patlovesdirt, I didn't mean to say I liked your garden the way it was "better" than the beautiful revamp...just that I haven't reached the point where I can get anything to grow and bloom as lovely as you do in whatever arrangement you have...LOL. It's easier than I thought to attract Monarchs. Just grow Asclepias (milkweed) and Monarchs seem to find it somehow. This was only second summer I had milkweed. Last year I reared them indoors and released. Didn't have time or energy for hand rearing this year but I check on cats and chrysalids everyday outside on milkweed. I have Incarnata 'Ice Ballet' (swamp; white flowers), Tuberosa (sp. orange flowers) and grew well over a dozen Curassavica (tropical; yellow, orange & red combination flowers) to supplement two species that are perennial here in Zone 6. Had to start tropical milkweed indoors so they'd have enough leaves and then time to flower in this zone by early-mid summer. Doubt that would be a problem in your zone 8. Flower colors/hues on tropical milkweed are hard to guarantee from collected seed since they're cross-pollinated so heavily. I've still got too many cats that had better hurry up because they could get caught up here in the cold. They need to form chrysalids and eclose before it gets too cold if they're to start their journey to Mexico to overwinter. I'm afraid some of them won't eclose from chrysalis stage before it gets too cold for them to fly. If that happens I'll detach them from wherever they made chrysalis, reattach to netting container, overwinter in unheated garage and bring them out when weather warms up NEXT year. Can't bring chrysalids into heated area during cold or they'll eclose without outdoor heat to fly anywhere let alone to Mexico for the winter. You're new guy will be on his/her way to Mexico in next couple of weeks. Somehow they find each other and start to fly en masse down south and then across southern US over to Mexico. Most people think Butterfly caterpillars are as "gross and icky" as other creepy crawlies in the dirt. Once you see the whole process from tiny little cat to seeing beautiful butterfly eclose from chrysalis you never look at the caterpillars the same again. I've gotten a little maternal with them and talk to them...I know, I've gone over the Butterfly edge but sometimes I have to rescue them from falls off tropical milkweed in containers, fights among different size cats whom I have to separate to different plants (larger ones will eat small ones) and the like. Found one newly eclosed Monarch on the ground struggling to dry its wings after its chrysalis had fallen. Picked it up and it held onto my finger in the sun for a while. Then I told him I couldn't sit there for hours and put him on milkweed stalk with flowers so he'd have nectar when ready to eat. If you want perennial milkweed the species Asclepias incarnata has beautiful pink flowers. Doesn't bloom for very long but presence or lack of flowers doesn't seem to determine whether or not they lay eggs on milkweed. They just find it somehow. The Tuberosa is much smaller and comes with usual orange flowers but there's a yellow flowered cultivar. All milkweed I have in butterfly garden was stripped bare before cats were finished eating so I had to transfer them to tropical planted in containers. Unfortunately, I lost many leaves back there to either slugs and/or mildew from too many weeks of continuous rain. Believe it or not I've never seen a Monarch nectaring from anything but the Zinnia I grow for nectar. It may be that I don't have enough sunny space to plant swaths of nectar plants and have to rely on too many containerized nectar plants in sunny places...I just don't know. That situation doesn't seem to deter hordes of Skippers of all kinds and Cabbage Whites from nectaring on everything and anything. I grew some Verbena bonariensis from seed this year. Big attractor of any creature that wants nectar. I'll probably be sorry when there are tons of selfsown seedlings next year but wanted to try it since it's heralded as a no fail attractor and it was that. NOT for small gardens but I've seen so many photos here on GW where it looks lovely among other taller perennials. Besides, it's deer, rabbit and groundhog resistant which is a big consideration for me. Those darn maple trees have grown so much over past 3 years that my sunny spots to grow most things have disappeared. That's why I grew most of the tropical milkweed in huge storage containers I got from a recycling center and rehabilitated. If you want seeds of any of the 3 varieties I have just email me through GW with your address and I'll send them to you once they've dried. The roots of the tropical might just be winter hardy in your zone 8. It would probably have top winter die off since zone 9 is probably limit for evergreen with it. Sorry for the "Monarch tome" but it's one thing I gotten to know about in gardening and I don't have a vast pool of successes to talk about yet! :) I still love your garden "before and after"!

