RW> Trouble with the front is that it slopes downhill to the   
   RW> street, and the solution for that soil erosion has been   
   RW> railroad tie barriers which shift over time.  Were it me,   
   RW> I'd try to  find a plant that gets a good root hold and   
   RW> doesn't suffer if sunlight levels are a bit low because of   
   RW> all the foliage overhead.  But, that's me, and, I don't own   
   RW> it ,grin>.   
      
   That sounds logical to me.     
      
   I always buy the black dyed mulch, which doesn't break down as fast.  I put it   
   on thick and it typically lasts a few years.  It looks really good up next to   
   our freshly painted deck (which was my other late spring project).  That took   
   13 gallons of paint.  Glad it should last around 10 years before the next coat.   
      
   RW> YEp, emailed my buddy in hagerstown just before i conversed   
   RW> wtih you on this, adn got email back from him.  HE's in good shape, but   
   RW> his   
   RW> mom in Ohio was without services.   
      
   I'm really happy we had no issues in my local area.  It was so hot that week,   
   there were people without power the entire week when it was in the upper 90s /   
   low 100s.  Not fun at all.   
      
   RW> We've gotten a taste of rain, and the heat's let up a little bit finally.   
      
   We had a very slight taste of rain this morning.  If you can call ".01" a   
   taste.  Just enough to coat the ground for a few minutes.   
      
   - Mark   
      
   --- WWIVToss v.1.50    
    * Origin:  http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (1:261/1304.0)