anntn: thank you for your comprehensive answer! I'm in Ontario, Canada (not California) and we're on Canadian Shield bedrock. Pretty uniform! According to soil maps of the region, I should expect clay till soil, and that's pretty much been my experience. michealg: yes, I expect that the kit wasn't particularly reliable. LynnT: Thank you for the tip about universities. An excellent idea! There's a service through the University of Guelph, which is a big aggie school not too far from here. subk3: Thank you so much for the great information about phosphorous and the link to that wonderful essay. I also navigated to the Dr Chalker-Scott's website and am looking forward to reading up on soils and other gardening practicalities in more detail. Cecily: I assume that was a rhetorical question, but even so I'm going to answer it! lol. Julia Child looked great all season last year - plentiful, healthy green foliage and great repeat on her blooms. She's truly a star. Wild Blue Yonder also grew well, though was stingy with blooms and hardly repeated at all. The rest (Blue Girl HT cl., Bolero, Carefree Beauty are a few) were pretty leggy and sparse, though they're all young plants (1 - 2 years, 3 for BG) so that's not necessarily indicative of anything. In any case, I really appreciate all the help! Please, keep it coming! :) Happy New Year, Karen

yep. part of hte GTA. While i have had raccoon problems I haven't had problems with them digging out the soil I don't think it would be an issue. My problem with raccoons has to do with my veggie garden but in the past couple of years they haven't caused problems. I do have problems with rabbits and sometimes finches which ate up my kale leaves but I find them cute and don't mind at all.

Hi Ken, Is winter on the decline in Michigan? A little info I know on the subject matter of tree removal with a spade. Most tree movers won't guarantee the tree will live. They will give free advice on how to care for it. Some will offer a care plan for a price. Rest assured they will charge enough to cover their expenses. Each job will offer it's own challenges and price will vary. I found this link to be interesting. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Tree spade moving and care

I'm in Sarasota and I used Manatee Moving & Delivery Services 6027 15th Street East, Bradenton, FL 34203-6966(941) 739-8234â to move some antiques I bought at an estate sale. The estate sale people recommended them. They were great. I'd also ask a trusted landscaper to help with the move. If you don't use one, email me and I'll send you a name. Carol B.