It's too bad that you cant go just a tad bit shorter than 2 to 3 feet, I had lots of suggestions for you that stays with the same one plant, but with color varations. One suggestions was to go with the Cosmic cosmos--all three colors red, orange and yellow which are totally stunning and vibrant mixed together. And incredibly easy to grow from seed! Another suggestion was Magellan zinnias, which will grow like dwarf hydrangea shrubs smothered with handsized blooms that last for months. I had blooms that did not need be removed for 4 months, I kid you not! And there is just about every color available, coral, ivory, yellow, pink, scarlet, cherry, orange, salmon. I am growing over 400 of these this year. Another suggestion was a mixture of Celosia 'Fresh Look' colors in red, orange,and yellow. Most people hate celosia because they have never had good luck with keeping them going, but the Fresh Looks are very stunning, lush, healthy plants that get just under 2 foot tall, if I remember correctly. Another suggestion was to do Gomphrena, in a mixture of colors. Gomphrena, if plants are kept together and properly spaced will grow to a 2 foot tall airy "shrub" that stands up to rain, drought, etc. I grow the "All Around Purple', 'Strawberry Fields', and other colors from Park Seed, including white, rose and bicolor rose. Dont underestimate those small colored balls! They can REALLY make a huge standout, if they are grown correctly. I second the idea of using Profusion zinnias. These are like the perfect daisy like flower! Also, the blooms did not need removed for 4 months, available in colors: cherry, white, orange, Fire (reddish orange) and Apricot (my favorite). Very easy to grow from seed. You may want to check into the Tidal wave Petunias. If you space them about 2 foot apart, they will spread out like you wouldnt believe and grow to about 2 foot tall. I have never seen a petunia grow like this before last year! Though, the silver would blend right into your house color, but they do make a purple, hot pink, and cherry color that I will be doing this year. Tidals have a massive branching system to them. Do a search on gardenweb and you will find lots of pictures and ideas for them.

Greenmantle nursery has several red fleshed crabapples, called the Sweetmeat crab hybrids. The website is a delight to read, with interesting information on EtterÂs hybridization of apple trees. I asked the owner to recommend a red fleshed apple that was the sweetest (some can be very sour). He suggested the Rubaiyat as being one of the best reds, and the Muscat de Venus as being one of the best crabapples, although it doesnÂt have red flesh. They were only available as bench grafts. He doesnÂt wrap his scions of the graft in parafilm tape, so they die more easily than other nurseries. IÂm on my third Rubaiyat, with no buds yet, trying to get one to live. The Muscat de Venus has leafed out, and looks like itÂs going to make it. Kuffelcreek Nursery offers the Etter 16-32 Crab as a bench graft, as well as several other crabapples, but are sold out for 2008. All the bench grafts IÂve ordered from there live, and grow big the first year. The Dorset Golden I bought from there is fruiting its second year from a benchgraft. Trees of Antiquity offers two red fleshed crabapples, which sound like the sour kind ("makes good pickles"). TheyÂre sold out also.

it's definitely not nutsedge, which has a different and distinctive look. first question to ask yourself:is it the exact same grass as the rest of your lawn? if it is, then extra water or fertilizer in that area is producing extra fast growth. If it's definitely a different plant, then you have a weed grass in there. I've had that. Big mess. Hard to get rid of. Good luck

Stevia can be quite temperamental. It can die in what seems like perfect conditions for no reason at all except to spite you. Its saving grace is that sometimes it only pretends to die and will resurrect - sometimes taking up to a year to make up its mind to do it - so if that happens to you, don't give up on it, but keep giving the occasional drink to an apparently dead plant! Certainly, it will die (or die right back) if you allow it to flower. It's not a particularly fast grower, is very slow to get going in fact, and it doesn't spread. I've never, ever had any luck propagating from my plant, though I've tried many times, using seed I've collected and cuttings. The plant is climatically suited to climates from temperate to sub-tropical where temperatures range between 21-43C, with an average of 24°C, but it will also grow in the tropics, where it prefers shade and will also grow in cold climates with winter protection. Plants in the ground have been noted to take minimal frosts. It's dormant in winter and often loses its leaves, even here in the subtropics, which shows that it's really happiest in warmer climates. It likes regular water, but won't tolerate water-logged conditions. It can be a gangly plant, so it's a good idea to stake it to begin with, or to plant several plants close together. Once it's older, it can stand up quite nicely. In short - theoretically it should be an easy plant to grow, but in practice it presents quite a challenge. More detail (the theory part of it!): Propagate by seeds or by tip cuttings taken in summer, or root division in spring. Seeds are notoriously infertile and slow to germinate. Flowering usually occurs 54-104 days after transplanting. Plants in the ground have been noted to take minimal frosts. It is a somewhat temperamental plant and may be slow to grow at first. Even in ideal conditions, it is not uncommon for plants to die suddenly or to lose their leaves. As long as the roots are alive, the plant may regrow. Poor, loose, well drained soil is recommended. The plants need to be well-mulched so that surface feeder roots do not dry out. For gardeners in cold climates, it is recommended that plants be started in large pots so that the pot can be moved to a warm verandah in winter. In cold climates, the plant may go dormant to the ground. As stevia does not over-winter outdoors in freezing conditions, the roots are lifted in autumn and stored indoors in perlite or sand and then set outside again in spring. Stevia requires regular watering in dry periods but has poor tolerance to long waterlogging or to saline water or soils. In its natural habitat, the plant occurs naturally on acid soils of 4-5 pH but will grow well on soils up to 9 pH. Leaf yields can be increased with a moderate application of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilisers. Plants also respond well to liquid seaweed as a foliage spray applied fortnightly. As soon as the plant flowers, the leaf production slows down, so it is an advantage to nip off flower buds, to encourage further leaf development. If the plant is left to flower, the tip leaves take on a slightly bitter overtone. Plant will die if left go to flower, so it should be cut back repeatedly to prevent flowering.