I was thinking like froufrou, too, Marlene...I'd leave it the color it is & then just take some of those oval sponge thing-ies that you spongepaint with...and dip them in some shades of green paint/maybe black/dark blue (outdoor paint)...& then dab ALOT on newspaper before you "spongepaint" on the cinderblock. I put sphagnum moss in my copper kettle around a couple terracotta pots I have sitting in it...the only trouble is all the rain always is knocking it down & kind of moldy-looking...ugh! Just LOVE your new (old) fountain! I mentioned "tropical plants" in other post...just think they look cool with water features...even potted Caldium (if spot is semi-shady enough). Have fun! Jeanne S.

Hi Arlene, I've been making and selling pressed flower cards for a number of years and almost gave up making them because they just weren't durable enough to withstand the mail. Thankfully I came across "Perfect Paper Adhesive", which can act as a tough, flexible UV resistant sealant as well as an adhesive. It does a super job protecting pressed flowers and is virtually invisible. I use it to glue my flowers down, as well as to seal them. It can be found at some craft stores, or on my website. Happy Creating! Here is a link that might be useful: Perfect Paper Adhesive

In gardening, always start with your soil first. (Repeat three times! :) Just a couple of things. Compost does not smell, assuming you are using a reasonably balanced combination of green stuff: grass clippings, plant prunings, kitchen peels, etc; and brown stuff: fall leaves and pine straw. It's not difficult to make compost. Start piling it up. I would wait to add grass clippings to the pile until next year, if you add them at all. We have a mulching mower and just let the clippings fall to feed the lawn. I get plenty of green stuff from the kitchen and beds. If there's anything that will make a compost pile smell bad, it would be grass clippings added in thick layers. Mix them in to brown stuff for sure. If you only have one thing to compost, leaves are the best. You can pick them up in the fall with your lawn mower (bag on), and dump the (now) chopped up leaves on your beds as mulch, use them in your compost pile, or as a very important ingredient to your lasagna gardening. Truly, you'll do a better job if you think about soil prep this fall and planting next spring. (Repeat three times. :) If you have heavy clay (don't we all?), you'll be happy to know that horse manure is a nearly perfect amendment to break it up and improve drainage. If you have a limitless supply, count your blessings and use it. You won't need much else, though other manures plus leaves are all the better. Note: Manure will burn plant roots if it is fresh, especially chicken manure. Always add it to the compost pile for awhile, OR let it set in your beds through the winter before adding plants in the spring. For a no cost, wonderful soil prep job, take your shovel and plunge it as deeply as you can (shovel's depth is good) into the soil every six inches and pull back to break it. ( No need to turn or till.) Then put down a l0 sheet thickness of newspaper over the entire area, then layer on chopped leaves and manure this fall, as deep as you can get (18" is not too deep), rake it level, and cover the whole pile with pinestraw. Come spring, you'll have the most beautiful soil you ever saw. If possible, collect extra leaves from neighbors to start your compost pile this fall. Pile them up in a convenient, but out of sight place (tomato cages will keep them from blowing away) and add kitchen scraps (no meat or oily stuff), and manures, etc. to it through the winter. Weeds are okay too, as long as they don't have seeds or bulbous roots. (Compost aficionados will tell you even these are okay, but I learned years ago to take no chances.) Keep adding green stuff to it throughout the year: pulled up pansies in the spring, spent daylily foliage, prunings, etc. Even if you never turn your pile, in a year's time it will be ready to add as a top dressing to your beds. Start a new pile each fall. Make it a rule to add a shovelful of compost to any and every planting hole you dig, except that first spring when it's unnecessary. The secret to good soil is plenty of organic matter. It breaks down over time, though, so you have to keep it coming. Every fall, add an inch deep layer over your entire bed area. Your plants will love it. As far as plant choices are concerned, open your eyes. Look at landscapes in your area and note the things that you like and that are doing well. Where are they planted? Sun? Shade? How big are they? What are they growing near that looks nice with them? Ask questions. Find out the names of things, so you know what to get at the garden center. If the people don't know the name, take a picture of the plant with you to the garden center. Ask family and friends for cuttings from their gardens. You can start evergreen cuttings now through fall. You can start deciduous cuttings fall through winter. Alot of the most popular old fashioned southern favorites are easy to start this way and grow quickly: boxwoods, Indian Hawthornes, loropetalum, hydrangeas, spireas, weigelas, gardenias, etc. Also let your friends and family know that you would love their extras when they divide daylilies, monkey grass, and such as that. When I am dividing it kills me to throw away plants. I am thrilled if someone will just say they want them. If your soil isn't ready when the plants are available, pot them up and keep them watered until you're ready for them. It will save big money. Just FYI it typically takes a shrub about three years to grow from a cutting to a one gallon sized shrub. The trade-off for you is time versus money. Which do you have? If you're short on patience AND money, use seeds in your beds for those early years while your shrubs are growing in. Gardening doesn't have to be expensive, if you can be creative. Have fun!

Hi Phyllis, You can use a regular self-healing mat with the CM cutting system. I use the Fiskars mat or sometimes a glass square. The glass is technically a no-no though since it dulls the blades. BTW, the CM self-healing mat is thicker than the Fiskars one, but either will be fine. You will need the red/blue/green CM cutting blades. You can buy them as a set or individually. They are about $4-$5 per blade I *think*. Enjoy! I love my CM cutting system. It's awesome.