All of the rain we've had in the Bay Area has really encouraged weed growth. Wait until the ground dries out a bit and there is no rain forecast. Then on a day without wind, spray the weeds with Round-up per the directions on the bottle. Round-up will kill most plants, so be very careful not to let it blow onto anything you want to keep. If the ground is still wet in the root area, you may need to spray more than once. Directions will be included on the bottle of Round-up. You can buy it at Home Depot, Orchard Supply, and most garden centers. Here is a link that might be useful: RoundUp

ginny, really, not to worry.you're o.k. if you had a shattered piece, it would be awful but i think with cmeent and a clean break there's no huge worry. and yes, mark's solution is for outdoors cement. also, i think the treflers person you spoke to probly was just giving the 'lawsuit safe' answer. they could definitely fix it if you don't want to try it yourself. they've done a number of things for me over the years. you might also want to talk to your local masonry yard; they do sell concrete/cement sealants. we used such on an outdoor slate fntn because of flaking potential but we have never treated our outdoor cement sculptures. best, mindy

Good advice above re cutting back the tall tree and choosing replacements. I'm in the mid-Atlantic region, so wouldn't venture to suggest plants for your region. I would, however, suggest that you think carefully about the river rock. Many people have rued the day they installed it, or purchased a home with it in the landscape. It's a huge project to remove. Organic matter will collect among the stones, where weed seeds will germinate and grow. The stones collect and radiate the sun's heat, leading to a warmer & dryer soil, whereas an organic mulch like shredded wood will lead to conditions more like those on a forest floor - cool and moist - and will eventually decompose and improve soil structure and bio-activity. If the stones are light in color, they will also reflect the sun's light back up to the undersides of the leaves (an unnatural situation) and, according to some sources, increase certain pest activity. If you are considering the river rock as a way to brighten that northern exposure, instead consider some plants with variegated green and white foliage. These really pop in the shade. Chartreuse also works very well for this purpose, but I'm not sure how it would look with the colors of your house.

The problem is not wind in and of itself, but with a heavy, tall weight set on spongy soil, it is subject to leaning over time, or fairly quickly with the addition of wind. Once it becomes off balance, wind or gravity could deal it a death blow. The solution is to create a solid footing (wide base) which extends below the frost line. Atop the footing, add a pedestal that comes at least to the soil surface and set the statue on top of that. The statue does not need to be actually set in concrete. However, if you wanted added assurance, the statue's final placement could be set on a thin bed or mortar, which would act like glue and secure it to the pedestal. If the frost line is shallow, you may want to set the footing deeper so as to have it not be in the way of planting space that surrounds the statue. The footing and pedestal could be all one pour of concrete, or it could be two separate pours. The footing could be a doughnut and the pedestal a cylinder if you want to save on concrete.