Studies also showed an interesting correlation between good drainage and lesser concentrations of juglone in the soil. There are even microorganisms that nullify or breakdown juglone and soil components that interfere with the toxicity. Every situation is different, so there's no concrete answer to be had. There will always be someone with the 'special' tree, shrub, location, etc, where something does well and it shouldn't; usually there's an attribute that will explain it. The walnut that has such a great stand of vegetation beneath it that I've observed has a heck of a terrific situation for drainage. Heavy organic matter added to the soil probably helps there as well.

You might try corn gluten meal, as a grass killer. Lay it early as a pre-emergent, and reapply if you get sprouts. Not supposed to be poison for animals or birds, since it is almost regular corn meal. Garden sounds interesting, lots of fun for the cats. Geraniums might be of interest, not poison. They come in many sizes of tiny to large. Huge selection in flower colors, scented leaves and leaf shapes. Apple, rose, lemon, orange are scents that I have smelled. Put them where you will brush against them to release the scent. Bloom almost all the time in full sun. Pergoliam is the Latin, I think, which they might be listed under. They were real popular in Colonial times for scented leaves used in potpourri, flavoring food. Mine are floral, but the cat here does enjoy biting the leaves at times, sitting in front of the french doors in the sun. She also likes the Rosemary plant topiary! Nasturtiams are edible though not my favorite flower on food. Kind of a peppery taste when we ate them in a salad. Flowers are pretty, bright colors, like the sun. Martha Stewart sold seeds for a climbing variety, but mine missed the fence, just crawled around. Foliage is cute too, round leaves. Chrysanthemums are edible, very popular in Asian food. Japanese or Chinese, can't remember. They sprinkle the petals in soup, salads. Should be OK for a cat to chew on. Many shapes, heights, colors to choose from. They flower better with pinching tips back until 4th of July. You get more blooms on sturdy, shorter stems. They are perennials, can return each spring. Mine tend to be shorter lived, but other folks plants live for long times. Two of the flowers I named are annuals. Geraniums can be saved as plants over winter, dry in the dark basement or potted in front of windows over winter. Nasturtiams are available by seed in spring or you might be able to save seeds from this years plants.

nc, you may not find it scary that our freedoms are being taken away, but some people, including me, do. I don't want to have to tell my grandchildren stories about what America USED to be. "Yep, I can remember when we used to get a big harvest from our gardens, when you could spray the bugs that destroyed it, but, then they banned pesticides." You do realize that if Acetamiprid gets banned, the nannies will look for the next one to ban, and after that, the next one, and so on. You can sit there and shrug your shoulders and think I'm nuts, and maybe I am, but hell, regular light bulbs are going to be banned very shortly if Obama isn't ousted. Sorry if I tend to drag on with this crap, but it all started when the athsma inhalers that I used to immediately stop athsma attacks were banned. The environmental nannies cried about the propellant, as if people were spraying it all over every day. Now, we got some crappy environmentally safe propellant that doesn't work, and costs $60 more per inhaler to buy. Now, I have to carry a $250 machine with me in case of an athsma attack, because the "safe" inhalers won't work. But, at least the environmental nannies who don't have athsma are happy. Joe

That has long been a favorite quote, I only wish more people would learn it. I feel it is important to live by example, as much as possible, and to educate others. People seem to need natural beauty but only at minimal inconvience and cost. (Makes sense!) What we have to get folks to understand is that more water, fertilizer, lawn, toxins is NOT better. The message is getting through and changes are happening! It took a year to convince my own mother, a fanatical gardener, to change her ways. She was reluctant because of all the "experts" that said to spray this, fertilize with that, and use X,Y, and Z toxins to have a lush, green lawn. (growl) It wasn't until she developed a big brown patch in her backyard and I dug down to get a soil sample that she listened. (Of course, the results from the A&M soil lab helped!) She finally fired ChemLawn and took matters into her own hands. Her St. Augustine is lush, her gorgeous yard is full of life and folks in the neighborhood come to "the garden lady" for advice. That's how we make a change - one person at a time.