I posted a few weeks ago and wanted to update everyone who was so kind to reply. I discovered the Plant Exchange for trading my huge supply of iris - got some daylilies and lily of the valley in return. I finally feel like things are getting under control. Just a bit more mulching to do and then I can move on to the next project!

My daughter and I went rock hunting last night and had a blast finding some stepping stones - only one minor injury to report. Hubby put down black plastic under the mulch - in small sections that will be easy to pull up if I decide to plant more, or if existing plants are getting starved. We did the same thing in early spring to a few areas and have been thrilled with the results -even though I've seen the warnings about plastic.

Another big thanks to those that replied - made me feel less alone with this battle and calmed me down.