Get some estimates from some landscapers for their removal and the method they will use. Then talk to your Homeowners association and see what they have to say. I have worked with HMOs a lot over the years and have generally found them to be cooperative when it comes to common sense. There are exceptions, of course. Point out the builder's error in choosing Ligustrum and the problems they're giving you. Tell them you want to upgrade your landscaping to better looking plants with less trouble. Mike...retired landscaper.

I have taken baby steps with propagation. I have successfully propagated a weigela and a forsythia. Of course, I had many failed attempts too, but I will keep trying. I think I'll leave the part out where successful seed sowing and propagating doesn't reduce the urge/need to purchase new plants!! My husband only tolerates all my pots (I've heard them referred to pot ghettos in this forum and mine certainly qualifies) because he thinks I'll stop having to buy new plants every year. Do you know what question I can't stand above all others?? It's "where are you going to put it? Hey, I don't know where I'll put it, I just know I have to have it!!! I have plenty of garden space left and plenty more areas that can use some color. BTW, my black-eyed susans are blooming to beat the band right now, and I'm just thrilled. Although on a down note, I saw my first JB this morning. It was on my petunia!! Never seen them there before. I can sacrifice some of them because I literally have about 100 of them that self-sowed themselves. If that's all I lose to these horrible insects, then I'll consider myself lucky.

I absolutely second wwwonderwhiskers advice! And, if your digital camera will take videos as well, shoot very methodical videos of each room starting in one corner and working your way around the room in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Then take your overlapping still photographs immediately after taking the video. It is often much easier to figure out what is what in a video. But still photographs will be sharper and show more details. With a combination of videos and still photos taken on the same date, you can use the video to help you orient your still photos and figure out what you are looking at...especially if you take the time to tape numbered squares of paper up around the room before making videos and shooting photos. Our "open wall" photos have saved us a couple of enormous repair bills as well. And, when we got ready to hang our TV, it was nice to be able to look at the photos and see right where the studs and extra bracing were located. It is also nice when you start to hang a picture on the wall, to KNOW, that you're not fixing to accidentally drive a nail into a hidden pipe. Oh, especially if you're going to have a slab foundation, don't forget to photograph where all the pipes and stuff run UNDER the slab before the concrete gets poured. And don't forget to take pictures of the outside of your house before the sheathing is put on. If your house has more than one floor, be sure you have pictures of everything that runs thru the space between the two floors as well. Water from a leaking pipe or waterline can often travel along joists quite a way before dripping through the ceiling sheet rock and showing up as a wet spot. Rather then unnecessarily tearing out a bunch of sheet rock, It helps to know where the water COULD be coming from.

I researched this product for months trying to decide if it was the way to go. I have been able to ascertain (to my satisfaction anyway) that Konecto and the Allure (HD) product are by the same manufacturer. If you go to Home Depot and ask to rent the installation video (which BTW is really nothing more than the sales pitch for the product) you will see that the scenes in the video are identical for the most part to the scenes in the Konecto video you can see online. Same set, same floor, same actors.... We are nearing completion of a 500 sq. install of the HD grade and let me tell you it ain't as easy as they portray it to be. *IF* you are working with a sqaure or rectangular room of the right width and length it isn't too bad. However, our rooms sort of meandered from one to another with hallways, cabinets, differing length stem walls and differing room widths...Frankly, in this application it was a real PITA to get this stuff laid. I would strongly suggest anyone using this product in odd shaped rooms where continuity is important to plan on spending considerable time in planning. It can be done but you can end up in a pickle if you don't plan the entire project from the first strip to the last. We laid this product over plywood sub floor that two out of three conventional vinyl installers said they would lay vinyl over. However, the bids for laying sheet vinyl came in at between $3000 and $4500 for mid-grade vinyl. Even with a good floor you will want it smooth or the product *WILL* telegraph major imperfections. $995 for the Allure product was a much more affordable option for us. However, it was not a walk in the park and it a lot of time spent on you knees and scratching you head trying to figure out how to stagger joints using the 1/3, 2/3 cuts when working with 3 foot strip lengths in a 15.5 foot room. (can't be done as far as we can tell unless you manufacture your own splines)...Which while I am thinking of it is a suggestion I would make to anyone planning on using this product. Learn how to make a spline in the event you need to reverse lay or shorten a full strip to avoid ending up with a itty bitty fill piece. As to warranty- I would buy the product on the internet. Generally, warranties aren't worth the paper they are written on... And, I can tell you from personal experience that offering me all of my money back if the product fails wouldn't begin to cover the amount of work it has taken to get this floor down! Since I seem to be writing a book on the product I will add that I thought the Allure product looked cheap and ugly when we purchased it. Much to my surprise that phony looking grain pattern looks really, really beautiful when you get it on the floor. Distance improves this product! One last hint for the Allure product...Don't believe Home Depot when they say there isn't a variance in color. They repeatedly assured as that there was no need for matching lot numbers and they lied. Luckily, I didn't trust them so I pulled product from each lot and intermixed it. You can still see patchy color variances but it actually enhanced the look to appear even more like a real wood floor. And yes, it is a much quieter floor than laminates and even the existing vinyl that it is being laid over. Elise