Thank you for specifying where you live. The LA area and SoCal are not descriptive enough for lawn advice in the Southland. And as it happens I used to live between Aviation and the 405 on 121st street, so I'm fairly familiar with "late night and early morning low fog and clouds near the coast burning off around eleven with the sea breeze picking up by two and a high in the seventies." That monotonous daily weather report helps to define your lawn growing zone. The problem with the Marathon II is that it is a dwarf and a fescue. Fescues don't repair themselves period, and dwarf fescues are much worse. Marathon II is the dwarfier version of Marathon. Marathon III is the dwarfier version of what you have. It was a good choice except for the wear and tear of your children. You have the advantage of living in a spot where any grass can grow well. We call those transition zones. There is a big one from the central Atlantic coast inland to the Mississippi and slightly west. But living in that climate does not mean any grass WILL grow well under YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. Your circumstances are kids and shade. If you did not have that much shade I was going to suggest Kentucky bluegrass. KBG is they type of grass that forms a fairly dense carpet of grass and refills the worn spots by itself. Since you have shade, that's out. Also out, among the sod forming grasses, is bermuda. Bermuda is the best grass for wear and tear but it really needs 8 hours of strong sun per day. The remaining alternative is St Augustine. St Aug is a coarse bladed grass, unlike all the previously mentioned grasses. But it should be the best possible alternative turf under the filtered shade. I could suggest some varieties of St Augustine but you have to buy what you can find locally. What you don't want is the full sun variety called Floratam. But, having said that, you could put that in your full sun area and a more shade tolerant variety under the tree. The different varieties will blend together at the borderline what you put them and you'll never notice the transition. You should probably stay away from a dwarf variety. Here is a work in progress to describe the various varieties. If you decide to go with St Aug, you will be able to water once every other week. Some of the dwarf varieties are shown as fast growing. That means they grow fast to recover from damage. They don't grow tall, they grow horizontally fast. Again, you'll have to visit some nurseries to see what they sell. Then you can pick knowing what to expect from the available choices.

Not sure this is the right place for my question but since columbine seem to be the topic here I thought I might give it a try. I, unlike Jayco, do not want my columbine to re-seed. It has taken over the place. It is blooming right now and today I pulled up a couple wheel barrels full of columbine. My question is, looking at all that I thought it would make for a great mulch in some other areas of the place but I don't know if since it is already blooming if it will just go to seed any way and end up spreading even more. Like a dandelion bloom if you pick the flower and drop it, it will make seed even after being picked. Chances are the columbine have been pollinated. I appreciate any help. Mashell

Hey I just took the time to look at the exchange forum and I found your posting. Now I'm fairly new to violets myself but back in July I purchased some leaf cuttings to grow. I do have one mini to is actively growing 2 babies. I know there not seeds but I do have this mini that has 2 babies growing side by side. If your interested I'd be more than happy to help out. I fully appreciate a sperated family and can respect tight budgets and all that. If your interested email me and let me know. My personal email is dlsorchids@yahoo.com I can send you a pic of what to expect with the flower color and also send a pic of the plant you would receive. Have a good night. Oh and just put in the header of the email "violets" so I don't mistakenly delete it thinking its junk mail. Dan

Hi Lisa! Kudos to you for taking on this new venture! My kiddos have always been homeschooled (this is our 6th year), and I would have to agree with your son's assessment of the public school system. Not all are like this, but the ones in our area are lacking to say the least. We are just beginning to fill our first hoophouse (30x65), and the kids are enjoying being a part of our spring planting plans. We are doing a lot of hanging baskets because they sell so well in our area. If you are looking for fast growers and all-around hardiness I would have to say check some of the succulent-type groundcovers. Some of the hybrid (not wild) Purslane, Portulaca..etc, are really fast growers. They also flower well and really attract the butterflies around here. Most are VERY easy to start and do not require a lot of care. Just my .02. Thought I'd pat ya on the back and let you know you are not alone in this new adventure...LOL. Good Luck...and let me know how you guys do! Paula