While I think that the "FAQ" as outlined by swanoir was presented tongue in cheek ('the humus'), many of the subsequent comments and/or links to threads that could/should be included in a FAQ were presented in a more serious tone. And maybe they do make sense as a foundation to a real LD forum FAQ. But I've also sensed something else in these comments that may contribute to the apparent lack of communication between new posters seeking advice and those that regularly frequent this forum and offer it. And that is that the long checklist provided by Miss R must be (or should be) answered in detail before posting. Well, of course not! But it is definitely something worth reviewing and giving some thought to. This checklist, or something very similar, is what most designers utilize when first meeting with a prospective client. It gives them a feeling for what the client wants to do with the property, how they intend to use it, what they hope to get out of it and how much effort (time/$$) are they are intending to put into it. Hopefully, reviewing an outline or checklist such as this could help to refine and focus some of those blank slate questions and even educate those new posters totally unfamiliar with the process the degree of complexity, the number of variables and exactly what is involved in the formulation of a landscape design. Even DIY landscape texts intended for the homeowner with no previous design or landscaping experience offer similar checklists to get one started thinking about the process. Obviously, this is overkill for those questions that are more issue-specific, but I think very appropriate for those that are much broader and far less focused.

Rose des Quatre Saisons blanc mousseux ( Perpetual White Damask Moss) is my favorite moss. It repeat blooms reliable - is very fragrant and very mossy. I like the scent of the glandular mossy growth too! Big rose! 5-6 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Alfred De Dalmas (or maybe 'Mousseline' - not sure if there is any difference ... these roses seem to have become mixed up most places) - I grow both and prefer 'Mousseline' but cant tell any difference, other than 'Mousseline' seems more vigorous (could be differences in light/placement) but it could be the same rose sold under 2 names. It is a smaller nice little moss too. Heidi and Unconditional Love are interesting roses too - they are new to me! Always interesting to see new roses ... Even though rebloom is nice - I would not be without the onceblooming 'Henri Martin' or 'Madame Louis Lévêque' (said to occasional repeat - must be once in a blue moon then ...

I once thought my climate was similar to that of NOLA and Mississippi and it is, but I don't have all that good soil from the mighty Mississipp...mine is just old prairie mud, some good old depleted cotton patch soil and a few areas where I have spent money by the dumptruck load enriching, and roses dwelleth there, save those my DH put out of their misery with the Roundup. Alas, it should be illegal for men to buy Roundup.

Thanks, Cindy, for looking those up for me. Now I'm anxious to reread Perrin's book to remind me of his other recommendations. I've read similar books by Eric Burns and Colin Wilson, as well as the Dirda you mentioned above. I like that sort better than the usual unembellished lists -- those try to be too all encompassing and are geared more toward the most popular -- dare I say, book-club-type -- stuff. Ahh, the mention of W.H. Hudson: I have a very low affinity for fantasy, but his Green Mansions, the love story of a naturalist and a bird girl named Rima, has been a favorite since I was a kid. It probably helped that I read it young before my taste congealed. I don't see it mentioned very often, but surely it is considered a classic. Cindy, the "Out of Print, Out of Mind" title they considered for their web site seems particularly apropos. I think I could remember that better than "Lost Books," which seems generic. However, so many books that were once out of print have now been resurrected. I've told this story so many times that I've probably told it here, so forgive me if you've read it before. But... When I was in high school, two years running (sophomore and junior years) my English and history teachers were dystopia obsessed, but they obviously didn't coordinate their lesson plans because I wound up assigned 1984 and Brave New World for three different classes. That was the beginning of my particular loathing of those popular books (the popularity hasn't abated either, apparently). But there was another book assigned for the same "dystopiathon" that I actually liked. It was about a fellow who went underground (in a network of caves, or something) in search of his lost father or uncle. In this underground place was a colonial remnant of the Roman Empire that had lived there since the empire dissolved, and they had developed a particularly nasty form of government. Does it ring any bells with you?