missylin here is a pic of flat paver stones I used to make borders around some of my newer beds that are very reasonable and super easy to maintain. You can run the mower (even a big lawn tractor)right over the paver stones and you have no need to weedwacker them. These pavers are available at big box stores - 8"x16" - for about $1 each. They are very easy to put in place by simple removing the grass. You can obtain curves by breaking the pavers into two pieces and angle them around the curve - the soil fills in the small gap areas. They only need to be recessed about 1/2", not even the entire depth of the paver. This shot shows the path through a new area using the pavers in '05 but you can see the edge of the far side of the picture. They come in the brick color or in cement color. Another angle These were installed in '05 and they are doing great. I haven't had to replace any of them and the maintenance is E-A-S-Y and look as good today as in '05. Brooke

I don't have many salvias here because most of the ones I really love don't come back year after year. I do buy BLACK AND BLUE every year and treat it like an annual. Most years get INDIGO SPIRES also but it never comes back for me either. I love LADY IN RED but again, it does not come back either.

I think next year I should plant even more tomatoes! :-)) Usually most people just hand pick although they are hard to see. But if you carefully look at your tomato plants each day you will quickly see any damage and stripped leaves. All I have ever done is hand pick when necessary. But be warned, often more than one! You can spray your tomato plants with BT. But you have to keep doing that each week and too much work for me. A few days ago I did see all the signs of hornworm on one of the porch tomatoes out front. You know, the branches stripped of leaves. But no matter how much I looked I could not find one. So I cut off the damaged branch and made careful note of where it was. But no more damage and I never found the hornworm. I am sure my helpful backyard birds found it for me. I bet the catbirds ate it! Here is a link that might be useful: BT info

I like the swirled petal pattern on Rita and Cora. Looks like a rose. I just got one that is primarily white, more of a cream color. It has a faint lavender or rose color patch on a few petals. So it could be Rita. I got it from a familiar florist. So the plants are in better shape than the usual store O's. Meaning no suckers, single crowns. She gave me another that is not flowering. I think it is also white. She raises violets on her own at home. So we plan to trade our home-grown ones, not just her commercial ones! I am able to sell about ten of my Optimara plants that I can live without (even though they are nice colors), so that makes room for this. I suddenly "discovered" white. They seem to be popular this season. They look so elegant for the summer. Joanne