Morning all, Doug and I worked outside in the yard all day yesterday and got a lot accomplished. Doug cleaned out a mess of weeds on the other side of the fence then we took all the containers and the bench out of the container garden garden then put a fresh edge on that area (I gained another foot of space and Doug didnt complain at all! Woohoo!)Then we put several inches of fresh bark mulch and put it all back. I took a couple large containers out of there and rearranged things to space them better. Theyd all grown so much that you really couldnt see them well. My Charles Grimaldi brug is getting so tall, its probably seven feet or so now and is throwing a ton of buds. Im hoping this cold weather doesnt cause any bud drop. Oh yes, it got down to 44 degrees last night!!! Jeesh! Im afraid it is going to be an early, early frost this year. Ive got to get in gear and get my cuttings this week. Sue and Wendy, sounds like you had a great time yesterday. Wish Id been there. Im looking forward to Steve Silks article in FG on wintering tenders. Norma, glad to hear Wyatt is doing better. ~~ RE the 50 miles on the bicycles, well probably be able to get that under our belts before the end of October. The real goal, however, is to do 100 miles in a day but that probably wont happen until next year. It is so much more fun bicycling than doing the stairs at the gym. Michelle, love the aerial photograph of your farm! How neat! Did you take that yourself? ~~ Great to hear you had a good time in the city. What did you find for bargains? Marian, you need to stop worrying about how people view your responses to things. When you answer and give an anecdote from your life experiences that means you found a connection to what the other person is saying. This forum is the most open minded, fair thinking group Ive ever participated in and gets better every year. :-) ~~ So sorry about your friends accident. That is frightening but I so glad to hear hes doing so well. You are correct that people who are fit and healthy do have more resilience when it comes to recovering from accidents. They also have stronger immune systems and dont get sick as often. Mary, what is the dress code for the thing Friday evening? Are you sure it is OK for us to come? I dont want to intrude on you folks so we can just find someplace for dinner that evening if it is a problem. Doug is looking forward to the trip. DD is going to come and stay here and take care of things while we are gone so that is a good thing. Oh yes, I almost forgot to ask, do you have a Starbucks anywhere nearby? ~~ So how did the sushi night go? ~~ MJ invited us for dinner last night and made a feast! She cooked a few chicken lobsters and served lobster tails cut into bite sized pieces for appetizers! Then she fixed herbed lemon salmon on the grill that she wrapped in foil and cooked to perfection, roasted fingerling potato with onion, sweet corn and tossed salad. Yum! Im glad I only had a protein shake for lunch so I had lots of room for dinner. V. so glad to hear your talk on grasses went well. ~~ Sorry about the accident and the ensuing traffic mess. Saucy, were like Sue, we decided eleven years ago that we would NEVER again carry a balance on a credit card. My car will be paid off next year and I cant wait. It currently only has 24,000 miles on it so I should be able to keep this one going for a long time. Martie, glad to hear the Rich is going to get his teeth fixed soon!!! Good news for you guys. ~~ Sorry about your brother and your Best GFs DH. OK time to get my day started. Lots to accomplish this week before we hit the road. Have a great day everyone, Deanne

Those are pics of 'Vigna Caracalla' Izhar! They never seed for me - so I have to dig the both of them up & take them inside for the winter! But they're worth the time & effort! :) Thank you Elizabeth! And I know your yard is just as beautiful! ;) If you're talking about the red flowering plant Karen, that's the long sought after 'Pagoda Flower' that I looked everywhere to obtain! Yep, finally found one person who shared cuttings with me last fall. Of the three cuttings - one made it! I've enjoyed this plant as much as the hummers & butterflies! lol! Thank you Ruth Ann! That 'short time' feels like a very long time! lol! Always something to do around here! But I love doing it! I'd have to check the tag tomorrow for you Karyn! It came to me from the same lady I got the 'Pagoda Flower' cuttings from. She said it was the 'Giant Potato Vine!' lol! But the name is on the tag - I'll check for you tomorrow! Thank you Eloise! 'Tarzan?' lol! Thanks Marcie & Caren! I hope you all have a great week! It's going to be busy around here! Brugs & 'stuff' are just about done & ready to be moved inside if there's the slightest hint of a cold snap or frost! lol! Did we really have a Summer?? Hard to believe it's almost over! Mike

Kevin, those are beautiful blossoms.. They must smell heavenly. Enjoy the warm nights if there are any left. Our trees do lousy once temps fall into the 40's.. Hi Pug! I wish I could say the same about the weather. I love the humidity and warmth just as much as my trees do. It gets hard for me to enjoy the cold every fall. I always wish I should of moved much further south when I had the opportunity. Even the Hoya's will be coming in as soon as this week(( Hope you are well. Good to see you as always. Mike

Hey, folks! I've been so busy getting my private practice started, I haven't been around much. Everyone else must be busy also as summer winds down, because I see no one's posted about the annual Plymouth swap. Here ya go: Make plans to divide perennials over the weekend of Sept. 6, and bring extras to the plant swap sponsored by the Stewards for Greening Plymouth. The event will be held on Mon., Sept. 8, 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., at the Plymouth Creek Center parking lot, 14800 34th Ave. N. From everyday to extraordinary, you just might find that special plant youÂve been wanting. And, the price is always right  free. Participation requirements are simple. Place extra plants in pots, and label them with their common names. Seeds and garden ware (pots, tools) are also acceptable swap items. The swap will be followed at 7 p.m. with a Master Gardener presentation in the Plymouth Creek Center.