I think the message as it applies here is that we shouldn't be afraid of using synthetics in lawn care just because they contain chemicals. Just because something has an "ingredient" with a funny looking name that may be hard to pronounce doesn't mean that it's necessarily bad or wouldn't be produced naturally. For example, organic fertilizers can cause chemical run off just like synthetic fertilizers. Somewhat off topic, someone asked me what I was feeding my dog because her fur was so shiny and smooth. This person couldn't believe when I told her that I feed her bagged, dry dog food from the pet store. "All those chemicals and artificial ingredients! It's just not natural!" This person fed her dog a raw diet, and I guess she was assuming that plopping a round of filet mignon into the food bowl was somehow more natural than dog food. To me, that's just as unnatural. (Her dog was also suffering from conditions that may or may not have been related to diet, including terrible fur quality and weak bone issues...) Giving a dog a T-bone is as unnatural as dropping countless pounds of soy meal in a lawn to feed it., just as broadcasting Scotts Lawnfood is equally unnatural to feeding your dog dry kibble. There is nothing natural about a lawn (or farming or gardening, for that matter). There was an entire hoopla about this years ago, which is why the word "organic" is used where "natural" used to be. Lawns do not exist in nature without human intervention. Stop mowing, feeding and weeding the lawn for a single season and you will see my point. In nature, success would be a single seed out of thousands germinating and surviving log enough to produce more seed. In the man made lawn, success is typically 85-90% germination at a minimum, with the constant upkeep to ensure proper care for many years, and the prevention of any grass plants from producing seed. At any rate, I was going for a lighthearted post with that image and not something of serious analysis.

Grow sweet potatoes in your own backyard Sweet potatoes are usually harvested 120 to 180 days after transplanting. They should be harvested with care, since skins are thin and delicate. Sweet potatoes aren't consumed immediately after harvest. Potatoes should be cured in a warm and humid area for five to 10 days. After curing, potatoes should be kept in a cool and dry area. http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Nov/24/il/FP611240317.html You can dig into the ground to check the sweet potatoes to see whether it is ok to harvest after 4 or 5 months. I harvested my regular sweet potatoes about 5 months after transplanted. I keep some small sweet potatoes underground overwinter and keep some in my garage too, it will grow again when the temperate get warm again from the roots, we have frost and hard freeze too in the winter. If your area is no frost, you can have some cuttings now and grow them, they will continue to grow until next year. I bought the Okinawan sweet potatoes from the flea market here and tried to grow many times, but failed. Where did you get the Okinawan sweet potatoes? This post was edited by JCTsai on Mon, Sep 29, 14 at 19:30

Al makes a good point; pruning to bring back a garden that has been let go, or overplanted to begin with, may mandate a good hack or even removals. A garden full of fast growing vines will more likely need regular monthly pruning to keep from looking hacked. I well understand the desire to stay away from the "meatball" look, but you'll most likely need to be willing to pay a higher hourly rate for more skilled pruning, which many people aren't willing to pay. I'd suggest you look in your neighborhood to see if there are gardens being maintained in the style you prefer, and ask the owners who the use. It might also be more affordable to have two levels of garden maintenance; a regular monthly maintenance gardening service if you have lawns and sweeping to do, and a quarterly fine pruning service for the more skilled work, and have them also coordinate with the monthly service via direct supervision or written maintenance guidelines for pruning style and frequency. Speaking from experience here, detailed pruning that strives for a "can't tell it was heavily pruned look", will always take more time and cost more money. It may also be a situation where you have a too densely planted garden full of high maintenance type plantings, and a redesign or editing may be called for if you can't afford to pay for the maintenance per the style of pruning you prefer. I'd suggest you be prepared to pay at least $45/hourly for higher end pruning, which adds up quickly if you've got a lot to prune. With my own design clients here in the SF Bay Area, one full day of garden pruning and cleanup can often be a $1000 bill, in addition to their monthly gardener. I have some clients who actually do their own regular maintenance and have my crew come in and prune two or three times a year. Some will always comment that they had no idea I'd be pruning so much,or that it was necessary, but 6 years on the job speaks for itself.

I am looking to create a privacy screen which will: rise to 6 ft (no less but hopefully not much more either), provide excellent color much of the year via flowers even after pruning, be a moderate to low water user once established, and look good within a somewhat English style garden as opposed to a palm oriented tropical garden or a desert scape. The hedge would be in the coastal San Diego sun virtually all day. I couldn't find a plant that would do all this and stand on its own, so I am thinking of using a Distictis Buccinatoria or Laxiflora to grow up a wide, 6 ft tall trellis for structure. My theory is the distictis will provide lots of desired flowers without too many being lost to pruning. I am curious if the laxiflora and/or buccinatoria will be dense enough when grown to fill in and hide the trellis structure... making the plant appear as a 6 ft high hedge. I was also considering the Escallonia but it sounds as if pruning to maintain 6 ft tall and 3 to 4ft thick hedge will knock out virtually all of the blooming. I would be grateful for any replies... or any attractive alternatives. Sooner is better as I need to get this privacy screen up to make my neighbor happy. : ) Thank you This post was edited by widmark on Sat, Feb 8, 14 at 21:48