Yes, indeed. Just as Billlll said. That core aeration will pull plugs out, and the organic matter (mulched debris from the lawn, because you mulch mowed; or, added mulch) can fall into the holes, along with some soil, as the cores break down. As to those parts of the cores that break down, and don't happen to fall into the holes, hey, those cores are breaking up, spreading out, over, above, the layer of organic matter sitting on top of the soil. And will gently subside. Not far, but yes, will subside. Which means, to some degree (and it's probably measureable: should we splurge? Say five percent? Maybe only four? Two?) that soil is being MIXED with organic matter. But it looks like a lawn, the entire time (excluding the day after you aerate, and go stare at the cores. Quit staring. Get in the car, and look at it from the road. Looks great. Park the car.). Plan on core aerating, and mixing up that core aeration with application of mulch, or of Milorganite, or of just the existing thatch layer (there is one: it's needed), and letting that lawn kind of mix itself. Each year. Perhaps, twice each year. Let's take an imaginary square, about a foot by a foot, on your lawn. The first time you run a core aerator over it, you have a series of spots (which are really columns, they're about three inches deep) which now have a better organic matter to dirt ratio. It's surely not the whole square foot area, is it? But the NEXT time, assuming the aerator will hit a different area, you have another series of holes/columns, now improved (and the benefits of the last prior improvement have not disappeared, have they?). And the next time, yet another series of holes/columns, now improved. You can see that a regular schedule of core aerating will have the effect of adding that organic matter, with all the benefits of same, without the obvious appearance of tearing the heck out of it. No, it will look like a lawn. But maintaining the program of regular core aeration will stir up, mix up, a significant portion, drifting toward 100%, over time. So give it a regular program of core aeration. That will improve a lot.

Hi Megan, You might find Amy Padgett's website on her roses useful there (link attached). She lives in Eastern NC, zone 8, and you might well have good experiences in Eastern SC with some of the same roses she likes in her no-spray yard. Specifically, she highly recommends both Souvenir de la Malmaison and Old Blush as favorite roses that are especially easy to grow and good for beginners. Not that you're a beginner, but that ought to be yet another clue that a rose will do well without a lot of fussing over it and spraying. Your list has so many roses that I either have or want that perhaps some that I happen to like might also appeal to you: General Gallieni. Needs room. Lovely fragrance to the attractive red blooms with lighter reverse sides. Can take a bit of shade, like many other teas. Grows horizontally like a rambler the first year, but then grows upwards. Evergreen. General Schablikine. Lovely blooms on an attractive plant that doesn't get as large as many teas do. Blooms that are good for cutting start early and continue into the early winter. Evergreen. Moonlight, the hybrid musk. Nice flowers, good for cutting, flexible stems. It held onto its leaves all winter, in a colder than average winter, and is doing great/blooming now. Very shade tolerant. It was evergreen here in zone 7. Ghislaine de Feligonde. If you have the space for it, this is a worry-free rose that's also shade tolerant. I especially like the looks of its foliage; it reminds me slightly of fern foliage. Our new one (planted last fall) hasn't quite opened its buds yet but it's absolutely covered in buds. Very bushy, but also can be used as a short climber. Evergreen. Crepuscle. We just got this one but everything I can find out about it for NC/SC (and plenty of other warm areas besides) is very positive for use as a short climber for a no-spray yard. Some shade tolerance. Amazone. We just got this one too. It was found in Bermuda, where there is plenty of humidity, so it should do well in NC/SC. If you read Help Me Find on this one, and you'll want to order it. It's pretty vigorous here thus far. Some shade tolerance. Spice. Also found in Bermuda, and new here too. Lion's Fairy Tale. We are taking a chance on this one for no-spray. It's new this spring, but once it came it bowled me over with the beauty of its huge blooms; I'm glad to be taking the chance on it. The plant will stay relatively small and can fit nicely into the front of a large planting. Gruss An Aachen. Our three did extremely well even in an amount of direct sunlight that's less than ideal. They love to bloom from early to late in the season, and the blooms are luscious. Others in other areas of the east coast report problems with disease. Ours did get a little powdery mildew a few times but hosing it down a few times worked just fine. No very noticeable blackspot problems. Ours came from Chamblees and I don't know whether their particular cultivar is any different from others, but we were thrilled with those roses (until they got Rose Rosette Disease so we had to toss them). We are going to replace them with more Gruss An Aachens. Good shade tolerance. Not quite evergreen in zone 7. Westside Road Cream Tea. This is a tea rose found in California that grows slowly and doesn't get large. There are lots of uses for small tea roses, so I hope our new plants do well. They came as bands and are still tiny, tiny, tiny at this moment. Rise 'n' Shine. New here. A heavy bloomer that's a good yellow fading to light yellow; the entire effect is quite attractive. Rose Rosette. A tiny pure pink rose that looks perfect in every way. (Imagine a tiny version of your Belinda's Dream.) Good for cutting long-lasting blooms. David Austin's Mortimer Sackler. No-spray here, though we've had to replace them due to RRD. A delicately beautiful pink rose with some fragrance. Can be used as a short climber and it seems a natural for that kind of use; the canes are extremely flexible. Mostly evergreen in zone 7. Red Cascade. We haven't tried this miniature climber/rambler by Ralph Moore, but I'd like to one of these days if I could find a sunny enough place for it. It looks wonderful to me, though I don't know whether anyone in the Carolinas has tried it. Anyway, Antique Rose Emporium sells it. Best wishes, Mary Here is a link that might be useful: Amy Padgett's roses in eastern NC

