While I think that the "FAQ" as outlined by swanoir was presented tongue in cheek ('the humus'), many of the subsequent comments and/or links to threads that could/should be included in a FAQ were presented in a more serious tone. And maybe they do make sense as a foundation to a real LD forum FAQ. But I've also sensed something else in these comments that may contribute to the apparent lack of communication between new posters seeking advice and those that regularly frequent this forum and offer it. And that is that the long checklist provided by Miss R must be (or should be) answered in detail before posting. Well, of course not! But it is definitely something worth reviewing and giving some thought to. This checklist, or something very similar, is what most designers utilize when first meeting with a prospective client. It gives them a feeling for what the client wants to do with the property, how they intend to use it, what they hope to get out of it and how much effort (time/$$) are they are intending to put into it. Hopefully, reviewing an outline or checklist such as this could help to refine and focus some of those blank slate questions and even educate those new posters totally unfamiliar with the process the degree of complexity, the number of variables and exactly what is involved in the formulation of a landscape design. Even DIY landscape texts intended for the homeowner with no previous design or landscaping experience offer similar checklists to get one started thinking about the process. Obviously, this is overkill for those questions that are more issue-specific, but I think very appropriate for those that are much broader and far less focused.

Don't use roundup,. It's expensive and it will kill everything it touches so you can't use it in your lawn or you'll have a dead area. I have not read all of the above threads but the best bindweed killer is AMINE. I believe the recipe is 6 tablespoons to a gallon of water in a sprayer but I could be slightly off. Just read the directions. This will kill the plant all the way to the root. Unless this is a brand new plant growing from seed, you cannot pull bindweed and get it all. It'll just keep getting stronger and stronger every time it grows back. Use Amine and it will take care of the problem. You can use it in your lawn and it will not harm the grass. It will harm other leafy plants, so wrap a plastic bag or newspaper or other barrier around the good plant to protect it and give the bindweed a good soaking with amine. It'll start dying pretty quickly. Just give it time to completely die and don't pull it up too soon or you'll stop the process and the root will start growing again. Please understand seeds can lay dormant in the ground for twenty years some times so you'll continue to have bindweed, but like I said at the beginning - in the spring when the seeds first sprout you can pull them and they won't come back. Only the established plants need AMINE. I live on a hill and face the foothills of Colorado and between me and them are miles and miles of wild fields filled with weeds and weed seeds so new ones blow in all the time. This spring I went out and found a patch of Canadian Thistle in my rock garden, where I have not had thistle for many years. I used AMINE - 1/3 cup to 1 1/2 gallons of water and the thistles have not returned. That was in May, it is now July.. Other things are sprouting in that area, so the ground has not been hurt. I just bought a jug of Amine at Paulino Gardens in Denver and it was around $45 but that is enough for several years. I've seen it on the internet in smaller containers but after you pay for shipping you might as well just go to the garden shop and get a big jug.

If you need lots of perennials and don't want to spend a lot of money, check out the wintersowing forum here on gardenweb. Be sure to read the FAQs at the top of the forum for instructions. It's simple, even in your zone. In just over one year my garden went from bare (literally a new bed) to lush. In May of 2008. This is what I had when I started building my lasagna style beds. It took me a whole summer since it was such a large area. By fall, I had the path laid out and all the leaf mold in place. Over the winter, I sowed perennial and hardy annuals in containers and began planting out in late January as they germinated. Here's the same garden from a different angle (with new trellis, bird bath, and small pond removed) in early March 2009. Things have grown well, with little extra water and hardly any chemical fertilizers. I am in zone 7, so you might not get this kind of result the first year. All done from wintersowing and propagation via cuttings and division. The weeds didn't stand a chance.

I love hostas... but I don't think they are a good idea for this use. If there is enough light, I'd look at maybe a creeping thyme - tough little plant that you can walk on if necessary...