I don't put coffee grounds directly into the soil as they can be too acidic. I add them to the compost pile, and they do a great job of helping improve my compost.

Pine straw mulch (the fallen pine needles) make a great mulch for strawberries. It protects the crowns from heaving out of the soil during periods of freezing and thawing.

Great question! I usually buy up any perennials, shrubs and trees that look good on the discount racks. There's no guarantee they will live through the winter but a few tips to pick good ones. Look for plants with healthy roots - not necessarily leaves. The bigger the roots the better the chance the plant will live. Plant it in the ground as soon as you can so that any fall rains have a chance to water it in and it has a chance to develop more roots. Good luck and have fun.

Yes, definitely keep it in a pot near bright light (bright sunny windowsill is fine). Water it when the soil feels dry to the touch. Stick your finger into the pot of soil. If it feels dry, time to water it.

I would remove them and replace them with fresh ones. By removing the old ones, you also remove any insect eggs or insects hiding among the leaves for the winter.

Store them in a dry, cool, dark place. Check frequently and pick off any sprouts. If you keep the sprouts from growing too long they last longer.

You can prune in the fall. Usually you prune hydrangeas immediately after they bloom but since yours did not bloom at all it is probably fine.

You'll need to take a multi-step approach to the problem. First, use grub control products on your lawn. Grubs are the larvae of the Japanese beetles and will emerge next year as adults. You CAN hang traps -- it's a myth that Japanese beetle traps attract more bugs into the yard. The secret is to hang them far away from the plants you are trying to protect. Lastly, check your garden center for sprays to combat the beetles.Good luck, they get my apple trees too but fortunately the trees are big and survive.

A few ideas. First, you will need to pull them by hand. There's no shortcut to this I am afraid. A tool like the CobraHead weeder makes it easier to grab the weeds. A thick layer of mulch suppresses new weeds.

You can as long as they aren't walnut tree leaves. Walnut trees produce a chemical called juglone which can kill flowers. All other leaves - oak, maple, etc -- can be used as mulch.

Not too late at all. As long as you can still dig into the soil deeply enough to plant the bulbs, you should be fine.

You can cut them back almost anytime. However, the best time to cut them back is in the spring right after they flower. If you cut them back at any other time, they won't bloom. They develop next year's buds right after flowing.