Some plants you can cut back a bit, to make them more full, and produce more flowers. They just wont get as high as otherwise. A better idea would be to plant (or sow) something that simply WANTS to produce so many flowers, that you can÷t see the leaves, like Sweet Alyssum, which is a favourite of mine. Especially the white ones are extremely easy to grow. If you think it gets too rangly, you can simply cut it back. Petunias are another option. I just don÷t grow them, as I don÷t like touching them (they feel a bit sticky), and hate the smell they produce when I÷m dead-heading them... and they need dead-heading to stay alive). Another solution would be to grow something with attractive leaves. To avoid seeing the soil, you could also plant something like sedums or sempervivum they both love the sun, so don÷t plant them with anything that will shade them out completely... they have very shallow roots and don÷t really compete with the other plants, though you have to take care, not to put the sempervivums in pots that contain water loving plants, as they might rot if overwatered (I÷m planning on putting them here and there this year, to see what they will actually accept, in regards of companions, as I have a LOT of them). Lobelia is another option, and Sweet Alyssum, as I mentioned, though they tend to get a bit of hight as well. Or you could just put a pretty mulch on top. Mulching also helps you keeping the watering down a bit. And yes, as Julianna says, if you buy something that is already planted, it is most often overstuffed. They want it to look good in the shop, to make you buy it. Then when it dies from not having enough water in the soil to feed them all, you÷ll go back to buy another full planter. Congratulations on your harvest last year! 6lbs of toms is not bad at all!

thanks guys! Barry, yes I admit, I have become obsessed with ponds! This makes 2 or 3 depending on how you look at it. I have 2 preforms, but they are joined together..so is that considered 1 or 2? I don't know, lol. But they just werent enuf for me. Workout? LMFAO!!! Thats a good one! I'm too lazy. I just love to dig :) But, thank you :) I'm leavin the butt kickin comment alone, lol! SJN, I WISH I had some frogs and toads! I havent been able to get my butt down to the creek to get some. DH said the spot he knew of was too grown over now. Argh. Hey, the less clothing the better. Normally I am just in a bathing suit top and shorts. Last year that's how I dug all my beds. Got a good tan! Outdoor showers are cool things..If you do it I hope you don't get stung by any bees or wasps..ouch! lol. Thank you very much EL, I am proud I did it all by myself, I can't wait till it's done. If it doesnt look good at the end..I'll tell everyone DH did it not me, LMAO!!!! Shawn, the fish love it! I can't wait to see it finished either! Been searching craigslist every day to try and get some free stone..no luck so far. I wanna know why stone is so dang expensive? Collielover, the digging took me aprox 9 hours..maybe 10. I took breaks to jump in the pool and have drinks. DH did the cooking & watched the kids for me, but of course they couldn't NOT bug me, lol. I told DH I coulda set up a carnival out front for them, and they'd still bug me every 5 mins,lol. I didnt do anything in the house I was so busy outside..of course noone else did either. Wed night I came in, and said "This place is a disaster, it's terrible" DH said "Yeah but the pond looks good" lol Theresa, I was gonna email you today..was a lil worried you hadnt been on in a couple days & you didnt answer my email I sent the other day. Glad your here! Hope all is well! Yes, I am going to keep the ponds seperate. DH wanted me to connect them and everyone wanted a long winding stream connecting them..what do they think I AM???? LMAO! I dont know if you can tell, but this one is in front of the other ones..really just in front of the larger preform the fish were in before. I really wanna put the lotus into that larger preform, I just cant lift the damn thing. I never shoulda sunk it into the ground. Wanted to put the whole tub into the pond, I dont want to transplant it right now, I am scared it wont bloom if I do. And I def dont want to kill it! I need to give you back a bunch of it! Eventually I will just fill in that pond with compost & manure I guess about 8" deep or so? And put the lotus in there. LOL, I'd have room for more if DH would get his crap outta the yard, lol..that's not selfish is it? AT least my stuff is pretty :) Thanks again everyone :) So glad I have you all to share this with.

Holy Moly, after I posted this I went back outside and found more on the arbor. Yay, now I have them blooming on both the arch and the arbor! Shawn, they are amazingly easy. All I do is water every day, when I have banana peels, I do like Karyn said and chop them up, and put them in the pot. I WAS watering every day..now it seems..since the arch fell down, and I couldnt rig it to be like it was..the pots the passies are in are now shaded. They stay moist longer, and the leaves don't wilt anymore in the midday sun. So I think a little trick here is to have the base shaded so it stays cooler and moister. GG, thank you..That swing was my grandfather's. The squirrels ate the covering and awning part. It was his favorite place to sit, and after he passed I asked if I could have it. I finally got it here this spring, I just havent gotten around to reupholstering it yet. And that chair, o thats my fav..the cushion is up there cuz it was wet and needed to dry. I love that chair, but the puppies decided wicker tastes very good, and is fun to chew on. They ate one arm, and the middle support on the bottom :( That, I can't fix, but I hate to get rid of it. Theresa, seems the BES Vine takes forever..I am still waiting on the first pod to ripen. TD is doing great..I still havent gotten any seeds from the first spike..I am nervous I am going to miss them all and not get any! Not having luck with the cuttings. I am gonna try calling you at about 12:30. Kristy, the tall plants are what Theresa was referring to, Thalia Dealbata. Lol, I was just looking around yesterday, and decided I need dirt too. Plants really do help clear up the water. Karyn, It was funny, when I first sniffed it, I couldnt tell what it smelled like, just that it wasn't good, and was "animaly" lol. I plucked one and brought it in the house, and made everyone tell me what it smelled like to them. You should have seen their faces, lol..I know they were all expecting to be smelling something good! Thank you everyone, :)

Thanks everyone for your comments and compliments. The dl's get all the credit, I just try to take care of them and take photos of them. :) For those of you who love Another Chance Today, as I do, here's an earlier photo of it that I don't think I posted. I think it's even nicer with the slightly recurving petals. Jan