I use the pellets rather than the meal, and have good results. Be sure to check if the pellets have added salt; many of them do, and it can be an unwanted addition to your garden. The pellets I use are composed of alfalfa and molasses. If I put them on the surface of the soil, they are reasonably along the way to decomposition in a couple of weeks. If I bury them, they disappear within a few days. I have also found that dogs can be quite fond of alfalfa, both the plain meal and the pellets. I water down the pellets as soon as I put them out. The initial watering really breaks up the pellet structure quite a bit, and at least makes it more difficult for a dog to get to as much of it. By the way, local feed stores carry a wide range of these pellets. Some also carry dry beet pulp mixed with molasses. It is also a reasonable nitrogen source. Renais

You know what's strange though -- a couple of months ago when I was logged in on Internet Explorer I stopped getting the ads. I used to be a paid subscriber and wonder if that has anything to do with it. I had been having to use Mozilla and AdBlock, which was OK but pics are very slow to load (and often don't finish) because of a memory leak in Mozilla. I probably shouldn't even be writing this because I'll probably start getting bombarded with ads again.

Hey Kelly I don't mean to hijack your thread but I work at an Arboretum (tree museum) so I spend a lot of time thinking about trees, among other things. So I went out to water some trees tonight and I remembered another tree you might like, it's called "Sweetspire Sweetgum." "Sweetgum" is the common name of the tree, scientific name Liquidambar styraciflua (one of my favorite Latin tree names to say) and the cultivar is named "Sweetspire." It is so named because it is bred to grow in a tall spire form. Usually folks don't like Sweetgum, even though it is a lovely small (ish) tree with magenta leaves in the fall, but it has spikey seeds that are a pain to have on the lawn because they interfere with mowing not to mention walking in the yard barefoot! But because of this, they have bred seedless varieties for the nursery trade, and now I see that they have bred them to be more "spire shaped" which in the tree trade is called a "fastigiate" shape. I don't know what your criteria are for a tree, I factored in you want something to get tall to block the view, and maybe white flowering, and not taking up too much space. But it's hard to say what "too much space" might be for you, because there are fastigiate oaks and maples that will work against your fence but over time will have more of a presence in your yard. Heck, one of my best friends has a yard in suburbia ringed by hemlocks, and they are huge, but it does create a wonderful sense of privacy in her back yard! But if you just want a fastigiate shape and aren't picky about flower color or leaf color, etc., then there are some other options. Forget sweetbay magnolia BTW, I just remembered they get wide, not tall. As far as the crabapples, some are big, some are small, and some are prone to diseases. Luckily you can research your choices. What you need to find is a really good tree and shrub nursery where they grow quality trees and will advise you properly. I have to drive a ways to find mine, but tree folks abound if you look around a bit outside your comfort zone. I always advise folks to start by calling their local Cooperative Extension Service because they have all kinds of resources to share. For example, two weeks ago they put me in touch with a national directory of arborists because I need to have someone come out and diagnose a sick tree on my parent's property. Anyway, here is a fabulous Internet resource, theMissouri Botanical Garden, which is one of the premier show gardens in the US and they really share a lot of great info in their Web site. Make sure to refer to the scientific names of your trees (Latin) when you buy at the nursery and check for them. Here's an example of why that is important--"Ironwood" and "Musclewood" and "Hornbeam" are all three common names for the same tree, and then there is "Parrotia" which is also referred to as "Persian Ironwood" and is a problematic invasive on the East Coast. That's probably why your nursery refers to Carpinus caroliniana (Latin name) as "American hornbeam" so as not to get them mixed up. Like I said, I had an American hornbeam in my yard and just loved it. It has nice fall color, aesthetically pleasing multiple trunks, great form and provided me with shade eventually which was a welcome respite in my hot south facing tiny yard. The only thing it doesn't have is showy flowers, but you could combine it with dogwood for a nice effect. They have a similar shape and form but different bark. Another thing I combined with Ironwood was a red japanese maple, in homage to the beech maple forests of my north country homeland. Ironwood is in the beech plant family. The only downside I can see is I'm not sure if it will really get tall enough to block the second story of your backyard neighbors house. For that you would need something extremely "fastigiate" in your situation. But it gets at least as big as a flowering pear eventually. Don't be afraid of planting a small tree, they make up for small size by growing vigorously right out the door. Larger trees look great upon installation but can sometimes suffer from transplant shock which sets them back several years. Here's the sweetgum, it will get bigger, it's just a baby. I also watered a sourwood which is another nice tree option for you, (smells great) and a yellow wood which you might be able to get away with in your zone, not sure if LI is zone 5 or zone 6. Probably kind of on the border but where you are on the Island may influence what will grow well in your yard. I'm sure there are plenty of top of the line nurseries out your way. Cute isn't it!? ;) Close up of leaves. I am worse than a new grandmother with her baby photos!

Is that what this forum became: quote central? Quotes represent the people behind them. Forums are about people coming together to discuss shared interests. Quotes are inevitable. ;-) Doug makes them more fun. Good designs... NO. This isn't the fault of the forum regulars; it's a wider cultural problem. Bad designs are dumped here, because of the nature of an advice-seeking forum. Folks with good designs don't need help. Solutions.. NO, We must be reading different forums, because I see solutions all the time, lol! Best interior finishes.. No not that. *Scratches head* I see a lot of this....? "Hire an architect for all your needs" and quotes .... YES If the solution is "hire an architect" what's wrong with offering that piece of advice? So many folks who post here would be beautifully served by consulting with an architect, interior designer, landscape architect, kitchen designer, etc., because they can't see the bigger picture. There's nothing wrong with being unable to see it; everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. If my daughter comes up to me wearing 4 different colors of eyeshadow, heavy rouge, eyeliner 10x thicker than her lashline, and visibly unblended concealer on her forehead and chin, I'm NOT gonna say, "Pick the pink bracelet," if she asks me what goes best with her dress. We're gonna start with a bar of soap. Because I care. ;-)