Any suggestions about door paint colors, given the existing other colors? I think a black door can look super elegant in many cases, but maybe wouldn't work as well with my shutters which are dark brown. Interesting about not installing new plants when a house is on market. My thought was that filling in a blank space (within reason) might look better. My market is probably first time home buyers. Younger people who aren't yet gardeners may not see the value/ potential of a blank slate. Indoors, my realtor and a friend have said my minimalist furnishings are cold looking and need some strategic items to make rooms more inviting. Considering that, I was thinking a couple bigger plants would make the outdoors -- by magic! -- more inviting. I take your points about the addition of permanent plants not being 100 percent called for in home selling. I'm probably dreaming outside of my budget anyway. To answer publickman, storm doors insulate the primary door against winter cold air/ summer hot air, and protect the primary door from driving rain. Maybe storm doors were first developed for entrances that don't have a porch or other roof. Also many storm doors have screens for summer use. Thanks again everyone.

DF - Put your soil's ability to provide nutrients on the back burner - the one way, WAY in the back. Instead, focus on the texture of the soil; in particular, focus on the air spaces BETWEEN the soil particles. They are the key to healthy root systems, which in turn are essential if your plant is to be healthy and attractive, the goal of nearly all container growers. In order to maintain an ample volume of air in the soil, it's essential that you START with a coarse medium - like pine bark or other mineral products that are larger than about 1/10 of an inch. Think of the nice air spaces between a jar full of BBs, then think of how small the air spaces are in a jar of wet sand or peat moss. It doesn't take much sand or peat to entirely fill the air spaces between BBs in a jarful, so be sure to keep that in mind when you make your soil. You can't effectively start with a soil that is mostly fine material and amend it, because the coarse material must be by far the most significant fraction of the mix in order to take advantage of the added air spaces, which by the way are accompanied by better and more complete drainage. Soils that don't support a soggy layer at the bottom of the pot are easier to grow in and offer your plants a much better opportunity to grow as close to their genetic potential as possible. Don't scrimp on the soil - it's the most important decision you'll make in establishing a planting. If you're interested, you'll find a lot more info at the link below. Best luck! Here is a link that might be useful: More about soils if you click me!

In case the link is ever broken, cut and paste the PDF file here: Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D., Extension Horticulturist and Associate Professor, Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University The Myth of Gypsum Magic âAdding gypsum to your yard or garden will improve soil tilth and plant healthâ The Myth Upon continued prodding from one of my university extension colleagues, I recently watched several episodes of a well-known gardening program on television. My kids joined me, alerted by my animated responses to the hostâs non-stop torrent of advice. Among many amazing discoveries I learned that by adding gypsum to my yard or garden I would improve my problem soils by changing the particle size and loosening compaction. Further searching on the web revealed that gypsum would also improve drainage, decrease acidity, and eliminate soil salts. Previously, I had heard of gypsum for use in soil reclamation projects, but not for a typical urban landscape. Since gypsum is simply calcium sulfate, could this chemical truly transform soil structure and serve as a fertilizer for yards and gardens? The Reality This myth falls into the category of agricultural practices misapplied to ornamental landscapes. Gypsum effectively changes the structure and fertility of heavy clay soils, especially those that are heavily weathered or subject to intensive crop production. Gypsum also improves sodic (saline) soils by removing sodium from the soil and replacing it with calcium. Therefore, one can see improvement in clay soil structure and fertility, and desalinization of sodium-rich soils, by using gypsum. What other effects will gypsum have on soil and plant health? There are a number of scientific studies on gypsum usage both in the literature and on websites. Briefly, researchers have found: ⢠Gypsum does not usually change soil acidity, though occasional reports of both increasing and decreasing pH exist; ⢠Gypsum can increase leaching of aluminum, which can detoxify soils but also contaminates nearby watersheds; ⢠Gypsum can increase leaching of iron and manganese, leading to deficiencies of these nutrients; ⢠Gypsum applied to acid soils can induce magnesium deficiency in plants on site; ⢠Gypsum applied to sandy soils can depress phosphorus, copper and zinc transport; ⢠Gypsum can have negative effects on mycorrhizal inoculation of roots, which may account for several reports of negative effects of gypsum on tree seedling establishment and survival; ⢠Gypsum is variable in its effects on mature trees; ⢠Gypsum will not improve fertility of acid or sandy soils; ⢠Gypsum will not improve water holding capacity of sandy soils; and ⢠Gypsumâs effects are short-lived (often a matter of months) With the exception of arid and coastal regions (where soil salts are high) and the southeastern United States (where heavy clay soils are common), gypsum amendment is just not necessary in non-agricultural areas. Urban soils are generally amalgamations of subsoils, native and non-native topsoils, and - in home landscapes - high levels of organic and non-organic chemical additives. They are also heavily compacted and layered (and gypsum does not work well on layered soils). In such landscapes, it is pointless to add yet more chemicals in the form of gypsum unless you need to increase soil calcium levels. This nutrient deficiency can be quickly identified by any soil testing laboratory for less than a bag of gypsum costs. (If you need to improve sulfur nutrition, itâs wiser to use ammonium sulfate). To reduce compaction and improve aeration in nearly any landscape, application of an organic mulch is more economically and environmentally sustainable. The Bottom Line ⢠Gypsum can improve heavy clay soil structure and remove sodium from saline soils ⢠Gypsum has no effect on soil fertility, structure, or pH of any other soil type ⢠Most urban soils are not improved by additional gypsum ⢠Before adding gypsum or any chemical to a landscape, have soil analysis performed to identify mineral deficiencies, toxicities, and soil character ⢠Adding gypsum to sandy or non-sodic soils is a waste of money, natural resources, and can have negative impacts on plant, soil, and ecosystem health For more information, please visit Dr. Chalker-Scottâs web page at http://www.theinformedgardener.com.

You are talking about two issues : (1) Amending garden soil; For this one, probably you need to add a lot of compost/organic matter. Before you do that, now is the best time to get a soil test: (2) Potting Soil: Even the best garden soil will become compacted in containers. That is why, SOIL LESS potting mix is used in container. Most of these potting mixes are peat/coir/ bark fine based with some perlite and vermiculait and fertilizer. TO LEARN MORE: I suggest that you go to "Container Gardening" and "Soli and Compost .." forums here at GW and learn more about them. You cannot learn everything overnite ; You have to READ, Study and get into discussions. It will take some time.