@ chookchook2 Very funny play on words! What about some of those lizards with suction caps on their feet...or frogs...although not mammals, still animals, they walk up vertical surfaces...and...just to make this light...in Charleville, Far Nth Qld. big green frogs live under the rims of toilets and.....yep, I screamed my lungs out when a couple attached themselves to my bare behind! I was the brunt of jokes at the pub for weeks! @ Luke Buckle....still copies of animal skins...what is it with people who need to have what I regard as a "trophy of the kill" on their wall or wear the skin...even if its imitation? Crocodile skin shoes? UGH. Fake Lepoard skin trim on boots...double UGH...Graphics of animal skins to stick on things? Still don't like the idea. Have a friend here at present...she likes the patterns and has a leopard skin patterned dress and a pair of boots.....I asked her what the attraction was....just the pattern, she loves animals, especially cats...but still there's this hunter thing....don't get it but each to his/her own. Glad I'm not married to a man who loves animal kill trophies..couldn't stand it. But then...I buy only leather shoes and I eat meat and love leather upholstered furniture...where do I think that comes from? MMMM Tis a puzzlement! Could never come at a real animal skin on the floor...but I like my lambswool underlay and my wooly sheepskin mat????? Double standard hypocrit? Pot calling the kettle?

Analysis first, then plan, as Tookoo recommends. Use native plants, as neotoma recommends. Get specific plant recommendations locally, as Terri & sgelade recommend. Here is my two cents worth, for the shortterm. a. Remove and stockpile the lawn edging and most of the mulch back against the fences. b. Take a can of spray paint, or a bundle of surveyor's flag, and mark the largest circular or curved form that will fit within the fenced areas, no matter where the trees stand (inside or outside of the line) to form the temporary edge of your lawn area. See if the entire family agrees on the alignment or just do what looks best to you as the Senior Gardener. c. Add the wood edging to the new edge, or, it will look a lot better if the edge is not visible, using a steel edge whose top edge is down just above the grass roots and no longer visible, and not an impediment to the lawn mower. (when you form the plant beds, you will dig down a couple inches at the edge, where it meets the steel, and then slope the bed up from there, and the mulch will be contained at the level of the lawn, beyond) My recommendation, after you call in your landscape advisor, is to fill the beds totally with ground cover, beneath the shrubs, so no mulch will be seen after the two years of plant growth, using only a finer textured mulch which will become part of the soil bed. (Maybe the bark mulch will smell good in your new fire pit, along with the wood edging.) d. Plant the entire area with grass seed or sod and enjoy the beauty. The curved edge will make the space appear and feel larger and will decrease the maintenance of the smaller bed areas. On the subject of tree placement: analyse first, then plan. Look at all the views beyond your fenceline from all windows of the house, the living/ dining areas, all the bedrooms, to enhance the good views and to block the big, the bad, and the ugly. The large trees on your list will block views from the upper windows, The small horizontally branched trees will be a piece of sculpture in your downstairs view throughout the year, while their flowering and fragrance yet another reason to be alive. For instance, if you have an attractive small tree that has attractive flowers and foliage, PLUS has attractive bark color and has a sculptural quality in the off-season, you won't have to visit the museum quite as often, with a sculpture garden right out your window.

Hi everyone, I know you have laid your turf now, but for others in a similar situation, I have found that 'Paspalum vaginatum' is a fantastic alternative to the buffalo and Couch varieties. Its non invasive, very shallow root systems and takes shade and full sun. As its is highly salt tolerant, its a great cost effective alternative around swimming pools and helps keep the temperature down around the pool, so kids can run around with bare fee. It looks fantastic in summer, doesnt get woody and looks pretty good throughout the winter months. Although I have no experience with fake turf I have heard that it can get very hot and smelly, making it difficult to enjoy for little feet during the hot summer months. Hope this helps :-)

Styker, can you sew? Craftsy have a course that shows you how to make your own. I’m getting older and retail bras don’t sit very well anymore so making my own is on the agenda.