If you want your grass to get fertilizer in the spring, apply it in the spring. Slow release fertilizer will be wasted on your dormant grass throughout the winter and early spring. The late fall drop benefits your roots and carbohydrate storage, but it needs to get to the plant before soil temps drop too low, when the grass plant is totally dormant. Also your lawn doesn't need a lot of nitrogen in early spring. Most people recommend your first big nitrogen drop for cool season grass around labor day. Organics provide a slow and steady source of nitrogen in the early spring, as well as beneficial organic matter, so you might want to try that early next spring.

Jose, I cannot imagine the horror and trauma your poor little boy has gone thru much less you and your family as witnesses to this terrifying event. Thank god you had the presence of mind and fearlessness to aggressively attack the lion to save your son. You are a true hero and IÂm very proud to call you my friend. Please, once the physical trauma has healed be sure your son gets the psychological help he will need to overcome the nightmares and PTSD he will undoubtedly experience. My best to you and your family, Sue

Most of the shade loving herbaceous perennials are good for this as they die back in the autumn just as the leaves are falling and then re-emerge in the spring after the leaves have had all winter to settle and rot. A few ideas that come to mind are hostas, ferns, or bleeding heart (dicentra). I also have a groundcover called either mandrake or May Apple (Podophyllum peltatum), that grows in shade. It emerges in spring from the understory of my trees and shrubs, where i dont often blow out the leaves, and looks lovely for about three months, then in late July it quickly dies away before the leaves fall. It leaves a bare spot when it is gone, but I love the shape of its umbrella like leaves. Ferns are also good for understory. They, too, will die away over the winter and are pretty well designed for then working their way up through the rotted leaves of the previous season to emerge in the spring. Hostas, too, should make it up through the leaves. I have never grown any of these from seed, so i am not sure how easy it is. Understory shrubs like azaleas would also be used to the leaf fall, though they might look a bit messy through the winter. Azaleas and pieris like the natural mulch created by oak leaves. Hope this helps.

Jane, just read your post about your "RASH". I surely hope it is not the shingles. I wouldn't wish what I have been through this past month on anybody. Too start with, I had a terrible ache in my lower back. It had been so rain and damp that I just attributed it to arthertis. After about a week, I decided that I needed to see a Dr. They done a uranalius and said I dhad a UTI. and gave me antibotics for it. Then a few nights later I woke up with such awful pain that I couldn't get eased any way that I went to the ER. They thought I had a kidney stone and I went upstairs for a scan, which didn't show any stones but diverticulitus. I was given intravanious pain med and more antibotics and sent home. After a week of antibotics and strong nartocic pain meds, I was back in the Er ... another pain shot and more antibotics.. The next Mon I had to go back to my FP for another Uranalis and told the nurse that my hip felt so strange. like it was numb, She said to let her take a look, and said did you realize that you were breaking out in a rash on the right side of my back. Nooo.....I can't see the right side of my back and it didn't itch, just hurt. Well, she said YOU HAVE GOT THE SHINGLES!!!!. Then I got antivirals, which didn't help much because they are supposed to be taken early on and I wasn't diagnoised until I all ready had a full blown case. I am just starting to feel like I want to live again. Haven't felt like doing anything. Swept the kitchen this morn and just broke out in a cold sweat. I haven't done any decorating ,let alone any house cleaning. Guess halloween will just have to pass me by this year. Is your rash confined to one side or all over. They told me shingles usurally just affected one side of your body, but you cold have them anywhere, from one side of your head to one foot. Sure hope that's not what you are getting. They did tell me in the ER that it seemed like fall was when they saw more cases of the shingles. If you have any questions that I can help you with feel free to email or call me/ my # is 338-877-4211 and email add is *stephenroop@skybest.com* Hope you are feeling better. Janet