Outsmarting the tree rats (squirrels) around my house is a full time job. This past spring I hit on a new idea. When I plant a container I invert an empty wire hanging basket over the container and the plant gets sun and can be watered but the squirrels can't dig in it. Another idea: I bring in a lot of plants to "over winter" under lights in my garage. I have so many that it is hard to reach my hand under the lights (4 shop lights) to the middle for watering. So I bought a pump sprayer with a long wand and it works great! In late winter I add a little liquid Dawn detergent, few drops, to each gallon of water and not only does the soil get wet easier but the worms that are waiting to hatch into distructive pets just don't hatch. Don't know what it costs me to run those four shop lights all winter but I don't care. It is a small price to pay to be able to "garden" every weekend in the garage. Many people have mentioned that they mark their outdoor plants with a "permanent Sharpie". In my experience there isn't a "permanent Sharpie", they all fade and quickly too. A grease pencil/china marker or expensive "no fade" garden center marker are the only markers I have found that won't disappoint you by fading. Eight years ago I decided to learn about gardening so I tapped into my local library. I checked out nearly every book they had on gardening and learned so much. The Gardenweb forums are also a wealth of information and entertainment. There is always something new to learn and I appreciate all of you who take the time to write in your ideas. One last idea from me...I keep a small notebook on my computer table and jot down any idea I find that's new and I will want to try. Little pieces of paper get lost but I always know where my notebook is and also use it when I order "on line" so I will remember the name of the company and the order date. Tina or Trowelgal

Ha ha! Want to know something funny? When I first saw the yellow house, I thought how nice and refreshing those rich colors looked, then I read the post. So, obviously, that look is not for you. Based on what you have told us, you are, er, conservative (doesn't have to be boring), and a bit more traditional. That said, you seem to be dismissing the advice to repaint the front door out of hand, but IMO that will give you The Most Impact, and for the least $$! Please reconsider. A pale blue or gray that plays off the white and the green colors while do much to brighten the entryway. Let's talk about how to hide that hose. You can either a) remove it when not in use (never gonna happen) or b) replace the hose with one that matches the paint color of the house or c) move the spigot to the driveway side, this being the most obvious permanent solution but also the most expensive, possibly necessitating tearing up the front walkway and replacing it with either new concrete or pavers. AND you could landscape. Landscaping is a process that involves a few key steps: defining your needs and setting your prioritites (as with all house-related projects) and, next, choosing a style or theme, based on your personal likes/dislikes. Before we go there, when it comes to specific plant suggestions, do you know what zone you are in? That will determine what plant material is hardy to your area, if you choose to limit yourself to (mostly) hardy plants. How is the drainage, since you will be planting close to the house, how and where the water goes is especially important information. What direction does the house face? That will determine how much sun or shade the area gets. Finally, ask yourself what is the mood you want to create? Do you have any inspiration pics? We need to know what you envision in the Big Picture. Then we can help you reach that goal.