Thanks for the comments, I appreciate them. Judy, I had just rearranged all of those plants before I found the rock, so I'm glad you like the arrangement. I had let that corner get horribly overgrown with too many penstemons, hollyhocks, and there were tons of leaves and blooms from the oleanders nearby. I like the cleaner look now. The cardon has been in that spot for three years and has grown a lot. The cactus at the left came with this house and I've moved the poor thing several times, LOL. The other plants have been in the ground for a few years too but were recently relocated the the spots in the pic. Psuperb, thanks for the nice comments. When I started working the rock I was worried too that it would be too big to handle. I'm not sure WHAT I would have done had that been the case. Like you mentioned, I was already worrying about replacing the volume of soil that would be vacated by the rock removal. No small feat for a big rock. It sounds like you picked your battle wisely and cut your losses and still found a nice way for your plant to grow. I can totally understand the approach. Thanks again for taking the time to look and comment. The rock and I thank you. :) Take care, and remember folks, lift with your knees by squatting and then standing, not with your back by bending over.

Yes, my sister and I sing the flag decal song. It ought to be played on the radio, and the saga about "Sam Stone", too. Sam Stone is really relevant now with all the young men and women serving around the world who are coming home with shattered bodies and shatter minds. Jeez! SAM STONE - written and performed by John Prine Sam Stone came home, To his wife and family After serving in the conflict overseas. And the time that he served, Had shattered all his nerves, And left a little shrapnel in his knee. But the morphine eased the pain, And the grass grew round his brain, And gave him all the confidence he lacked, With a Purple Heart and a monkey on his back. Chorus: There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes, Jesus Christ died for nothin', I suppose. Little pitchers have big ears, Don't stop to count the years, Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios. Mmm.... Sam Stone's welcome home Didn't last too long. He went to work when he'd spent his last dime And Sammy took to stealing When he got that empty feeling For a hundred dollar habit without overtime. And the gold rolled through his veins Like a thousand railroad trains, And eased his mind in the hours that he chose, While the kids ran around wearin' other peoples' clothes... Repeat Chorus: There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes, Jesus Christ died for nothin', I suppose. Little pitchers have big ears, Don't stop to count the years, Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios. Mmm.... Sam Stone was alone When he popped his last balloon Climbing walls while sitting in a chair Well, he played his last request While the room smelled just like death With an overdose hovering in the air But life had lost its fun And there was nothing to be done But trade his house that he bought on the G.I. Bill For a flag draped casket on a local heroes' hill Chorus There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes, Jesus Christ died for nothin', I suppose. Little pitchers have big ears, Don't stop to count the years, Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios. Mmm.... ------------------------------ Annie

It's been ages since I've dropped by but I can't believe this old thread has been resurrected! Five years on and the carpet has worked well enough to allow the shrubs and trees to grow and start generating their own weed-suppressing mulch by shedding leaves. However, in the early days the weeds would sometimes germinate on top of the carpet, and I swear the onion weed would sometimes germinate through it! You have to kill that onion weed by whatever means possible: I selected a section and kept weeding it every week. A bit obsessive perhaps, but if you choose to use weed killer you'll have to apply it several times: once will not kill those monsters! Carpet was well worth using though, so long as you mulch heavily with newspapers underneath it to suppress most of the weeds from growing through it. Hi Alison, *very* long time no see :-) Years ago you sent me some brugmansia cuttings but you would not believe the brug seedlings I have growing now--two double-pinks among them. I'll post a fews pics over in the Oz Garden Gallery if I can remember how ;-)

Steel edging that is set flush with grade is probably the best way to define an edge where the edging doesn't show. But it is not exactly "no dig." A mowing strip (of brick or pavers) is probably the next good looking "edging," While it edges, it does not stick up above grade. Again, not "no dig." With just about everything in life, lower maintenance features usually cost more to install initially.