Both Leymus and Panicum send up new shoots from spreading rhizomes, but I like to refer to these types as clumping spreaders ( hey, an oxymoron :) ). Santa Rosa Gardens says this about Leymus Blue Dune, "Best used in open areas, but can be contained with minimum effort." It's the matting rhizomes that help stabilize the sand and control erosion, so you give up one, you give up the other. If you are filling with other flowering natives and want to contain it to a small area, Leymus may not be right, as it willl likely spread some, even with the dry, sandy conditions. What's nice about Blue Dune is that it's a cool season grass that's tolerant of hot weather. You could start both Leymus and Panicums this fall. You could also try to find some wildflower seed mixes, and possibly seed out virgatum as well. Plugs are always easier on a sandy, dry hill, but with some attention, seeding could work. Donn is quite a seed master and may have some advice in that area. Here is a link that might be useful: Leymus Blue Dune

Hi all! My first Post - I've been getting into my Greenthumb side of life and have been looking at the possibility of benefits of Precious Gems and Stones, even the Semi-Precious Minerals. I've found a few ideas and insights in the few posts I read. I wanted to add a note of interest for everyone here. I found on Ebay a few listings for Paydirt, that contains Gold, Silver, Quartz, Malachite, and according to articles on the www that I found through Google - they are all Calcite Minerals. And, most specifically - they are all "Diamonds in the Rough"! My question at the moment is whether the Stones and Crystals that are damaged by water, are less damaged by water if they are still in there rough form? My ideas that sparked my interest in using the Precious Minerals and Ores in, on, and around my Plants/Flowers/Trees is an attempt to create a Lucious, Enriched, And Humid Soil! I know for a fact, that if the Soil Contains Rocks, especially Rocks that absorb Heat. Roots love a nice Warm and Humid Soil. Especially seeds! Rocks keep the soil warm over the cool and frosty nights. I found some Rocks, down by the Railroad Tracks that have a High Iron Content and can actually hold a Magnet to them. I'm sure that they're some sort of Falling Star or Meteorite of some sort and even more so probably falling debris from Haleys Comet. And, Yes - My Plants love them. For the Iron Chellate they produce and for the Large Amounts of Heat they collect and store. I also use rocks for my plants in the sense that I can't use the clay soil around here very well. It just holds water. My solution, was to place a large rock down in to the soil, close to the plant or in the same container - so that I could lift the rock to check the moisture content of the soil. It works great, I can let the top layer of the soil dry out completely, and without scraping the dirt or guessing. I just lift the rock and look. It's usually still rich dark looking dirt just below the crusted top layer. My Problems with using Goold Ole Dirt from the Yard for Planter Pots is solved. I hopeing that the Precious Minerals and Ore Paydirt will not only look really nice and add another later to watch dry out, but will hopefully add some nice missing nutrients to the soil. I've read that the Calcite's will in fact break down nitrates and turn them in to usuable nitrogen, faster. For example, grass cuttings, pine needles, fall foliage of dry leaf material will break down with calcite faster then without. May most likely be from the heat that the rocks produce, agitating moisture in the compost mixes and causing the soil to dry up then break apart. Wish you all well! Moonshine~

Congrats on your salamanders! It was nice meeting you when the guy named Jim was holding the Mississippi Green Water snake. I thought I had some good film of my son holding it but when I returned home I found out my camcorder was not recording correctly. Time for a new one! A real bummer about my film but still had a great time there last weekend.

Any time there is something the general public wants that you don't, it is a huge opportunity for a bargain. Supply and demand...the best way to get a bargain is to demand something that others DON'T demand. But if you focus too much on "resale value" then you end up looking for houses that have things you don't need or really want because "others want it and it will increase the resale value". Last time I looked for a place I specifically said I wanted to avoid open floor plans (I hate them) and didn't care about the kitchen (I don't cook much). Confused the heck out of the realtor, who kept trying to persuade me high end kitchens increase resale value. Half the time the things people say "increase resale value" are current fads that may change 10 years from now. A house that has what the current trends demand will often seem overpriced when the trends change. One thing some people will tell you is "buy the most house you can afford". This is truly terrible advice...if it's the most house you can afford, it's more house then you can afford if you lose your job or have a medical problem or any other setback. Life happens...you should plan for disaster. This post was edited by edlincoln on Thu, Sep 4, 14 at 9:50