As someone who is the size of a garden gnome (alas, a chunky garden gnome), I've done myself in on a number of occasions thinking I could handle gardening projects. I'm getting like Nancy these days--trying to find innovative ways to do things using the hand-truck, wheelbarrow, and even hiring cheap help for major stuff. Being alone, I've found that paying a college student to help me for a few hours with the heavy work is worth it. Karen: Get well soon, and everybody, be careful! Prof

So ... (I'm learning) ... you went around the grove with a shovel? Just a line around the grove? Didn't have to actually scoop the dirt out, just cut a line? How deep did you have to go? The bamboo laying on the ground (or growing) outside the grove - did that come up in just one year? What do you do about it? (the grove is pretty, by the way) Leslie

Your peony grows large tubers storing the energy provided by the foliage. Removing the foliage will cut off this supply and reduce the vitality of the plant, so I would not recommend doing it. Al

Oooh, my back hurts already looking at the rock hard sorry excuse for soil you're dealing with there. Look at how limited your good soil is before it turns into a mix of clay and rock. You have my admiration for dealing with all that. In other beds that you don't have the time or inclination to dig yet, you might consider doing some stacking of organic material and topsoil to break down have a deeper layer of good stuff before you hit the dregs. If you need to dig 3' deep, it'd be handy if there were a larger percentage of that distance that weren't so packed in. Even an hour of digging here is plenty of work. I'd never get my roses planted if I had that kind of condition to deal with. Go put your feet up and pat yourself (gently) on the back for a job well done. Cynthia