That is not nearly decomposed enough to plant in,idealy. . But since you did, I would keep it moist, and add some nitrogen(grass clippings,alfalfa,etc) to hasten decomposition.. The more decomposed it is, the more water holding capacity it has. Think of wood chips, fresh chipped wood had bear none absorption, wait for it to break down and get spongy, a few inches will hold cups of water! Why would you buy leaf mold? Why not just soil/compost? It's funny how in fall, people give away their leaves and don't even want to rake them, comes spring, people would kill for some good compost! Next time, check your product before you buy it.. It looks like the city just vacummed up all the yard waste on the curb.. Looks like chipped wood,etc.. How much you pay for that? All that being said, I do the same thing you do, but I dont do it by "mistake".. I get free "compost" from the city.. It's hit or miss.. Sometimes it's fully decomposed, other times it's raw shredded leaves.. Whatever I get I doexactly what you did, just lay it on top the soil... If you keep it moist and have the right carbon/nitrogen ratio, it will break down before you know it.. Most of the times you just need a some nitrogen, throw a handful or two of grass clipping in the mix.. Don't worry, Joe

Diane, I watch the weather really closely now because of my bands and own root plants. I have to determine when they can handle being out in the sun, and when they need to be in the shade. The hot weather and direct sunlight can cause a quick demise for some of these fragile plants. My hubby is just a geek, he has weather related gadgets attached to our home and something in a tree. I do not get involved with any of that, but somehow, information is sent to some gizmo in the house that provides a lot information about the weather. Oh yes, that sounds right, just like July, every year here and there. It was 124 degrees one day in July; a few weeks ago, and any one with an accurate thermometer, or a more localized weather report was aware of the high temperature. After one day of that blistering heat, it dropped down to the normal highs for July in a day; which are the high 100's to 100 teens. July is brutal. But these temperatures are same for the major cities you listed. I was in Palm Desert two years ago during the summer, and it was 118 degrees. I remember saying to my husband when we walked outside " this is awful", then I said oops... we live in Las Vegas.... I had no room to talk. The difference is we were tourists and went out in the heat. During July, in Las Vegas, we go from air conditioned houses, to air conditioned automobiles, and then scurry into air conditioning buildings. The parks are empty during July. This past weekend, there were people in the parks, feeding the ducks and geese, having picnics, playing volleyball. I saw people walking to the neighborhood library and families in the nature discovery park with their young children. It was refreshing to be able to go out. I actually began amending my soil for the Fall blooms:) We average 70 days per year over 100 degrees. Phoenix takes the record for a "major city" with 110+ days over 100 degrees, often hitting the one hundred teens and sometimes above too. These temperatures are not sustained for hours; they represent the height of the heat during the day; and it almost always occurs in July here. But the people who live here now this for sure; we try to stay indoors. I have been living here for 13 years, but visiting Las Vegas here and there since 1976. I am sure there are other records as one would find for all cities, but these records are not the norm. Lynn This post was edited by desertgarden561 on Wed, Aug 28, 13 at 16:24

Yep- i second making a habit of taking off your shoes. Sure, ask guests til your grass or groundcover grows in enough to not be tracking clay constantly. You can keep extra guest slippers handy if you want. We have a shoe holder right by our door and most guests notice without being asked and we don't make an issue of the ones who don't. But we don't have lots of exposed clay people are dragging in, either. It will subside as your grass comes in, really. A sidewalk or walkway of some sort will help lots, too. Otherwise, you'll just make a track in the grass anyhow. Your carpets & or hardwoods will have less wear & tear, and you'll be less likely to track in wet and bugs if you make a habit of shoe doffing, anyhow. Lots less work for you!

I saw on a cottage show on tv that a gazebo owner installed double screens (back to back) which prevented the rain from penetrating the gazebo. I researched this on line and could not find any reference to this. I am going to buy some screen and try it out on one of my gazebo walls. I hope it works and I hope you can still see clearly out. I thought of another idea if the double screen does not work. You can buy clear heavy weight plastic at your local Fabric stores. It is sold in rolls just like a bolt of material. I believe it is sold in different widths, up to 60 inches wide or so. I thought of stapling the sheet of plastic on a 1 inch by 2 inch piece of wood to create a header or top. At the bottom staple a 2 inch X 2 inch piece of wood (the thicker piece of wood would be heavier creating a bit of weight to hold the blind down). Drill a hole on each end of the top header. Fasten a nail or screw in the interior of the gazebo (matching the holes you drilled in the header. Hook the blinds on the nails or screws. When you do not want to use the plastic blinds, you can simply remove them and roll them up by hand and store them. It would take seconds to install these blinds and it should stop the rain from coming in. If you have strong winds in your area, you can fasten the bottom of the blinds using wing nuts. Just a thought..... Cheaper than installing window screens. Also once you install window screens on a screen porch or gazebo it does not feel the same anymore...