Thank you all - they are definitely very me whatever that is. I actually had more of a color scheme going originally but somehow they have multiplied into every color and I like it. I do have more pastels in the front and hotter colors as you move behind the deck. The house is not really that big but it's spread out and has a lot of volume. I really like things rather neat if you can imagine that with all this disorder and I like to see a repetition down the garden of something that is starring at the moment - daffodils in a similar tone in the spring, then the peonies and iris, then the daylilies, later it's asters and phlox. You know the funny thing about that CindySunshine name is I totally made it up as I was registering on gardenweb out of nothing - but I am definitely a sunshine girl always have loved summer and sunshine. If you look at that first picture with the front borders, I am standing on the driveway - if you look thru the daylilies (and BTW that is "Cherry Chapeau" that is the brilliant burst of color in the foreground) past the flowers around the lamppost and then the line of big trees, that's where the orchard is - you drive up through it as you go up toward the house. If you turn to your left that's where the butterfly garden is that I posted earlier. We built the house 20 years ago - we literally crawled thru the brush and hacked things down to find that there was a lovely spot up here to build. I was thrilled to find the combination of trees in the background, but sunny areas around the house for my gardens. The ground was really not very good at all - we built it up mostly with just work, compost, mulch, weeding, weeding, weeding, weeding - sometimes I feel like I've spent half my life weeding - LOL. Here's the vegie garden a couple weeks ago before the corn got so tall... Quick view of the pond - I took this several weeks ago (notice the same gazing ball that is now engulfed in stuff in those shots this morning - I was worried at the time about the pedestel it stood on and whether I should paint it - like why bother - LOL. And finally behind the deck - I took this in the spring right after the japanese maples leafed out - my easiest least maintenance area of the garden - all I do is put a handful of fertilizer around them in the spring. They don't even ever get watered, hostas do great. Thank you all. :)

Hey, I see you're in Vermont...I just got back from Olallie's in S. Newfane....have you ever been there? (I'm in NH). I thought roses were addictive (I have over 300) but this is far worse because I can squeeze SO MANY MORE daylilies in a garden bed! I have made 3 garden beds this year alone for daylilies and I'm not done...(Maryott's is having a huge sale). Your photos are very nice and I also grow Spacecoast Krinkles. I like that even though it is ruffly it opens up well. Some of the more ruffled ones seem to dislike our cooler morning temps. It is so much fun collecting daylilies so enjoy 'sneaking around'....I am always sneaking in more & more and my hubby has lost count so I just tell him it's one I already had that hadn't bloomed before...LOL. Celeste

Good morning everyone! Aaahhhh Louie! Where can I begin? Since his arrival he has knocked over just about everything. Eaten 1 of our snakes (now, I can't confirm he killed it, but I did see him munching on it yesterday...can I say eeeewwwwww) And, he has single handedly mowed down almost all the flowers of my floating hearts. I did see him taking down my water celery last night. I want to be upset with him, but, I just can't. He's so little. Maybe a foot long. I told the kids he's like having another toddler running around. You just have to fix everything after he's finished with it. Bunzy (our paint turtle) and her two new paint turtle friends who showed up a few weeks ago, Bubba and Penelope (the kids named them, lol) all seem to be getting along just fine with each other. They were the only one's I was worried about. I'm going to try to get some pictures of him tonight. Last night I was feeding the fish and watching the turtles come up and eat the food. I was to zoned in on watching them that I started to get that weird feeling like I was being watched. I turn my head and there is LOUIE about 2 feet away from my feet munching away in the water. He is NOT afraid of people, lol! Sheri, LOL,I have no clue where he came from? We are close to the Seneca River. I say close, maybe a mile away, and our neighbors have ponds in their pastures. I don't know?? I can't imagine something so little traveling so far? Shirley, our "flying dinosaurs" have been making their nightly appearance as well. The herons aren't afraid of us either! The kids run at them yelling, they just walk to the other side of the pond. I put a couple of shepherds hooks down there with garden flags thinking moving things blowing around might scare them...nope. Hubby got me 2 beautiful heron statues last year for Christmas to scare them away. They stand right next to them, lol. The iris' did have a great spring! I did have some problems with rot afterward. I don't know if it was the crazy cold we had or what? I have a few die off completely. :( The ones that survived are multiplying like crazy. Your daylilies are so gorgeous! How large is Big Bird? I am picturing a very large flower head :) Col :) Yeah! It made it!! So happy!! I hope the Hawaiian Surf made it okay too? Since today is Friday, I've decided to call 2 BINGO WORDS :) THE BINGO WORDS FOR FRIDAY ARE: ALIEN'S STARDUST and OGON WOGON OH MY BINGO WORDS CALLED: 1. FLAMINGO TWISTER 2. DO THE MATH 3. TURTLE TIE DYE 4. TINTINNABULATION 5. ALIEN'S STARDUST 6. OGON WOGON OH MY'ERS: Shirley (brittneysgran) AND Alana (poisondartfrog) SWAP WITH EACH OTHER frankielynn AND Sue (sueguanzon) SWAP WITH EACH OTHER~~~frannkielynn SENT~~~ Kathie (sinbadsmom) AND Jayeanne (pinkiris) SWAP WITH EACH OTHER~~~ Jayeanne (pinkiris) SENT~~~Kathie (sinbadsmom) REC'D~~~ Sheri (panhandle_seed_swap) AND Cinnie0 SWAP WITH EACH OTHER~~~Sheri 1/2 SENT :)~~~~Cinnie0 REC'D~~~ Suzanne(hibiscusfan) SENDS TO Colcol Colcol SENDS TO Vina (flowergirl34) Vina(flowergirl34) SENDS TO Suzanne (hibiscusfan)~~SENT~~ Tomorrow is the last day to mail for our swap. I hope everyone has been in contact with your swap partners. Or if you made arrangements to mail a little later. If you haven't heard from your partner at all please let me know. Have a super Friday! vina ps. Tomorrow is the 50 mile long garage sale around here. It's amazing!! Kids are having a pool party today and tomorrow its all garage sales, lol. Iris: Ambrosia Fool

Sounds like you are adding quite a mixture! You are trying to achieve a soil with a high degree of humus in it. When you compost things to achieve humus, you combine brown organic material with green or nitrogen. The best ratio of these two materials are about 25 browns to 1 nitrogen, by weight. When you prepare your beds, of course you have to use what is available locally. Few of use can afford to truck in large amounts of anything. I like the following ingredients, but will substitute when needed. Use pine bark mulch, cones and bark nuggets. After aging for 6 months or so, they are excellent for browns, keep the beds aerated and retain moisture. Oak leaves are another excellent source for browns. Milorganite is a cheap, excellent source for nitrogen and iron. It's a slow release fertilizer that also prevents lots of pests that want to dig in your nice beds. Alfalfa pellets are another excellent source for nitrogen Both alfalfa and pine have components that promote plant growth. So if I start from scratch, add to a 4" sandy loam bed, 6" of browns and then by weight, add the appropriate amount of nitrogen. Apply a balanced fertilizer, like 10-10-10 to make sure you have adequate P and K. Turn the mixture over several times to make sure everything is combined and keep it moist so composting can take place. After a month of regular watering, you can plant in the bed. I usually work about a cup of milorganite in the mound under each plant. After a season or year, have a soil test performed on the bed and make any adjustments for fertilizing next spring.