Thanks for the nice comments, everyone. And thanks all for visiting my blog. I have now taken actual individual pics of WS blooms that I will post soon. :-D Shasta - I went with the modified lasagna method on the 3 new beds because I didn't want to dig anything. I mowed the lawn as short as I could, wet the paper and laid it down, and have been putting all my (and my nabe's) grass clippings over the paper this summer. I'd guess the sod underneath won't be totally dead/broken down until next year. The geraniums are just in pots nestled into the grass clippings so the new/future bed didn't look so bare this year. The caster beans were just an experiment. I dug a tiny hole through the clippings/paper/sod and shoved in sprouted plants with just a tad of fert. Didn't expect any action because the lawn under the paper was rock hard. Still, they are turning out WAY better than I expected. Next year under those 2 beds the sod will be dead then I'll decide then if I'll till or dig or just keep layering with clippings/compost/ etc. I'll keep ya updated on the blog. Mnwsgal - I've never grown hollyhocks before. These things just amaze me - and anyone who sees them. My property abuts a golf course and I've had golfers hail me and ask for tours just so they could come see the hollyhocks up close. LOL Pitimpinai - Yeah, WS is some kind of magic. I mean who knew? And boy am I hooked! :-D Kris

Don, as far as I can figure out, blackberry lily and candy lily are 2 different plants, but I have never been able to figure out much of the difference. This plant was from a seed trade on the seed exchange and they where labeled candy lily and I've called it that since. Blackberry lily seems to bloom with flowers that look the same to me as the candy lily and the pods with seeds look the same as well. BUT, blackberry lily can come in yellow, pinks, reddish colors and lavender as well. I loved how the flowers stay open for one day, start to close up and the next day are twisted like candy. Was able to get a couple of shots tonight of the closing blooms at various stages. I've been WS for 7 years now and the surprises that come from the dumped "no shows" is enough to boggle the mind. Sometimes they don't come till next year and sometimes they show up this year. Like this one from this year. Supposed to be 5 foot tall sunflower strawberry blonde. Well it was a no show in the container and it was tossed 3 weeks ago. Decided to take an early morning stroll around the yard before the heat and humidity returned and this poor "thing" was growing sideways in my "dumb bed". 2 feet tall, about 3 inch flower that looks just like the strawberry blonde, bound and determined to bloom though. Put it in the ground this morning. And these where tossed last year as no shows as well Datura metal. Low and behold, these got dug up early this morning and put in pots till I get them in the ground. And this cosmos about 10 inches tall was blooming in the middle of the side lawn near my iris. I didn't plant it, I didn't WS any cosmos this color this year, or any other year. I figure it was a gift from the birds, a lovely gift and will move this as well and save seeds from it. They were a pleasant surprise today. Daisydawnny, my malva zebrina have been beautiful this year as well. I tried experimenting with them this year. Some are in pots and some are in the ground. I let some of them get really tall on their own and others I kept cutting back before blooming so that they where really full, branching and short. I like the look of both, short and bushy in the pots and tall in the ground. will have to get some pics this week to post of them in the pots. Bev, between the weather, heat and humidity for so long now and the onslaught attacks of the chipmunks, I'm surprised I have any thing left growing. Actually, some seedlings I did lose to them, and my tomatoes got severe run in with the neighborhood groundhog last week. 3 feet tall are now about 8-10 inches on some of them. Added to that is a mandatory every other day watering ban now, so lots of mulch and deep soaking every other day has helped as well. Here's a few more pics from today dahlia fireworks pink stripe, I love this particular one and have saved the tubers for the past couple of years 4 o'clock yellow/pink flower marigold disco flame Fran

Thanks everyone for the compliments! Daylily season is coming to a close in my garden, which makes me sad but also eager for next year to come. Only about half of the dl's I got this year bloomed, and I'm sure I'll order more over the winter whilst I sit here bored and need to spend money on some more plants...lol! So that only means more pictures to come next year. Looking forward to 2009 already! Karen

Thanks again to all for the nice comments! I still find it hard to believe that I've worked so hard all my life to try to keep that original slope looking good......mowing lawn on a slope was not easy and I had finally done away with grass and had planted a variety of ground covers and bulbs, with cedar mulch. Still, it needed a lot of maintenance and weeding, which was not easy to do standing on the hill. And now.......I have a level front yard! After all these years I wonder why it wasn't done years ago! And leveling it created a new space that is really fairly large and usable. Cost a bit, but well worth it. Carol, Crocosmia is a bulb, or actually a corm very much like a gladiolus (to which I believe they are related). The foliage is very similar also. I bought these as a potted clump in late spring about 3 years ago, but I believe you can buy them as corms online and from catalogs. There are several kinds and most are hardy in either zone 5 or 6 depending on the variety. Ellen, Yes that Hesperaloe parvifolia (aka red yucca) is really nice. It should form a nice clump in time. There's also a yellow variety which I might add someday. Terrene, It may prove to be a sort of heat source and I'm eager to try some new things out front. The rest of the property is traditional...........lawn and flower beds, small shade garden and a soon-to-be patio behind the garage (now just wild grass that I keep mowed.) ego, I really want something more open and airy. Something as tall as 20' and dense will block the view of the house from the street and also my view out the front window.