Rita, There are actually four big gray fish "hiding" in that pond!! You have to really look to see them in person, much less see them in a photograph. The smallest one is about ten inches long. Zeke is so big now that it still surprises me when I actually stop and look at him. I have many smaller frogs here, but, thankfully, no bull frogs. When I soak daylilies, if the pan is under the tree, there is usually a frog in the pan when I empty the water out. I never see them until they hop out and onto the ground. Every year in May we have tadpoles covering the sides of the pond. The noise the frogs make when they "sing" is quite loud. When the grandkids were younger, they would get into major trouble, since they thought they just had to catch some tadpoles and their mothers knew somebody would get wet doing it. But they would sneak out and do it anyway. Now there are two more grandchildren, little boys, one and three years old that will be sure to want to catch tadpoles of their own...and Noah, the 3 year old, won't mind wading into the pond to do it. In fact, he will probably try to swim in the pond. DH and I stopped and picked up a box turtle today that was trying to commit suicide on the main road. I released him in the yard, but DH assures me the turtle will not stay in the yard. That's too bad. It would be kind of nice to have a pretty box turtle (the shell not the rest of him is pretty) crawling around the yard. Expanding the pond is a lot of work, but it will be pretty when it is finally finished. If it ever cools off down here, the work will go faster. 97 is the predicted high today. At least it is less than a hundred. Rita, You have a lovely pond even if you can't make it bigger due to space considerations. The rocks and the fish make it so attractive and it is a nice spot to relax and enjoy the yard and all the work you have put into it. kay

I do wish Willow Dean Smith had more of the eye-no-edge look, but perhaps our cooler temps this summer have affected the color. It was just planted last year, so I don't think I've seen it at its best yet. Chateau Belair was so fast to get going in my garden I couldn't believe it. It was full of buds last year and looks like it will exceed that count this year. Ruby Lipstick performed the same way last year. Most of the early blooms wouldn't open all the way and were definitely more yellow than cream. This year has been worse, so I'm assuming it prefers a warmer climate.

The roots were short. A quarter to a half an inch. Usually I wait till they are longer but wanted to get them in ground. These daylilies were planted in my used to be veggie garden so it is very compost enriched soil. I do use a bagged fertilizer like plant tone or flower tone first thing each spring. Plus I add alfalfa pellets. Then after bloom season or just at the end I use Neptunes LIquid Seaweed Fertilizer.

Debra, those are Red Vinca,, they are annuals, and a few purple verbena is mixed in it too but cant see them hardly any more. Mantis,I wouldn't dream of sending this heat your way, but, I wish some cooler tempsw ould come this way.temp was 96 here today but felt like 100. weather man said,and I don't doubt it for a second Nancy,z6 secret friend has been here I think 4 years and hasn't multiplied at all here, plan to repot it in a differen t potting mix about sept, and see if it will do better next season.When I moved,I dug itup and pottd it with the soil it was in, so maybe it will do batter next year, I had poor soil where it was at, and the soil he r e is worse.cant make a hole in this soil with a hatchet, as I tried that,