I found this place just 30 minutes from me: TurfGrass America. The lady there said that this would work best for our area: http://www.turfgrassamerica.com/iProduct.aspx?ProdID=126 St. Augustine Del Mar , description at the bottom of this note. It says vigorous, I'll have to find out what that means exactly. $170 for a pallet...which if it can do every 5 feet would be enough I think. I'm on a 2 year schedule so I know it'll eventually get there. Yes, it is a big lawn and I am worried about the water. I'm considering either rainwater collection and/or reverse osmosis from a nearby creek! St. Augustine DelMar® Stenotaphrum secundatum DelMar® St. Sugustine DelMar® St. Augustine is a vigorous, dark emerald green, medium-coarse textured lawn grass. It is one of the most cold tolerant varieties of St. Augustine making it a great choice in colder climates such as Dallas/Ft. Worth, and has very good shade tolerance. It also grows well in full sun. DelMar® turns golden brown in its dormancy. DelMar® tests at the top of National testing in overall quality among St. Augustines. DelMar® is the highest ranking cold tolerant, St. Augustine Decline Disease Free St. Augustine grass available. DelMar® St. Augustine is a vigorous, dark emerald green, medium-coarse textured lawn grass. It is one of the most cold tolerant varieties of St. Augustine making it a great choice in colder climates such as Dallas/Ft. Worth, and has very good shade tolerance. It also grows well in full sun. DelMar® turns golden brown in its dormancy. DelMar® tests at the top of National testing in overall quality among St. Augustines. DelMar® is the highest ranking cold tolerant, St. Augustine Decline Disease Free St. Augustine grass available. Area: 1, 2, 3, & 4 Intended Use: Residential & Commercial Availability: Sod Mowing Height: 3" Optimum

Things are different for us folks out here where it doesn't get really cold enough in Winter. There seems to be no rhyme or reason about which ones live or which ones decline. It probably has a LOT to do with the chill hours (below 40 degrees). I have a Halcyon from 1999 that I divide every 3 yrs or so, and it does fine along with several others that I bought in 2001. Mine are all in pots, as we have a California small yard with a Japanese garden. When you purchase a new one, it will probably do well for you for about 3 years using stored up energy. Then depending on conditions it will do whatever...keep going, or whither. I've tried keeping them drier (covered atrium in winter) or let them get winter rains. I've re-potted them in 70%bark/30 compost. Drainage is not a problem for me. Some still just rot and die, or get mites. I even subscribed to the Hosta Hybridizers Group when they first formed to get as much info on growing conditions as I could. But as you will note, there are folks here on the forum who live in IDEAL hosta weather areas, and they lose them too. So don't let the loss of one hosta discourage you. There was a poster here a few years back who was back East but who couldn't get Blue Ice to grow, after numerous tries. I wanted to send her some of mine, but after 4 years, mine died too. I got a new one in 2005 and it is doing great. Just keep up with the Sluggo, or they'll be toast overnite. Those folks back East don't know abour our escargo... Amonia (yeah right!) NOT. (j/k for you peeps who haven't seen 1" snails eat a whole 15" hosta leaf overnite.) -Babka

I won't know what to do with my free time once I get done. This house is a big 'ol giant DIY project that we are in to for around 5 years. We have done all the work from designing the house and drawing the plan, digging the footers by hand, laying the block foundation ourselves, framing, wiring, plumbing, tile work, just laid all the hardwood over the past two weekends. But now we are nearing the end.....finally!! We are installing the cabinets this weekend, with the assistance of our cabinet builder. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Every day that passes, this house is beginning to look more like a home and less like a construction site. We will probably move in around christmas this year. And then we will start finishing the sunroom and master bedroom. And THEN I will be done....no more house building for me!! My kind and loving daughter was so concerned that I would get bored with all this free time on my hands she offered to let me build her a new house too. Wasn't that sweet of her?? lol!! I told her no thank you...I have plenty of gardening projects waiting for me. I will miss all the planning and decision making, but it will be nice to relax on the weekends for once in a long, long time.

Yay! I'm so happy reading things are getting fixed for you- I hope the finished product is done correctly and doesn't have the same issues. I didn't read every comment, so forgive me if you addressed this already- did anyone ever tell you exactly what caused this? I would want to know the cause to ensure the problem doesn't repeat itself. If it was poor craftsmanship - then I would want someone new fixing them. All I can say is, I have cheap builder grade cabinets that are almost 20 years old. I painted them five years ago (turned out great) and mine today look almost the same as they did five years ago. I have a couple hairline cracks but nothing like you pictured - so little oh me thinks - a kitchen like yours should be holding up way better than my old builder grade cabinets I painted myself. You had every right to be upset too. Again, I'm happy things are getting fixed. Post more pics when they get reinstalled :)