Kay, it's the paludosums that are finished. I have the big rose bed with all of the paludosums in full sun, and right now it is barren. It looks like large dogs have been digging in it. The shadier bed is in its glory now, though. You don't have to lift your irises, but you cannot mulch or put compost on top of the rhizomes or they will rot. After three years or so, it's time to divide them anyway, so if they have gotten a bit buried but they have not rotted you can plant them higher again. My irises look good because I water so much. Some of the other people in the iris society have foliage that is already short and browning, because they don't water in the summer months. I grow so many rebloomers that I have to water if I want flowers. I plant them on little mounds to avoid the mulch and rotting problems. Argentine ants find these perfect spots to raise their young, so I'm always stomping on the soil around my irises. Hoovb, it's been a great spring, except for the balled roses and the aborted iris buds. Everything else looks stellar, especially the pelargoniums. I got my first two pattypan squash today!

You guys are too kind. Thank you. Karin, I have had a terrible time trying to find the right plants for around that pond. I ended up with some tried and true southland plants. The background plants are nandinas. I have three big green phormiums, one to each side of the waterfall and one up against Mikey's office. There is a Giant Bird of Paradise and blue agaves that are far too large and out of scale for the size of the pond. Five phoenix roebellinis, one in a barrel with wire plant. Sword ferns are all around the waterfall, which has a gold duranta, some papyrus, and a Ming Asparagus fern behind it. There is one Wheeler's Dwarf pittosporum, a Sprenger asparagus fern in a pot and three on sticks, and some lilies, irises, and Louisiana irises planted here and there. There is variegated ivy on one side, and acorus here and there. I just planted three carexes, and there is some zoysia grass out there too. Whew. It's a dog's breakfast of plants! The zoysia is very slow growing, but it's pretty. I think that's the grass you like. No female dogs on the zoysia! Renee

Renee, always beautiful! I wanted to ask you about your path. My fieldstone path when I inherited it was only 3 feet wide because the rest of its 6 feet width was covered by grass, irises, and neglect. One path was completely invisible and I didn't even know it was there until I began weeding after our purchase and kept finding more rocks. I was very motivated to grow a beautiful ground cover between the rocks, but I am finding out that grass continues to pop up EVERYWHERE. I'm assuming it is because there are still healthy grass roots underneath the stones that continue to send up shoots despite weeding and Round Up. So, what's the secret to getting grass and weeks out of the places where your ground cover is growing? I can keep dirt between the paths through just weeding, but it's the ground cover that challenges me!

Edward, your blooms and your photographs are always lovely but I think your photograph of Cynthia Louise Valente is one of the prettiest I have seen of any bloom. It looks as if it is perfect. I also like the seedlings. kay