Very cool pics. I think the bees are the only beneficial I get, lol. I have tons of grasshoppers and aphids. Not so many ladybugs, I've never seen a mantis here. We did relocate a salamander from grandma's to the ditch in the backyard. I hope he is happy there. Tons of mosquitos and my dog got heart worm, after much treatment she seems ok but we won't know till her regular check up in the fall. This year I'm doing mosquito dunks for sure. I'm also going to plant way more annual flowers in and around my veg. gardens in an attempt to foil the baddies and attract the goodies. That gray worm was icky looking, ewwwww. Especially the tufted eyebrows, lol. The mantis babies were fascinating. I have to remember to show this thread to my daughter. I've never seen those before. I will say that if you plant a bee balm don't put it right next to the front door of the house. It makes for some exciting times.

Oh! Sorry, I should have posted my link! Here it is: http://www.gardenweb.com/members/exch/shailadi

I LOVE this thread..how interesting to read about each and every one of yours gardening "lives" and the changes it has seen..kinda like a cats 9 lives.. :) This post is at a very appropriate time for me...I have been gardening for 32 years to some degree or another. I am a farm girl tho I now live in "town" a tiny little midwestern barely paved street town :). My first gardening years were much like many of yours. Renee, I giggled outloud at your post. My first gardens were a collection of anything given to me as I was raising a family and had little money for something as frivolous as flowers even tho I adored them. My grandmothers and my mom and mother in law gave me extras..some lived..some I learned by :). In those years my freebies were mostly iris, money plant, old fashioned roses and peony. As the years moved on, I did a bit of seeds..direct sown..and snapdragons became a passion, along with marigolds and zinnias. A few more years passed and the petunia and then dalhias became my passion. I really thought I was A GARDENER THEN :) Every year that passed I would find a new passion..some new "trend" of the year for me...I was really focused on the wow factor of annuals for quite a few years....then about 7 or 8 years ago I decided annuals were beautiful but so soo expensive. I really loved the punch of annuals while I was building the less showy but longer lasting punch of other things in my gardens...so everywhere I had a blah spot..I added a container....it got soooo expensive...beautiful..but expensive..I began reducing those containers a bit..the watering got to be a full time job. Luckily I work in a school system and that allows me much time to garden during the warm months of the midwest..my passion began spreading to those around me. I "rubbed off" on many of the girls I worked with by sharing with them :) This year, before the season here began, I found out my daughters pregnancy was once again this time to be troubled...and most likely would head down the bedrest trail again..this time tho, she has a very active three year old and lives two hours from me....my summer will most likely be spent traveling and helping assure we see a healthy full term grandchild..so bye bye most of those containers...I can't water them and keep them when I am two hours away for a week or two at a time. I began dumping and storing...It is ACTUALLY a relief...my other stuff looks so much better without the "stuff" cluttering the beds... What was I thinking all those years...I added instead more knockouts..(sorry rose lovers) and hydrangeas and lily...I also used the "someday" I wont be able to do all of this mindset and thought hydrangeas and roses and lily are much punch with nominal work..so I am a long way away from those earlier years..and even a longer way from five years ago. I have less, but I have more beauty now and far more texture and layering. I credit this forum and a few good gardening magazines with most of that success.. :) Thank you Garden Web for changing my style. My new motto..beautiful gardens are ONLY beautiful if you can keep them up...afford them, and enjoy them...so let no one else make you feel you need more..or should have less...do what suits you, and change when change is needed :)

Im not giving much of oppotunity to Inky ;););)....... Temple's garden never mean to be park or nor for peoples. Since many big temple ,zen temple lost suport from roler and noble, Open the garden to public for income/profit. Since then ,none of monk have spend even one day of hunger. Meiiji Empror who tried to destroy Buddhim and bring shinto as relegion of nation, made new law. monk can marry, eat meat etc. It is another way to destory Buddhism. Japanese monks and Buddhism took and grab oppotuity of centurys. even after Meiiji empror is gone , power of Emporor are striped off, many monks and sect of Buddsim keeps law of man, even after the man is dead and forget precept of Buddha. They are living in greenhouse. out side of green house is too cold or too hot, waiting people to come into greenhouse. I know that not all of manks are same. but too little number of Good Japnese monks exsist. plantfleak: Have you been to Yakushima yet ? If you have chance to visit to Yakushima, Please tell us about it.... Yama