Flora, The reason I will be purchasing 8 cubic yards of garden mix is to fill 2 new raised beds. They will be 16 inches high (deep) by 12 by 5 feet. The raised beds will have to be filled first and any left over will be used at the side of the house to expand the bed there. I live in a city and don't have the space or the grounds to generate enough to fill such big raised beds, wish I did. The raised beds will help to extend my years of gardening. Just thinking ahead. Also they will be filled with the Daylilies that I want to breed. No bending over to dab pollen and care for the Mommies. I looked up the Anthemis, nice, maybe a little full. Does it flow over a wall? I love Coreopsis, and it reminded me of it. The Rock Soapwort is Saponaria Ocymoides. I ordered seed today. Luckygal, I have grown annual sweet Alyssum in every garden since I was a girl, always from seed direct sown. She will do her part again this summer in addition to the Soapwort. The little workhorse of the garden that ties all the unfinished ends together. Elizabeth

ASB is not intensely pigmented and is known for being a lighter blue/pink. My ES are a very deep blue/violet. It's not just the plant alone, but rather a combination of the plant's natural pigmentation and the soil ph that make for the final color outcome. I was told by Wilkerson Mills nursery that the more heavily pigmented the plant (ie Enziandom) the less likely it is to repeat-bloom. ASB is also not one of the larger hydrangeas at about 3.5 x 3.5 (ish).....yg

Lauren, The only thing I put on them so far was Holly Tone and some coffee grounds along with my homegrown compost. I didn't know what color blooms to expect since this was the first time they bloomed for me. I was worried at first because they started out a real pale yellow/white, like the bloom in the middle. But gradually they became the more intense blue. Some of the blooms are so big, love it. She has some new buds coming, so hopefully they stay blue. Our soil is pretty neutral here, so I might have to adjust later. I did use lots of compost when planting her. Don't remember pruning at all last winter, then this Spring just some of the dead wood. Annabell is peaking in the back there.

I used an automatic watering and feeding system based on the use of recycled rubber soaker hose, an automatic timer, and water filter cartridge holders. Starting from the garden water faucet, the system consists of the following: 1) An anti-siphon device protected by filters on both the inlet and outlet side. The function of the anti-siphon device is to prevent water from backing up into the house water system if the house water pressure would suddenly drop from something like flushing a toilet. The reason I use filters on both the inlet and outlet side is to prevent particles from entering the anti-siphon check valve chamber. Particle contamination could prevent the valve from completely closing. As an additional precaution I use a second filter, anti-siphon device, filter combination in series with the first but located after the automatic timer. I also replace the anti-siphon devices each season (since mineral buildup could also hinder complete sealing of the valve). 2) Battery operated automatic timers. The most important feature to look for is that the unit will automatically shut off when the batteries are weak. Also look for a unit with a battery life that lasts for the season (the first unit that I purchased needed a new battery every couple of weeks). My present units are good for the season. My timers have a manual on-off feature that does not disturb the automatic settings. I find this feature very useful. Ease of programming would also be desirable (some of my previous units were not easy to program). As noted above the timers are protected by filters on both the inlet and outlet sides. 3) Water filter cartridges holders. I use four household water filter cartridge holders in series to hold whatever chemicals I want to deliver to the rose beds. The number four is because I have four independent lines to various parts of my garden (each with its own timer - set to go on at times that do not overlap). The first one was purchased at a discount store. The others were later purchased used at yard sales and Goodwill type stores. I recommend that you look for units with a clear lower unit and with a pressure release button. I install them backwards to the suggested direction when used as filters. As I install them the water enters from the center of the cover and then exits from the side of the cover. I epoxy a small section of plastic pipe to the center top inlet so that the water goes to the bottom of the cartridge holder (this is not necessary, but it does promote more rapid mixing of the fertilizer and the water). To use a household filter cartridge holder with a garden hose, one should utilize adapters to change from water pipe thread to garden house thread. The adaptors are not expensive, and they are normally available at large hardware stores. The two threads are almost the same; but if you try to force the one on the other , you will cross thread the fitting and probably have slow leakage at the joint. 4) The distribution system. I have used both regular PVC plastic pipe and cheap plastic garden hose for the under lawn delivery systems. I used a semicircular edger tool to lift one side of the sod and then I pushed the hose under the sod. In the Spring the ground is relatively soft and this part of the installation is not as hard as one may think. 5) The soaker hoses. Once in the individual bed the water is split into several paths by the use of inexpensive "Y" connectors (with shut off valves in each arm). The soaker hoses are connected at this point. In my most recent beds I use three hoses that run parallel to each other 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 of the way from one side of the bed (my beds are about 5 feet wide). In the older beds I snaked two hoses in and out from bush to bush (the hoses were installed after the bushes were in place so a straight line installation was not possible). I install a manual on-off valve at the termination end of each hose so that I can periodically flush the hose. The first year I buried the soaker hoses. However, the second year I found that the hoses appeared to have lost most of their porosity (presumably due to mineral build up). I now put the hose under the mulch. Each spring I take the hose up and flex it and then flush it. This seems to restore the porosity. Sometimes in the late fall I have added enzyme drain cleaner to the water filter cartridges the day before shutting down the system for the season. I should point out that the water used is untreated well water so the mineral buildup problem may not be typical. Probably each hose is replaced every 4 or 5 years. (As a side note.) I found that I can not operate the units at night as "critters" chew on the hoses to get more water.