Beautiful! Love the hibiscus - what a great color. Your hydrangea brought a smile to my face - I have a willow Nishiki Hakuro standard in a pot. It really has no business there, but I put it in a pot before I found out it is a water guzzler, and I LOVE it on the patio. So, I water it about four times a day, lol. However, it is top-heavy (desperately needs to be potted up a size - or four!) and obviously it dries out very quickly. So the darn thing blows over ALL the time! We have a special name for it - that "expletive" tree, lol, because it seems every time we look out the window it's fallen over. Amazing it's still alive. Once during a thunderstorm I ran out in the pouring rain and jumped into my car, which is parked right next to it. Suddenly I heard a crash, and there's the darn thing leaning against my driver's side window. I had to call my daughter on my cell phone to come out of the house and lift it off the car so I could go to work - she was not pleased, lol. Okay, I guess I'm chatty today too. Thank you for sharing your photos! :) Dee

Jeanne, I'm so sorry you're "closing shop", but I'm glad you posted because that necessity is seeming more and more probable for me. I've had a HORRIBLE August. 100, 102, 103 temps all last week, the rest of the month 99's usually. No real rain in 6-8 weeks. Hurricane Katrina spun a wave of moisture this way yesterday, the town got a nice rain, I didn't get a drop. I've lost most of my karma dahlias to drought or then panicked over watering. Out of 150, I think I have 5 viable plants right now. The few seeds I sow either don't make it to bloom stage or are still in seedling stage and can't be transplanted. Obviously, I still haven't learned to cover seed rows in the field--the ones sown last week are MIA. I may sow some more tomorrow, fast growing zinnias or suns, to have SOMETHING for the fall, but...... Also this month has been getting kids to college month. As of Sunday night, we're now empty nesters. Youngest just started college, the twins in the middle just graduated, but one is just now starting grad school in Ca, the other one is enroute to CA as I type to begin his future w/ a film industry job yet to be found, and the oldest, in Dallas has started some on-line clases to finish her degree. We've spent GOBS of money and time attending to the hither and thither of those 4, so now time and money for us is gone! PLUS, the REALLY BIG reason I may be hanging up my shovel is that we are probably going to be moving to Arkansas, as soon as a business deal is worked out and we can get this house on the market. Every house I've looked at on-line in that part of AR is WAY high, for even 1800 sf, or LESS, and right now we're at 3500 sf w/ 1.6 acres, plus my garden spot. I'm very discouraged about farming (and housing!) possibilites up there, as I'm becomming here. My mailer this spring brought almost no orders, I still have my one subscription customer left, but I've really had to scrounge (or buy plants) to fill her weekly order. It's been too hot to even think about hiring out for gardening jobs. But golly gee whiz that hope still lingers, that maybe THIS fall, or NEXT spring will be better. But I don't have, and haven't had, enough money or time, and hardly any help,to ever be a "real" flower farmer, certainly never enough flowers, so, a SANE person would stop beating her head against dried cracked soil and say "I give up." I've been lurking a lot the last few weeks. Hardly anything to share, and this is the umpteenth time for my sad story. But, since the business deal isn't quite finalized, and I have no idea when this house will sell (gotta clean up and haul out the debris from 4 kids and 2 clutter collecting parents! LOL!, plus lots of repairs), then I may well be sitting here at Christmas, next spring, or beyond. And maybe if I'm still here I'll grow a few more things. It's just so discouraging to go out as a failure. Jeanne, you're leaving on top of your game, touchdown pass in the final seconds of the game. Brava to you. I'm proud of you, and thank you for all your help over the years. And ditto to the rest of you. I'm sure I'll still be here for a while, at least, because it's my favorite forum, and, I still have a few more plants to plant! Susi

Keith, Thanks! The spanish moss looks good, but I think it's freeze dried. Even the moss in my garage did not pull through (probably from the lack of moisture), but it was alive well into February so it was very close to the light at the end of the tunnel. I'll definitely be replacing it all in the spring. I've noticed that Chamerops pups show more cold tolerance than the mother plant, I still have no idea why. haha. My guess is that it's because they are closer to the ground. Thanks Trishmick! Sounds like you had a good time too! I hope you have luck with germinating the seeds you collected. I collected some loquat seeds from Florida 3 years ago and still haven't tried them. For some reason I never get around to starting seeds even when I have them right in front of me haha. I'm hoping one day to drive to Florida instead of taking a plane so I can bring back some nice seeds and plants! Thanks Bradley! I killed 3 pygmy palms indoors in the past so I know how that feels. I have found them to be the hardest palms to grow indoors which is weird considering that they are considered pretty hardy palms. For now on mine will definitely stay in the garage over the winter. Thanks for looking everyone! -Alex

We are in the final 60 days and things feel like they've really slowed down. In August the walls were all primed (color tinted primer), the hardwood went down, some of our tile work was completed, we have railings on our stairs, beadboard went up in the mudroom. Electrical was completed as well as our heating/cooling stuff, fireplace was installed. The last week of the month is focused on built-ins and more tile work happening inside and siding, trim board and gable vents outside. September is going to be a big month with lots of fun stuff like built-ins and lighting and plumbing fixtures. I can't wait to get to the next stage and start seeing our selections come to life. stone up on exterior siding starting to go up! laundry room primed first floor primed and ready for hardwoods (which have since gone down) our master bath ready for plumbing installations and tile