you are in zone. 4 ... isn't it going to snow in a few weeks ??? ... NO FERT .... and with the trees.. NO FERT EVER ... the trees will just come and take it ... and hosta just dont need any other soil amendments.. in loam .... i am sure you can find the topic HOW TO MOVE MATURE (OR FULLY LEAFED OUT) HOSTA with the search button ... like i would have to ... do NOT put shredded leaves on top of hardwood mulch ... you may as well cover the mulch with soil ... and that isn't what we want... mulch the bed.. but leave a ring of a foot or two around each hosta.. if you want to fill that area with the leaves. that would be great ... after the ground freezes ... dig hole .. loosen the soil .... grab the pot... tape the leaves ... pull out of pot... knock off potting soil .. into the hole ... stir with native soil .. insert in hole.. push in firmly .... water thoroughly ... mulch the bed with the hardwood after all the hosta are in .. leave the tape for a week or two ... add leaves after the ground freezes .... the crown should be within one inch of the soil surface ... good luck ken

Bleaching will remove the red color from red oak and then you can introduce the color you're after...after that. However...wood bleach is highly caustic and very dangerous to use; utmost care must be maintained during its use...I cannot stress that more. Also...'some' professionals would be able to give you what you want...your DIY attempt will be successful only if you test and develop your skill on test boards before you actually attempt to work your floor and apply your chosen finish materials. Good luck.

cor, I don't even know what you did here. the wood needs to be complete stripped bare. you need to keep the grain open when applying the dye/and the liming wax. did you dilute your shellac 50/50 w/denatured alcohol? did you read the link w/all the directions? yes,,you had a major fail. this was a good oak piece that would have taken a nice ceruse, if done correctly. I said it was an insane amount of work. no shortcuts can be done w/this. now you know. this is raw oak. not a stitch of stain or color on it. I left the grain a little raised for better absorption. this is how that table should look before you even start those doors should be taken off to work on and that whole piece should be somewhere where you can strip and sand it. did I mention it takes hours and hours? you can't just sand off half the stain, put on new stain, shellac and liming wax! doesn't work that way.

Yes, oaks are protected here. Easy to check with an arborist or tree service, Not sure but I think even trimming might require a permit in some locations. Long story but years ago we had to have a couple healthy oaks removed due to problems with a neighbor. At the time, the tree guys confirmed the oaks were protected, but explained they could get around that by saying the trees were "diseased." It was awful...I literally cried. Now we live in an area known for all the beautiful old oaks and no one wants them gone.