Hi Jennifer, I have Bunny Tails!!!! I also have some heirloom Tomatoes on my list but in small amounts and a lot of ornamentals. Please give it a look-see. I am interested in your Pepper 'Black Pearl', Poppy 'Pizzicato 'mix, Basil 'siam queen' and both your Kales. Let me know. Thanks, Michele

Sue, I hate to bring this up - I always enjoy discusions about what plants to add to existing plants and I don't want to rain on your enthusiasm - but where are you planning to add these new flowers? Is there more to this bed that's empty or emptier than the bed in your picture. I ask because my Alchemillas are currently as tall as your 3 Endless Summer Hydrangeas and wider. My Endless Summers are nearly as tall as my 4 ft tall fence and 3 ft plus wide. My guess is that in 2 or 3 seasons you'll need to move things out of the current bed. From your pix I'd think that adding a few annuals here and there would add the late color that you're missing. Here's a few old views from my garden - I thought about posting them in the "What is your stupidest garden mistake" post, except I couldn't decide what area to show everyone! LOL 2003 Stone Bench bed. Same stone bench with alchemillas in bloom 2005. Can you find the bench? the mugo pines? the stone path? Alchemillas long gone from bench area. Picture is from 2007. The Lady's Mantle was moved to back side of the 3 trees in this long skinny bed. Alchemillas were replaced by Caramel Heucheras and Strutter's Ball daylily in the center section edged by the stone path. Since the above picture was taken, an alchemilla seedling has seeded itself into the second heuchera and is nearly as large as the heuchera! I haven't figured out how to separate the two - heuchera are really touchy in my garden - and I'm afraid if I pull it and tear the two roots apart (if I can tell which are which) then replant the heuchera - it will promptly die on me. :))

It can be. Here are a few thoughts. 1. To get and maintain purples, your soil has to be in a narrow layer of soil pH that is difficult ��"but not impossible- to achieve when planted on the ground. Add garden lime per label directions if your soil is already acidic. If your soil pH is already alkaline, add garden Sulphur, green sand, iron sulfate or aluminum sulfate per label directions. Your own soil will govern how well and which shades of purple you can get when you amend. 2. It is easier to control soil pH when you grow them in containers. In the ground, you could end up with purple sections in the bush⦠with other areas with a slightly different color (blue/pink) or shade of purple if some of the roots do not absorb the necessary minerals in the same amounts as other roots. 3. Named varieties with the word "purple" will produce good and deep purples. Glowing Embers, Enziandom, Purple Tiers, Purple Passion, Royal Purple, Nightingale, Mathilda Gutges, Marechal Foch and Merritt Supreme can give you nice purples. Enziandom leaves turn nice colors at the end of the growing season. Nightingale produces a lot of bloomage per stem. The named varieties given above produce blooms only in the Spring. 4. Colored re-blooming hydrangeas can also be useful but, they will not necessarily give the deep purples of the above named varieties. Example: the Endless Summer Series or the Forever and Ever Series. The good thing about rebloomers is that you get blooms at multiple times throughout the growing season and, as each set of blooms opens, you can see the result of changes to the soil pH, compared to the previous set of blooms. If new blooms in May were pink and if new blooms in June-July were blue, that means you have amended too much and need to tweak the soil pH in the opposite direction. So, it may take less time to get the purple shade that you/she want if you have colored rebloomers. 5. You can choose from many hydrangea macrophyllas or serratas but you will need to keep and eye on their winter hardiness (you are in Z5). Most if not all will need winter protection if planted outside in the ground. If planted in a container, you will need to bring the container into the garage or similar place during the winter months and water it once every week or once every two weeks. 6. Full sun exposure⦠it may cause the color not to be as deep as it could be because the sun may bleach the blooms a bit. Hydrangeas must have afternoon shade (or the leaves will suffer from too much sun) here but, your not-as-strong summer sun in NY may allow you to grow them in full sun. If no one in your zone & location comments, I would drive around looking for similar colored (blue/pink/purple) hydrangeas and see where they were planted (sun-wise) and if they had winter protection. Luis

GardenWitch, great idea about the clematis! Went to a nursery and someone suggested "Sweet Autumn". Yummy. I'm worried that a Clematis might try to climb up and choke whatever else is planted there?...? CatLady - whoops, should have been more specific! I meant Moonflower Vines (Ipomoea Alba). Don't know the Moonflower of the Datura genus (are they also called Devil's Trumpet?)- there are so many common names and they all seem to overlap. I should just be like my sister and revert to the Latin! (she's a plant physiologist, so at least she has an excuse ;)