Thanks everyone for your comments. I love taking pictures of the garden and posting them - had another 40 or so that I liked! Only a mama ....I guess we all nurture our garden creations & sometimes get carried away. Janicej11 & Linnea2, My clock vine is planted on a small tripod in a whiskey barrel several feet from the fence, along with purple petunias & Marguerite sweet potato vine. I've used this combination for several years now, alternating yellow & gold (orange) ones. There is always quite a lot of foliage & a few blooms early in the season, followed by much heavier blooming late in the season. Since I have so much going on in the area (Poppies followed by 4 other Clematis, followed by David Phlox & Helianthus, etc.), I don't mind the poor early bloom production. I buy the Clock Vine in a good-sized pot from a local nursery. I doubt I would get much bloom here at all starting it from seed. I can't tell you anything about the soil except that I always put fresh potting soil in the whiskey barrel each season (bottom is filled with packing peanuts). Physostegia 'Vivid' is a pink-purple for me. In the cold weather of fall against the red burgandy of the Itea it is every bit as vivid as the picture. Earlier the color appears much lighter than this, but it is not a tepid color. It spreads easily and a grouping can make quite an impact in the garden. Vivid is definitely not plain pink, but a medium to dark pink with a fairly heavy blue cast to it. However, it is not the purple of my Stoke's Aster or Geranium Rozanne, both of which are much more blue purple. Vivid is closer to the color of a fresh bloom of Purple coneflower which some people myself included consider pink, just don't try to match it up to the warmer pinks of an annual pink geranium or most pink daylilies - then it looks way too blue! Tjsangel, Your grasses will look wonderful in fall as they mature. I love the movement of them in the garden. Also look wonderful backlit by the sun.

Diana ~ Love your quote by Tom Edison. " Hell, there are no rules around here. We're trying to accomplish something." I have realized somthing in the last couple of days, thinking about Edna's gardens and my own. That is, how in my case, a few years ago I was happy in my gardens doing my own thing. Then, we got computers and I started seeing other people's gardens, which made me feel depressed, envious, inspired. I started looking at what I didn't have, started adding more beds and little gardens, making more and more work for my self. Now, I'm going to relax and not stress about what I don't have. I'm not adding any more beds or gardens, I'm going to work with what I've got, with seeds and cuttings and weeding out what I don't want or don't have time to care for. I'm learning what does really well in our zone and what doesn't. Every day is new, and I want to see and enjoy the beauty that surrounds me without stressing over what isn't perfect. We are all different, come from different backgrounds, have different financial capabilites and in no way can we all be the same, have the same, or do the same things. What we do is inspire, encourage, and enjoy our gardens and others via the vast web. Trying to keep up with the Joneses whether in homes, cars or gardens is just too hard, too demanding and too time consuming. Each of us has a unique personality, and different talents. We each create our own 'cottage gardens' with whatever comes our way. There is no right or wrong way to have a cottage garden. Cottage gardens are typically random and carefree in form. As the pictures that Eduarda shared here show, it's a style, not necessarily the fact that we have nothing but cottage garden flowers filling them. We can't all grow the same, traditional CG flowers. We have to go with what will grow in our zones, what we have time to take care of, etc. I've learned a lot here, been inspired and look forward to being inspired more and to not be so 'envious' of what others have, but to enjoy my own little tropical/cottage garden of sorts, and to enjoy all of your lovely gardens through your picture tours. Just my little ramblings here near the end of May. Happy Gardening to all, big or small gardens, packed or not so packed with wonderful things. Regardless, let's all enjoy the moments that make up each day, appreciating our many blessings. FlowerLady

I dug up ONE tuber a couple of weekends ago. I know there must be more, but I couldn't reach way down inside that planter box - it's about 4' deep. It was about 6" long and about 6" in circumference. Not too big, really. But I put it in my cabinet where I store my potatoes. Looks like a regular old sweet potatoe to me. Moni - yours is HUMONGOUS! Susan

Runjbells, I have never heard of a dwarf hibiscus. Let me know if you find out the name. I don't know why I didn't thinks of sweet potatoe vine. It will look lovely there. Birdbite, I looked up the diamond frost euphorbia and it sounds like a wonderful plant. Does it really bloom all the time? It may get too big for the pot, but I can always buy one and put it someplace else. There is no such thing as too many plants around my place! :) Sam