Thank you for straightening me out, Sherry. I thought it was just thistle. Hollyhocks are indeed lovely garden plants. And Pearly everlasting is a nice little plant for the fall. I want to put in more fall bloomers next year-asters, in particular, but also goldenrod. The ornamental grasses also look great at that time of year. I put in switchgrass this year, and I am quite happy with it. Maybe I will put in some Lovegrass-I saw it at the National Arboretum recently and I thought it was very pretty. We have to provide something for our little skipper friends!

Thank-you people! We now have a fairly long dry creek which needs to handle a high volume of water. It has two levels - water comes in from the top and is "visual" and then directly under this is a hidden french drain - they all drain into a dry pond which will be filled with moisture loving native plants to clean the ground water - then it all goes back into a pipe and down the way. There are also funky tributaries to our dry creek to handle all the water coming down the bank, a few more areas need to be incorporated. It was made by the contractors and we just used rip rap but I will also add in my concrete "chunks" and the few nice found rocks the contractors dug up while grading. Eduarda, thanks for that article! It's perfect. Essentially I want mine to look like a cross between Cameron's beautiful dry creek and the Fine Gardening dry creek. Cameron, I will need to get some ideas from you about the native grasses you planted in here. Luckily I will have the ability, if necessary to "reverse" the flow of water from stored water back into the dry creek to keep everything moist. A pump and an underground water line that runs back up to the "front" of the stream will do the trick. So far our "project" is shaping up very well. A few more things need to happen before the patios go in - more retaining walls and drainage. I've got a LOT of planting to do these next few years. I have a feeling winter sowing will be my best friend!

Alexa, the maple giving Alex Summers a hard time, is that a red maple or a Japanese maple? I am taking delivery this Saturday of two Japanese maples which are the full moon maples, one the chartreuse green and the other the gold autumn colors. That will bring my count of Japanese maples to 5, not too many unless I have trouble with the roots. Our problem here is not rocks and such, it is rampant tree and shrub roots. Like oak, pecan, sweet gum, camphor trees, and very large ligustrum, crape myrtle, dogwoods, camellias, and so on. The only maples anywhere around will be my fairly young Japanese trees.

That's a great tip if you just want a funny-shaped pan for a one-time cake or molded salad, even! I think a foam-core bottom with poster board sides would work fine, all covered in foil. Woody and I always greet each other at the door when one of us gets home. It's required! It makes both of us feel welcomed and cherished and I think that's a good thing. Stick a drink in my hand and I'll think you're the bomb! (Actually, if I'm coming in from work, there's usually a glass of wine waiting for me, I love that. Sit, sip, watch the news or visit and unwind a bit, it's wonderful. I don't know how that could be a bad thing.)