Not much for expecting a garden to look clean, except for deadheading, and such. Not sure which parts you want clean?! You spray plants to keep them from being dusty, then you get sunburned leaves. Some suggestions I've tried: - My wrought iron birdbath rusted within days. Tried all the typica methods to resolve it -- reapplying inhibitor, rub on stuff that is supposed to change rust to a new kind of surface, and just plain ole scrubbing it off constantly. Nothing worked. Then I waxed the surface! Now I'm rustless -- lots of algae, but no rust. LOL (Next birdbath won't be made of rustable metal. LOL) - I have "compost buckets" (really just a small containers that a plant came in) in each section of my yard, while watering each night (container garden), I just throw the deadheads and weeds in those. When they get full, they go to the bigger compost bucket, and container is returned. - Being both cheap and a disabled container gardener (I'm disabled, not my containers or garden LOL), I am always keeping an eye out for ways to raise my containers. Right now some of my herbs are growing in our old large gas grill, with both of the side areas (one shelf just to hold the plater on, and the other side was a burner with a cover, so the cover is permanently down) used to hold their own containers. One side is just a Dollar Store plastic container growing a couple of basils, while the other side holds another thrift store find -- a child's toy plastic wagon, converted into a nursery for herbs. (Holes drilled through the bottom of the wagon, of course.) Our next grill, a round charcoal pit that we didn't use long, before remembering how bad we are at starting charocal burning, is now a lovely container with two ornamental peppers in it. The peppers will be mounded perfectly to the shape of the grill when they are mature enough to start producing peppers. The Radio Flyer red wagon bought at a flea market last summer, holds two of our cuke plants, and, since the holes drilled in it are so small, it takes long enough for all the watering to leave the containers and wagon, that the plants are soaking up the water almost 21 hours later. (Also waxed the wagon, which prohibits rust from showing up quickly.) And, on the opposite corner of my garden (which is only 16' X 16', and is really just a slab of concrete covered in lots of containers) I have a round, plastic child's picnic table from WalMart as my plant stand, sitting underneath a large arched trellis I bought two years ago. Either end of the trellis has one leg in a deep container, while the other foot is out of it. One side carries my Clematis to the top of the trellis, and the other side awaits my perennial hibiscus and hummingbird vines to get to the size where they need it. I also have a couple of metal shelving units tied to the chainlink fence for smaller containers, and a few big to huge containers full of plants. We get enough rain for it not to get noticably dusty, and I wish we could have a few spider webs. Got more bad insects then beneficial bugs and birds, so much of my gardens' messy look is due to the insects eating holes through juat about every leaf older then three days old. Still, I am feeding birds and butterflies, plus, obviously growing produce, so I'd rather have holey leaves then chemically treated holeless leaves! I do have to sweep occasionally, but generally, any extra dirt and leaves on my ground are squirted down the drainage hole. I'm thinking the only way to keep your garden clean, if you have that need, is to pick up the falling leaves, rake as needed, and, if you have spider mite web problems, "wax" your leaves with Neem soap, as needed, instead of hoping they don't get scorched after splattering them with water in the heat of summer. Truly though?! Only perfect garden can be found in photos in garden books, and half an hour before and 15 minutes after the picture was taken, I can all but guarantee another leaf fell and ruined the perfection again. LOL Our theory -- if you don't like the mess YOU clean it up! Got anyone complaining about your "messy" garden, hand him or her the rake, towels and water. LOL

Out of curiosity, where in upstate NY? I visited somebody at Cornell and it's beautiful there. How much shade? I think Kentucky bluegrass (KBG) is probably the best choice for upstate New York in sunny areas. For shady areas, a fine fescue mix would be better. If you have a mixture of sun and shade, you'll probably want to plant KBG in the sunny areas and transition to a mixture of KBG and fine fescue and then all fine fescue in the shade. If you google "Kentucky Bluegrass Seed Selections" you'll find a variety of resources to pick good cultivars. I don't think there are as many choices for fine fescues. Some people have reported good results with the Bonny Dunes mixture.

Yes you can..but it can take ages to germinate(1yr+ depending on variety) and you probably won't get true to form..depending what it was pollinated with it..You best bet is to buy a plant in a one gallon pot IMHO..if you are like me..I am impatient..I can't wait 4 years for clematis to mature from seed....Jeanne

Hi everyone! I have two nepenthes. I believe they're the ones that take cooler temps. ( I live in Michigan) I was just wondering if when I take my showers everyday, that they would benefit from the humidity if I brought them in the bathroom with me?