Thank you everyone. I have really been working on improving my soil the past three years and that has made a big difference, I believe. Good soil - good plants. Good rainfall, this year too. Belinda's Dream looks like a big, fat pink Snowflake. And she smells divine. Has a good strong fragrance. She likes full sun, no ifs, ands or buts about it. That 5-inch bloom is on a plant that is only two feet tall. I rooted it last spring. I just stuck a broken off branch in the ground, and no kidding, she rooted in about three weeks and began blooming within a month. Poor little plant was bent over double with those big blooms. She bloomed all summer last year. This year, her blooms are even bigger. I totally love Belinda's Dream. In front of her is a rose cutting I got from plantmaven. I think it is Rosa, Heritage, although I can't be certain. She is only 18 inches tall and has bloomed twice already this year. She bloomed last year too, but much smaller blooms on an 8 inch plant. She has a strong, lovely old rose fragrance and sweet baby pink color. I just cannot get enough roses! It is my new freak! If I keep on like this, I will have to change my home name from Iowa Hills Herb Farm to Rose Hill Cottage! Thanks again everyone. I'll be sure to tell my rose-girls how much you all love them. ~Annie

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has problems with husbands! I think he was hoping I wouldn't notice...the giveaway was that the metal name plate that was in the ground next to Eyeconic Pink Lemonaide was nowhere to be found either. I probably wouldn't have noticed it was gone for a while longer, except the big pile of mulch that I had a round it blew his cover! Rosa Rugosa Alba is a great rose. HMF says it has an occational repeat, but mine repeats very well. If you look on the very left of the last picture you can see a shot of the entire bush...and thats only 3 years ownroot! Tammy

No guesses on the party question from me. I have a bad case of CRS and it doesn't seem to get better. Now my buddy, Plantlady Jan has a good "rememberer". She remembered that I'll be away over Easter and she sent Easter/April presents early. What a nice surprise. There is a wooden Happy Easter sign for on my door. Guess it is time to take down the one that says "Fat Snowmen Last Longer". This year they are lasting too long even for me to appreciate. The new sign has a cute bunny holding a carrot on a string. A note pad holder with a brown bunny and beautiful spring flowers was the next thing I pulled out. Cute as can be and it has place for a picture on top. For now I'll enjoy the message that says Love Grows in a Garden.So true. Then came a nicely framed print of a snowman and a cat standing in a snowstorm. Really cute and it says Let it Snow. About 90% of the time I say that too. It is really nice and will be one of my treasures in my new house. Very "country" and will be perfect there. Jan sent me a welcome stone for my garden too. It has Daffodils(SP??) bees and dragonflies. It will start off standing beside my new front door. Later I'll find a special place in the garden for this. A chocolate bunny and an "energy therapy" cleansing bar for body and soul.Hummm maybe both together will give me enough energy to get me moving again. OK Jan,picture me singing in the shower while nibbling the ears off the chocolate bunny and lathering up with the energy bar. Well, maybe don't picture it but you get the idea. I need all the energy I can get these days. I'll let you know how it works. A nice soft pair of gloves will still be useful. It was -11 degrees when I came out of work this morning. I lost my favorite pair St PAtty's day/night. It's always good to have spare gloves in this climate The candle with the bunny on it is just precious. Bunny is sitting up to get a good look at all the flowers and butterflys around him on the holder. The design is pale springish colors of lavender, sage, lt yellow, and blue. So fresh and pretty, I can't describe it very well, but, I love it. Thanks again Jan. I hope the bunny finds your house too.