omit any root crops in the area this season. By next season, the soil should be uncontaminated. And adding a cover crop or good layer of compost this fall/winter will help hasten this process. "poisoned soil" - get a grip!!

Look around you and don't worry so much. Ma Nature has been planting the planet for a few million years. Last time I looked, the only area that didn't have something growing was where I'd ripped out all the weeds. Whatever you planted, enjoy what grows. Learn what it is and go from there. It's all about learning what works best for you and your little bit of earth. If you're determined to control it, you'll be disappointed. There are no garden mistakes, only learning opportunities. Who says what you did is wrong? It might only be wrong for where you are and what sort of growing conditions you have. Chances are Wal-Mart employees aren't the best at garden recommendations. If you have questions, it's best to ask folks who garden rather than folks who work in retail. You'll probably get more reasonable answers from folks who get their hands in dirt on a regular basis. I'm no botanist but in my experience, seeds need three things to germinate: moisture, light and temperature. If the growing medium (that's the dirt) is fertile and they have sufficient light exposure & rain, the seeds should germinate. If you're looking for an easy way to grow from seed, I suggest you head on over to the winter sowing forum and give it a try. It's nearly fool-proof and the results are astonishing.

Yes, granite is going to be changed, as I won't accept anything else - it's NOT at all what I ordered and it's still at the fabricator's yard - they can fix it. The island and the fireplace are very important because they are focal points. I know that somepeople would have cared less and never even notice, but I did. As far as the fireplace, I have recalled more conversational details. initially, I wanted a pre-made mantel, brought the spec's to the house, and the foreman told us it wouldn't work, unless we built a raised hearth (that I didn't want). I TOLD him at that point "it looked high" and questioned him if it was the same as the model - he ASSURED me it was. I then scraped the mantel - which now, I understand WHY it wouldn't work! He should have worked on making that mantel work - because if he did, we would have had to lower that firebox MONTHS ago! Yesterday I had to go to the house and drop off an item. He (the foreman) was there ripping out the bricks. He turned his back on us and never acknowledged us there! He is making me annoyed - and I KNOW for a fact that he (once again - as we caught him) is lying. I am sure he is blaming us 100% - but at this point, I don't care! I am paying enough for this house and this is important! The stairs - the treads are 10" deep, and the risers I didn't measure, but they aren't high, and step very much like a normal step. These stairs are in the back of our home, and I am not going to make this another area of conflict as it's not that important. Only we (our family) will really see these stairs and we already planned to add the wood treads ourselves at some point. Anyway, I am VERY happy about the fireplace - as looking at the photo's above - it does look strange!