Some great comments on here, and some of the nicest "ugly" combos I've ever seen! And some of the neighborhood stories.... where do you start!? LoL I'm a color disaster. My wife frequently points it out in my clothing choices and even I can pick it out in the garden. But it doesn't bother me and having such a lousy track record makes it look like I walked on water when I get it halfway right! Here's a bad one. It's got variegation, chartreuse, pastels and a bold red... and a couple weeds for good measure.

Thank you so much everyone! I love sharing my garden with you! -dawiff, I believe you are looking at the Rhubarb plant. Isn't it neat? I love the fact that it is edible and decorative. It gets some shade, which I think makes it grow even larger. The blooms are neat too; they are like giant Astilbes. And it looks so alien-like comming out of the ground in spring. -Annie, oh you are wonderful! Thank you for your kind comments, they are very much appreciated. ;-) -Nell, tulips in July! If only I could! I am having trouble finding things to fill the space. I am trying to find an evergreen shrub and a few larger plants to fill the space. I am always at a loss as to what to put in full sun. If this were a shade garden it would already be full, lol! I was thinking of: a late blooming tree Peony in yellow, white, or orange-ish, a gold evergreen shrub, Ironweed, a large perennial geranium, and a large type of Euphorbia. Maybe a rose too, though I am a little wary of roses, since I don't have the best of luck with them sometimes. I also want to put some focal point there, like an obelisk or statue. What do you guys think of those plants? Have any other suggestions? Oh! I forgot to post this pic. I like this one. I had a row of Iris here, but took them out and replaced them with large rocks to finish the pathway. It looks so much better. CMK

You got that right! A few successes and THEN add the enablers and watch out dl addiction! I was into roses when I lived in a climate where they were easy to grow. Now I still love them but have scaled way back to a few that will perform OK without pampering. I'm sticking mostly to hardy vintage & OGR this time around because I most love the quartered look & strong fragrance. I hate to grow anything that I have to pamper. Don't want to spray every few weeks or lift them out of the ground before frost or other such mucking around in order to keep them alive & looking decent. If I give them good soil, plenty of water, a little fertizer once in awhile- well I want blooms for my trouble. That's not too much to ask and daylilies don't really ask for any more. Iris too for that matter, though I wish they bloomed longer.

Hi Phoggie & All, Well no, I have not left him. But yes, I have gotten on with my life! We are living together quite peacefully as I have completely detached from the whole "stepkid/family" issue. In fact I have only seen them once in the past year at Christmas. I'm still looking to purchase a home. My previous offer fell through a week from close. It was a short sale & quite a learning experience. Dh seems to have come to terms that if we are to have a life together, I'm not going to be a part of his childrens lives and they are not going to be a part of mine. I know it must seem cold, but I just can't do that or go there anymore. I don't see myself ever having any type of a meaningful relationship with them in the future. I do worry this is painful for DH, but I have to protect myself & my wellbeing. I'm still going south for the winter the end of Oct to be near my son & family, DH will come visit when he can/work allows. I'm already getting excited to go spend time with my kid & folks. I get a little lonely at times because we both work so much and he spends a lot of time going to his house or fishing but when we are together it's peaceful, no arguing and we enjoy each others company. At times I wonder how long we can go on like this. Together, yet seperate but somehow it works. I can tell you though that DH behaves like a loving thoughtful spouse and that there isn't any major drama or issues going on between he & I in the least. It is quiet and nice. I don't hear about too much with his kids unless he is venting to me out of sheer frustration and I just listen. And he feels better, and we move on. He is able to just let go and enjoy being part of us because there is not the constant drama & upset driving us apart. The best way I can describe it is that I just stepped away from it all and started enjoying my life and things I like to do again. I can't even describe how much more peaceful my life is since I desengaged from the whole situation. It's not perfection, but I am in a much happier place emotionally now. I do suspect that DH longs for family togetherness where everyone meshes into one big happy family however, thats just not realistic-for us. That's about it for me..thank you for thinking of me. Now I need to go catch up with all of you :0) ~Cat