I thought it would be fun to show what an insufficiently removed bud can turn in to in a stock. I thought I'd removed enough tissue. I guess not! This is very likely what you would see under the soil from most of the suckers you encounter. You can see why it's so important to find it and exercise it from the shank. Simply cutting it is literally pruning it. You know what pruning does...Kim

Thanks Tom - all the flowers in the photos were WS except the very last one. 'Golden Goblin' gaillardia/blanket flower was purchased but I didn't realize I'd included that one until after I hit the submit button. Glad you like my bloomers!! Even after the 8 ft. of snow & brutal cold (-19F) last winter brought, I still look forward to December, January, February because of WS. It was my second year to WS and I was eager to get started even though I was determined not to sow another 486 milk jugs like I did year one!!! These are just a few I can cross off this year's list: Alchemilla mollis/lady's mantle Baptisia australis/false indigo Astilbe Coreopsis/tickseed Echinacea/coneflower Gaillardia/blanket flower Gaura lindheimeri/wandflower Heuchera/coral bells Hibiscus Hosta Lupine Monarda/bee balm Rudbeckia/gloriosa daisy Salvia/sage Spirea Here's the amazing part: Lupine Salvia/sage Penstemon/beardtongue Trollius ledebouri/Chinese globeflower

Mia, In some parts of the country where certain broccoli diseases are common, it is recommended that you rotate it from bed to bed every year to avoid having those diseases build up in the soil. However, I generally don't rotate mine because I've never had those broccoli diseases here and don't think it is necessary. If you haven't had broccoli disease issues, I think you could plant it in the same place in the fall. If you had a serious issued with broccoli worms or cabbage loopers, you may want to move the fall broccoli as far away from the location of the spring planting as possible, or you can plant in the same place and just watch extra carefully for them. I don't usually have a trouble with them on fall crops. I rotate very little because I do so much soil building annually in terms of adding compost that the soil is constsantly replenished with nutrients, and I really don't have disease problems much at all nor do pests build up into large numbers, likely because the beneficials are dealing with them. I guess I am a bad example if you're looking for someone who would encourage you to use crop rotation. Pat, Today I didn't have a chance to even look at my garden until about 2 p.m. because we'd been gone to a fire, so I don't know how my peppers looked this morning, but they looked wilted and horribly sad last night and they look even droopier and worse this afternoon. Keep in mind I had watered them deeply yesterday a.m. and they are shaded by 75% shade cloth. However, our temps have been 111-113 and our lows in the low to mid-80s and it has been windy. I think I am just going to strip the peppers off of them tonight or early tomorrow and give up. If they cannot tolerate these temps with shading and deep watering, then there isn't anything else I can do. I've never had peppers this unhappy before, but then we've been in the 90s and higher since June 1st and at 100 or above for about 35 or 36 consecutive days and maybe they are as tired of the weather as I am. Watering helps, but only to some extent. It should be a good pepper year, but the weather seems determined that it won't be. I'd like to think I can keep the peppers hanging on another week to see if the cool weather arrives and helps, although in this case 'cool weather' still will be highs around 102-105. Really, though, between taking care of the animals and going to fires, I don't even have time to open the garden gate and go inside, so I probably need to quit fretting over the garden and just move on and start making plans for next year. Dawn

I have HUGE wisteria vines growing up trees down by the creek. They've reached a height of 40 feet. The explosion of flowers are gone now, but for a few weeks they were spectacular. I do NOTHING for them. No fertilizer. I admire them. (Maybe they thrive on admiration?) They just run rampant in the loose soil deposited by the creek. This year they're headed up a willow tree that overhangs the creek. The original ones are at least 30-40 years old, and have trunks at the base that are a few inches in diameter. I collected seeds last year, and grew a few plants. Huge seed pods. Not that my stand needs any more plants, but I thought it would be fun. Yep, they're invasive, but they sure are pretty.