It's very true. But wiser folk than I have opined that gardens seldom outlive their makers. Some special ones do; Sissinghurst, Stourhead, etc. But most don't. I do believe that the woody plants, especially the trees, have the best chance of enduring. If I disappeared tomorrow and nobody did anything but water for 5-10 years, it would still mostly be ok.

I'm so sorry Bob. I can so relate to that story. ...how could she not know that whatever she was facing, no matter how awful she felt, no matter the emotional cost to me, no matter the effort it might involve, that I would always, always, always be there for her? I've had 3 suicides in my immediate family, and they were all different for me in that my relationship with each person was different, and my understanding of them is different...though each share a common pain attendant with grief. But in the case of my father, I truly believe that in his mind, as twisted as his thinking and emotions and his brain chemistry were, that he thought he was protecting us...that he purposely didn't share because he knew we would've stopped him from doing what he felt he had to do, what he felt was best. And I know in my heart now that there was no stopping him. And I know now that even in his horrible final act that has so scarred me, and which I believe gave an imprimatur to my brother and my brother's son who both followed him down that dark road, that in his own mind, it was an act of love and courage. And I've had to forgive him only for being wrong. Daddy died in 2002, and it's taken me a long, long time, and a lot of pain and grief to work through to get to this point. It is a long and hard road, a journey that takes time. I'm telling you this because I know how much you loved her, and I know how much she loved you. And I hope it might in some small way help for you to consider the possibility that it was because of your love for her and hers for you that she didn't share the darkness, just as my father never shared his with us.

I don't think you need to worry so much about what you're adding and when. And I wasn't trying to frighten you with the wood chips bit, it's just a general guideline/approach. It sounds like what you have in there has aged some and is well mixed in with other stuff, will probably be fine. As to whether you should add what at which specific time of year - depends what you're growing, annuals or plants that are quite sensitive in spring/seedlings etc (burying seedlings in mulch won't work for obvious reasons). Some will have to be from experimentation based on your climate and what you're planting, etc. Fall is usually a good time to put mulch down though. I think the advice about winter and soil biology was (probably) a bit more specific about the stuff you wanted to apply, Rose Tone, and a waste to fertilize in cold temps / fall generally, plants aren't taking up nutrients actively for their growth cycle. At any rate I don't fully agree that soil life comes to a standstill in cold weather - some certainly does, some doesn't, the ground has some warmth in it, compost insulates and warms as well, and snow itself insulates, there are some organisms that do well in cold weather (fungi especially), and the freeze/thaw cycle has a role in breaking down some stuff too. (There are even fungi that continue working in modest below zero temperatures - apparently the fuzz you sometimes see on grass after snow melts is an example). The soil about a metre down is said to stay pretty close to the average annual air temperature. Anyway that's not to argue the point, just to say it's normal for soil life to slow down a fair bit, but it takes off pretty quick in spring and catches up; I can see a difference of mulch and compost applied between fall and snow melt when the ground first becomes visible. I've had tulips coming up through six inches or more of snow so there's no way everything's 'stopped.' Other soil organisms go into whatever winter preps they do and they use the mulch compost for that as well. In sum, fall is still a good time to apply your mulch/compost. You can do at other times too, with just a bit of attention to what's going on (don't bury seedlings in two feet of mulch), and can help keep weeds down if done right as well.

Hi mike!!! thank you so much for your well wishes and prayers! well shes old shes 14 now and you know her life has never been easy she has had broken legs multiple surgeries etc so now theyre saying shes breathing too fast about 40 breathes per minute which is not great and so they think its heart disease and of couese she already has kidney failure so its all her vital organs. its very difficult to hear and thats why i havent been as active here the last week or so it has been just one thing or another! oh no mike my prayers are with your dad what happened? I truly hope he is ok! you know as we get older it doesnt get any easier thars for sure! im so glad i have everyone here. im paranoid now and just keep checking her breathing and its weird someitmes its within normal range and sometimes its rapid so i dont know what to think anymore. shes such a part of the family its tough to accept the fact that one day she will leave us and that one day doesnt seem far off. And yes uncertainty certainly stinks mike! hugs!! lol mike!! i have the same dreams!!! so funny! the other day i just had a dream that all this sunshine was flooding through and giving me all the vegetables and roses i could ever want! nothing about sinister plotting with neighbours trees though lol not yet anyways but now youve put it in my head im sure ill dream that next lol bob!! thank you for asking! shes only 14 but it doesnt look good! wow your dog is amazing!! what do you feed him to keep him so healthy all these years??? your little one is too cute! thank you amy! yes in the end i just want her to feel safe comfortable and free of pain so we are trying to do that for her! amy wow!!!! those roses!! i have the bolero too! do you find they open very fast and not last long? mine is grafted so yours may be on different root stock! amy i must admit i bought another rose!!! lol!!! i couldnt help myself! Its called beloved bill no fragrance but its too beautiufl not to buy! it was bred right here from a local breeder brad jalbert of select roses i love going there if only it wasnt so far its about an hour and a half drive!