Your origional post with working pictures Hi everyone, I have an erosion problem in my back yard. I am looking for ideas to either resolve the problem entirely, or design around it. Some non-experts (i.e. parents) have suggested I create some sort of dry creek bed to give the water someplace to go. I'd prefer not to cut my yard in half, since the trench is in the middle of the yard, but I'll happily take any solutions to the problem! Here is a pic from a distance, looking out my back door. The trench starts before the trees, about where the grass changes color: This one is of the problem area: These three shots are close-up pics of the erosion. I transplanted some grass there when I created a flower bed, but much of it has washed out. This is a shot from the back of the yard. You can see the slope pretty well here. This one is of the drainage ditch on the property line. I think the water is suppose to drain here (but it doesn't!). As a side note, I'd like to know how to make it visually appealing, also, but that's another subject! The trench basically runs parallel across the yard. It turns a couple of times and splits once or twice, and isn't as deep as the yard flattens. However, when I measured it, it was a good 120 feet long. Any suggestions? Thanks for any help! Alright, my responce, The reason that your yard does not drain into the drainage ditch is because water always goes with the path of least resistance, and thats Down hill, if your yard slopes to the ditch and then has no were else for the water to go it will follow the ditch. Also, Roots help hold soil in place, deep roots more so, if you have a real problem area a tree can really just staple that earth in place, although it will need a while to get itself established, in the mean time sandbags can be used to redirect a little water here and there. HTH

Donna, I have never overwintered the smaller brownish cordylines, just buy new each year. I have overwintered for years a large maroon/burgandy one, looks like a red corn plant. I treat it as a houseplant. I have a south facing door wall with an additional long low east facing window on the side wall in my kitchen eating area where I overwinter most tropicals. I also use my garage. I have some deep metal shelving on the inside wall where I put large pots, after cutting plants back (or letting them dieback) in the fall. The plants in the garage I water only a couple of times a winter (or none). The ones inside the house also get very little watering, just enough to keep them from drying out completely, since they are mostly semi-dormant, just sitting there. Some plants like clivia miniata get put in a dark corner of the kitchen or hidden behind other plants & need no watering at all from late fall until about April. The cordyline actually grows some indoors so it gets a bit more water. BTW, I grow the salvia B&B and the elephant ears in separate pots, because the ears need lots of water & the salvias don't. I just place the pots next to each other. Thanks also for the compliments on the pictures - just remember pictures allow you to show just the pretty stuff - not the failures or the messes! LOL Janice, Most of my pots are plastic or fiberglass or tufa. I own some big ceramic pots that I use inside for some of the overwintering plants, but I seldom bring them outside - too easy to break them, they are also heavy, & they won't overwinter outside in zone 5. I also put lots of my outdoor pots on wheeled trays. The really big ones are too heavy for trays and have to be dragged around on a dolly. I also use some old stacked patio stones to stagger the heights of some of my patio pots. Most all this stuff was collected over a period of time & I'm always on the lookout for inexpensive decent looking sturdy pots - the bigger the better. Keep in mind also that once things get going, you just can't see much of the pot anyway. As to what I plant in pots - just about everything. I have two large Alberta Spruces, started small & moved up over the years until they are now in 20+ inch pots & outgrowing those. I also have 2 Green Velvet boxwoods in pots that have been that way for the last 4 years. I have a bunch of mini evergreens & deciduous shrubs in low tufa containers. I have one planter with Hens & Chicks that stays outside all winter. I have also (not so much anymore) raised numerous deciduous shrubs in pots, including roses & wiegelas, and a nice collection of mini hostas & a few daylilies, along with cuttings and new starts of various perennials. Some of these need winter protection outside from hay, leaves or bubblewrap. Most eventually (usually sooner than later) go out into the yard. Many of my pots have tender perennials or tropicals in them, that go into the garage or the kitchen for winter. I generally only overwinter things like elephant ears, hibiscus, fuschias, brugmansias for only 3 or 4 years. By that time they are tired & so am I, & the plants are usually just too big and heavy even with lots of cutting back. I've not had much luck with lifting and storing dahlias or other tubers, so I often just keep them going (barely) in the kitchen or the woody stuff in the garage. I also direct seed some easy plants like zinnias, coresopsis, calendula, & poppies into small pots for fillers here and there. I often start larger things like canna tubers or castor bean inside the house in late March and then plant them into my outdoor pots. I also like to do leaf lettuces of all sorts and a few other veggies in patio pots. Most of the stuff though is bought either locally (I have several good nurseries near me where I always seem to find something new to try) or through some place like Select Seeds. SS sells plants as well as seeds and has a nice selection of plants with scent. I love their scented geraniums & that's where I got my original jasmine nicotianas. I never disturb my pots until I can see the nics coming up! I also usually buy a tropical vine or two (or three) from them as well. I have several 3 foot tall black metal tuteurs that I use in large pots for the vines & to give height to my plantins. Upside down hanging tomatoes (bought locally) do well in pots hanging from the Arbor! Oh, I forgot to mention that I have a collection of odd houseplants, mostly euphorbias & cactus, with a few bulbous palms & aralias, plus some large leafed things, that go outside for the summer starting in late May until late August-early September. (I've been known to frost/freeze a few of these over the years). The only thing I leave inside are my orchids & the occasional violet. I love taking them all out - it's bringing them in that's a pain - try moving a five foot cactus sometime! Anyway, have fun with your container growing - I am hereby enabling you to try anything in a pot. I sure have. :~)).

Painter here. I'm assuming prior to your first discussion with him he either A)had his roller wrapped up in the white paint B)or had his whole roller tray wrapped up in the white paint Paint settles. When it does you have to shake it. The problem is that there's no real way to shake paint while it's been sitting in a paint tray. He probably just ran his roller through the tray a few times to get it wet and then touched up the bare spots on your wall. The black you're seeing is just the tint in the paint. Either get him to shake up the paint and touch it up again. Or the entire wall needs to be painted again. The reason for repainting the whole wall is because not all paint touches up very well and sometimes it will "flash". This means the area re-painted will look a little shinier. He won't have to re-cut the whole wall though. Cut lines (with the brush around the edges) are pretty safe to leave for just 2 coats. Hope that helped!

Some judiciously placed rocks can help hold what moisture that is there if you have a source of rocks. You could also grow some plants from seed or division in pots for a season in a spot where there is water, and then plant them out in September so that you only have to water for a short time before the cooler weather and winter precipitation will allow them to survive without water. They will grow more roots in the fall and will need less attention (though not none) in the second season, and then you can leave them mostly to their own devices only occasionally having to do a bit of weeding or carrying out a can of water if you have a month or more with no precipitation in warm weather. Many of the plants I listed below that are spreading or creeping would be good for division. If you buy a pot of one of them, you can often divide it into several sections, replant each part with some roots in a separate pot, placed where you can water them, and then plant out in fall as described above. So for the price of one pot, you get several plants. Candidates that might work as far as your low water requirement and have low growing selections, some of which come true from seed, include Penstemons (particularly P. pinifolius), perhaps some of the creeping pinks/Dianthus, some of the hardier Delosperma/iceplant (which creep), Zauschneria garrettii, or some of the low-growing spreading thymes such as wooly thyme. There are numerous short, colorful sedums, which are xeric plants once established and are also spreaders. None of these plants could be mistaken for weeds to my eye, and all will grow with little if any supplemental water in your area once established. You will have to put in some effort the first season or two to help them get well settled and have good root systems. You may get some ideas if you take a wander around the Denver Botanic Garden, and they have most plants well labeled I think. If not, take a camera and post photos on the Name that Plant forum or the Perennials forum to get them ID'd.