It would be difficult (and time-consuming) to add that up, but especially if you buy organic vegetables, you will save money. Last year I purchased two kale plants and at the time I bought them I thought they were sort of expensive, I think they were over a dollar apiece. But they produced enormous amounts of kale for many months, until our weather got really hot in the early summer. I think I could have kept them alive through the summer if I had tried, but I needed the space for other things, and by then the kale leaves were tasting bitter. But for all those months, I noticed that organic kale of the same variety at the farmers market was about $4 a bunch. If I had bought just one bunch each week I guess would have saved between $80 and $100 just on kale. I was eating at least that much of it, and giving more away. Then there was the organic looseleaf lettuce I grew. I paid $2 or $3 for a large packet of mixed seed (still using it this year) and also supplied myself, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Organic lettuce was going for $2 to $3 a head but since I cut my lettuce leaves with scissors and let them regrow from the roots, I used the same plants all fall and winter and spring and saved an awful lot of money for myself and others. Beets were another good example. They are ridiculously easy to grow and a seed packet seems to last a lifetime. Yet organic beets (heck, even non-organic fresh beets) are very expensive at the market. Not every vegetable provides such a drastic cost comparison, of course. Zucchini squash is usually pretty cheap at the store, and of course it produces so much on the vine that you want to pay people to take it off your hands. Some other vegetables can be bought cheaply, although if you buy only organic vegetables most of those will cost twice as much as non-organic and that makes your cost comparison with homegrown a little more meaningful. But as most every gardener points out, the taste of homegrown food is much better, and the knowledge that food you grew yourself is safe for you and your family is priceless. When you factor in pride of accomplishment, convenience at cooking time, and the joy and pleasure of being close to nature, the value of gardening rises exponentially.

These look so good in front of red roses. I have this rose called "Intrigue." It has a purple tint to the blooms that is difficult to describe. This Yucca stands out with it. The colors just go together so well. I have also seen them with red knockout roses and they look good too. It also looks good with my Nepeta "Walker's Low," Penstemon "Dark Towers," and Mexican Hat Plant and various Echinaceas and ornamental grasses. I have found that they do well even when other plants are up against them. I have to prune my Nepeta away from it on occasion. I think this Yucca is one of the best garden plants ever. The color is so much better than most other plants. For example...The amsonia hubrichtii was the perennial plant of the year; however, it is so ugly compared to my Yucca 'Color Guard.' It did turn a dirty yellow in the fall, but it's floppy and the color didn't last long at all. This Yucca stays nice all year. It has pink tints in it right now because of the cooler temps.

We have 2 stray outside kitties now, Sam the siamese who has never been shy and follows me when I'm outside the gate, he will sit at the gate and meow at me if I'm inside. I think he is the sibling of BC, a black cat that adopted us just before Ike, and who evacuated with us. There is another black kitty out there who may be their littermate as I first saw it across the school yard about the same time. It is very skittish and I can't even get close enough to tell if male or female. Sam is going to the vet to get fixed as soon as we get back in the houe. I think the guy across the alley is responsible for them, I've found siamese mix kittens before. I'd like to confront him but have no proof-except empty litter boxes outside his house and the cats hang around his yard. BC prefers to go outside, so do my 2 cats who have the run of the house and yard-they choose to stay out most of the time. BC prefers the alley-dry and sandy, Oscar the neighbors yard behind her garage, no idea with Gomez or Sam. Gomez(female) is the only one I've had problems with spraying in the house, and not often. I feel bad for Sam sitting outside the gate, he's such a pretty cat, blue cross-eyes, perfect posture. I feed him and pet him about every day, sometimes I don't see him. Tally HO!

What are you wanting to light - plants, paths . . .? If it's paths, you want lights that only direct light downward, so folks won't be blinded but can see where their feet will be. For any change of grade such as steps you want that highlighted with extra lights such as strip lights under the front edges of steps (along the top of the risers) or low side-mounted lights washing across the face of the steps. I personally try to avoid uplighting, though many like it. I prefer not having the light pollution that it creates, and want to be able to see the stars (for myself and others.) We do have a few down-spots, but don't often use them. Especially in winter I enjoy having low level lights I can see across the garden during our long nights, and I use battery powered warm white LED holiday lights in various ways that I can leave up until the days are getting longer. They can be set to automatically come on around dusk and will then stay on for 5-6 hours.