What a post! Would it bother you if I copied it and sent it to my greenhouse teacher? From working at a garden center: "What are these?" -"Fluffy seed pods from a Clematis" "No way, they never had them before!" -"Yep, that's what they are." "I want a SECOND opinion" -"Sure, hey ... do you happen to know what these are?" *Quizzical look at me* "Clematis seeds..." *Some more argument from customer on the subject* "Well, they're hideous." Yeah, that was an interesting one. It's not uncommon to have customers ask for a second opinion on an insect problem or something like that when they don't like the answer. I was really taken back by this one though. Many conversations begin with: "You know that tree in that yard by the church on ivelivedhereallmylifebutneverheardofit street? What is it?" You can never own too many pairs of Crocs. Keep pennies on hand for the kiddies to throw in the fountain. Harry Lauder's Walking Stick makes a wonderful conversation piece next to the cash register. When ordering petunias, if it doesn't say "wave" don't bother. People have no idea what they're exposure is like. -Use words like South and West, then ask them questions like, what time they eat dinner in the summer and where. If the answer is 5:30 on the back deck, ask them if they have to wear sunglasses or a sweater and go from there. If customers start a pile of plants next to the register, organize them by price. There is one customer every day that wants you to landscape their entire yard 10 minutes to closing. Know and accept this fact. Know plants in this order: -Vague description -Culture requirements and common name(s) -Deer resistance -Scientific names

You definitely have a problem. The only thing that will completely stabilize your slope is clump forming grasses - they have roots that go at least 15 feet down, virtually everything else has surface roots. And many clumping grasses will tolerate clay soil and full sun. But they don't give a groomed garden look. They can look neat and tidy but that involves a lot of work on your part, and slopes are hard to work on. If this was my problem I would aim for a wildflower meadow look with plenty of tall grasses to try to keep things stable and I would add in the daylilies, black eyed susans and such to keep something blooming all summer long. I have seen slopes covered in Verbena so some people make that work. It always dies out after a few years in my yard. Some forms of it are amazingly winter hardy and pretty much bloom year round. I have seen slopes covered in blue rug junipers also. I love the easy maintenance but you have to remove every speck of grass or weeds because they can overpower the shrubs and weeding on a steep slope is difficult. Also, any shrub is going to need a lot of watering to get it established and if this summer is a dry one, that will be hard to do. If the clay is holding up and not washing downhill you may not need to worry about erosion control at first. It all depends on just how steep your slope is. If you live in a neighborhood where a wildflower meadow out front won't go over well you could choose one type of plant and cover the entire slope with it. That mass of uniformity will look managed and planned and hopefully solve your problem and depending on what you grow could be virtually maintenance free.

with all make up you need to use a good primer...especially for bare essentials makeup. i have been using this makeup for years and my mom also uses it...once you get used to starter kit then you can start adding to your collection... for older skin a sprinkle of water on your kabuki brush then swirl and tap in you bm foundation this will go on like a liquid foundation which is recommended for older skin. you can also do this with your concealer brush slighty wet it and with your foundation this will be your concealer. bare essentials do loads of blushes so pick your colour and use this on your cheeks with some water...cream blushes are best for older skin ...you can also mix your blush with vaseline and this will be a lovely lipstick with a shine....i got the bare essentials away we glow set which has a lovely tub of turn on which is a highlighting powder...this is great for your inner eyelid and your eyebrow bone to lift your eyes...you cant go wrong with bare essentials but you can add these tips to make this makeup work for you...

We always had a huge garden when the kids were all home. Did all the canning and freezing thing. Loved it. Continued a few years after they left home then stopped. Now we are back at it again. The past couple years we have really enjoyed it. BUT, it is way too big!!! It's funny because our two daughters have gardens and have followed in our footsteps with all the canning and freezing. When they come here they go straight to the garden before ever coming into the house. Alway leave with a car load of goodies. I gave them all my canning stuff and they have enjoyed it so much. Often we just spend the day canning tomatoes or green beans. Last year my hubby and I froze a bunch of corn. Do I need to say yummy? For me I enjoy the flower gardening more. I have so many. Most are filled with perennials. The last couple years I finally put down more mulch and it has helped so much. My tracker holds 25 bags perfectly. I just drive along side my beds and pull the mulch out where needed. My girls always come in the early Spring and help me get started. We live back off the road and I have a large area with a big rock engraved with our name and a tulip on it out by the road. I get so many compliments on this flower bed. Put me one around the mailbox last Summer, too. Love sharing with family and friends. Tickled me when a young man that I used to babysit for some 20 years ago called one day and asked if he could get some starts. He had bought his first home. I'm going to hate it when I have to stop.