Lucille Burlap works fine the way you're envisioning it. But I wouldn't want to spend the money on it! I've found that corrugated cardboard laid down (between my raised beds for instance) prevents weeds from growing in the aisles, and if you put straw or wood mulch on top of the cardboard, it doesn't offend aesthetically. I don't even have to cover the cardboard since my garden area isn't visible from the road. By the end of the summer the cardboard is bleached and stiff, but the weeds haven't grown through it. If you put soil on top of the cardboard and it's occasionally moistened, the cardboard will, however, disintegrate in a few months. Many people use it as an "underlayment" for the soil in their raised beds, putting the soil on top of the wet cardboard a month or so in advance of planting and then digging holes through it to set out deep-rooted plants like tomatoes or melons. Shorter-rooted plants like lettuce or strawberries do fine in even 6 inches of soil without digging through the cardboard. By the time they want to stretch their legs, the cardboard is on its way to disintegration. Earthworms LOVE corrugated cardboard and busily chew away on it, breaking it down. Anyway, corrugated cardboard is my mulch underlayment of choice. Free, biodegradable, and attractive to earthworms -- build it and they will come...

I'm not positive, but it resembles Alternanthera 'Partytime;' Here is a link that might be useful:

nope, it was identified susinctly by saltcedar as Clerodendrum+bungei. the swamp mallow has flowers, the glory bower has umbrels (like a hydrangea) here are some web sites to see it in its ... glory! (glory bower that is): http://www.californiagardens.com/Plant_Pages/clerodendrum_bungei.htm http://www.kartuz.com/pc/50903/7RFPG/Clerodendrum+bungei.html http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/1017318556014586042RucDEThKIw http://onaleeseeds.bizhosting.com/mexican_hydrangea_clerodendrum_bungei_plant.html http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/clebun.html http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0amp;ct=result&cd=1&q=clerodendrum+bungei&spell=1 these photos are identical to my friends' plant. i love this site. it just goes to show you that not everyboy knows it all, but together, WE DO! thanks so much.

Dax, I have noticed in my garden if you put Etoile Violette against another purple it takes on a very slight red tint - that is one way to verify your Etoile Violette. As for the other purple some ideas to check out are Jackmanii, Jackmanii Superba and Polish Spirit. You can look these up on the Hull Database. I just checked and cannot get into the Database right now so if you can't access it right away try later on. Katie Here is a link that might be useful: Hull Database