Kristy, under no circumstances should you log onto the Lily Auction. You will be broke in no time and it's just like gambling, clicking on the buttons and out bidding other folks on that one plant you just can't live without. LOL Now remember dear your friend warned you. It' just like they tell little kids, don't get in the cookie jar. Can't wait to see what you come up with after you've had the opportunity to look at what all they have to offer you there. Wait till you see the prices of some of them for 1 fan only. LOL Go on, get your feet wet like the rest of us. Oh, by the way your Kwanso will take over the world. They do make a beautiful bed along driveways and such. Another thing, if you get started growing more and more and want to make some crosses of your own. It might be a good ideal to keep all your tets in one place and all the dips in another. I'm so crazy I didn't know you couldn't cross them with one another so mine are planted altogether and I don't have them marked tet or dips so that's another small chore I didn't do when marking them all. I think I now have well over 500 named daylilies. The first 350 or so where the older ones under $15 dollars. Now I spend a little more one the newer ones. Let's just say my daylily beds should be pretty interesting this summer. Remind me later this spring to send you some of the seedlings. Happy Gardening, Marian

I really appreciate all your replies. They've been very helpful. I ordered a rooter pot kit from Lee Valley! The branch in question is already close to the ground with plenty of length. The following photo is from the top and doesn't show the amount of branch available, but the arrow points to the place where it already naturally curves to touch the ground. Is there a best time of year to do this? All my plants are on drip irrigation and this spot gets no direct water until rain returns, if it ever does. Would I need to keep the spot where it touches the ground moist, or will moisture drawn up within the plant itself suffice? If I use ground layering, once it develops its own roots, can it be separated from the mother plant, dug up and moved? I have a couple of nearby places that might be better suited, conveniently along the existing drip line.

It is a small area. I have an area like that by the driveway and because you will shovel snow and salt a lot of things will not survive. I would go with a small flowering bush, and my favorite Geranium like Rozanne as suggested. Maybe another early blooming geranium. Rozanne blooms for me from July until snow fall. The small bush could be one of the Knockout rose. If you like yellow there I have a yellow knockout rose "Sunny Knockout" It is fragrant and with the Rozanne you would have a yellow and blue garden. My Sunny knockout blooms from June until snow fall. It takes the snow and salt events with no problem. If you want more flowers throw some annual seeds in Spring and you can have loads of flowers all summer. Plant some Spring bulbs for early color and some Asiatic lilies and oriental lilies. Shopping list for you... Lowes has the Sunny knockout rose for 10.98. They have some Asiatic and Oriental bulbs now for 6.98 with bags of 6 bulbs per bag. I have not seen the Gerainums at the big box stores or my local nurseries. You might have to order those. I like Santa Rosa Gardens they always have coupon sales. I think they are offering 25% off now. If you start now you could have that area covered and pretty this summer.

We are just one month into the three month summer season that we'd all like to fast forward, and if you have been keeping up with our blog, we're sure your landscape is looking like the best in the neighborhood. If you haven't been keeping up with our regular monthly landscape and garden tips, now is a great time to read up on what our experts recommend for a fantastic looking landscape all summer long. If the material in your landscape is starting to show heat stress, do not panic! We are here to help you. Below, our nursery pros have covered some important areas for you when if comes to summer tree care. If you have any further questions, you are more than welcome to give us a call or you can visit any of our nursery locations. To Do List: Watering: You want to water early in the morning sometime between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. as this reduces the evaporation loss and always want to deep water which is a slow application of water over a period of time. This allows the entire root zone to become saturated. The amount of water you apply depends on the tree or shrub you are watering. With trees, you will want to wet the soil at least 3 feet deep and with shrubs at least 1 foot deep. Use a soil probe to determine the depth of watering. Now, this is a quick overview on summer watering and for a more in depth look and for answers on common questions like "how much water do I use" and "how often do I water" are answered here in our Best Watering Practices. Fertilize: The summer sun is relentless, and if something in your landscape isn't receiving summer shade relief it will suffer. You can give the material on your landscape a helping hand with our highly developed specialized blends of fertilizer designed to trigger growth responses and supplement the essential micro and macro nutrients that plants need to thrive in our region. We have fertilizers that can help with trees, palms, and shrubs recover from any heat stress. These can be purchased at all Moon Valley Nursery locations or online. Protect The Trunk Of Your Trees: Trees, just like us, can also get sunburn. However, the bottle of sunscreen isn't going to be enough. Young trees, especially citrus, need protection from the sun when temperatures increase. You can protect the trunk of a new tree from sunburn with Protective Tree Wrap. Available at any Moon Valley Nursery location. To further protect your tree, young or old, you can stake them. This provides stability when high winds or monsoon comes in. Moon Valley Nursery also offers staking services as well. Click here to map a location near you. Mulch: A super easy way to keep the soil moist all summer long is to apply mulch around the base of the tree. Adding a few inches of mulch can help keep your soil cool during the warmer summer months and warm during the cooler days. Mulch is available at any Moon Valley Nurseries location. SEE MORE AND READ MORE HERE!