My grandmother raised an even dozen children under some pretty daunting conditions- rural Texas, Great Depression, husband had bad health & couldn't work, etc. The gardening space was devoted to food crops, but she did make room for one beloved rose, a Seven Sisters rambler. After my grandparents died, the old house was torn down & the lot was sold, & someone leveled everything & built a new brick house. Then, during the sixties & seventies, "old-fashioned", "vintage", "antique", "historic", & "Grandmother's" were not buzzwords- the accent was on the new, modern, improved, etc. I forgot about the Seven Sisters rose. About 12 years ago, I was browsing the web & came across the Antique Rose Emporium's site & found-holy smoke!-Seven Sisters! I sent off for a bareroot rose, & then I got to worrying about it, since I had no experience with plants, & I called the Emporium & asked them to change my order to a plant in a pot. & the lady who answered my call never batted an eye, bless her heart, maybe I wasn't the first customer who called in fretting about growing her grandmother's favorite rose. When it arrived, I followed all the directions & planted it in the best spot in the garden. Then.... I got the flu. On the 2nd miserable day of flu, the afternoon weather report was for a "blue norther", a sudden crash of temps, accompanied by high winds & sometimes by freezing rain. It was already getting dark, & the temp had started to drop. I dragged myself to the hardware store & bought a plastic painter's dropcloth (it was close, & I didn't know what else to do), came home to a howling gale in a pitch-black night, & kept the car running & the headlights on while I fought the wind to get that plastic on the rose. Every time I had it situated, the wind would catch a corner, & the whole thing would blow off. so I looked around for bricks or rocks or buckets or *anything* to weight the corners down. Finally, plastic billowing but firmly in place, I staggered inside & collapsed, totally exhausted. woke up the next morning to bright sunshine, went outside, pulled the now-tattered plastic off the rose, & discovered... that rose hadn't even noticed the blue norther. It was in a *lot* better shape than I was! The Seven Sisters is now climbing the crepe myrtles & covering a big part of the fence, & I've dug up suckers & passed them along to friends. & I still think of my grandmother & smile every time I see it.

Keesha, this is a wonderful thread!!! Sue, I was so touched by your story. Here is my story...Three years ago in the early morning I was out and about in the garden when I heard someone say "Excuse me, may I take a look at your flowers?" When I looked up from pulling some weeds I saw this lovely lady walking up my driveway. I told her it would be my pleasure to share my garden. Don't we all love to show off our hard work? She told me she and her husband had recently relocated to my town from West Virginia and she was on her morning walk about 1/2 mile from her house. Willadean (her name) and I spent the better part of an hour walking around the yard talking flowers. She said she was just getting started in gardening and was eager to learn as much as she could. We exchanged phone numbers and I told her to come back later that day with some containers so she could take home some plants I wanted to give her. That chance meeting, spawned by a common interest. has evolved into a wonderful friendship. The Virginia Creeper and Porcelain Vines that I regretted buying are now flurishing in Willadean's garden and I have several clumps of Shasta Daisies that were a gift from her garden. Willadean loves to bake and she will often surprise me with a fresh baked loaf of bread or one of her fabulous homemade pies. Her husband is ill and can't do much outside and my husband abhors yard work so she has helped me do weeding and I have helped her lay down mulch. We have dug plants together at a vacant house that was to be destroyed and we get together at least once a month to "tour" each others garden. We also share the same religious faith and we now have a companion to attend our monthly Christian Woman's Brunch with. Gardening not only rewards you with glorious plants but can also reward you with lasting friendships. Vikki

Annual Central Iowa Tour of Water Gardens Ames, Stanhope, Jewell, Roland, Zearing Saturday, July 7 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Tickets are available at the first garden, 122 N. Russell, Ames; also at the Earl May Garden Center, 1601 S. Kellogg, Ames; Skycrest Gardens, 343 Dave Circle Ames; Holubs 22085 580th Ave. Ames; Reiman Gardens 1407 Elwood Dr, Ames; Bob Lenc Landscaping & Garden Center, 5425 Lower Beaver Rd, Des Moines. Ticket price is $10 per person. 1. Ada Mae Lewis, 122 N. Russell, Ames Directions: Block north of Lincoln Way on N. Russell Ave. (2nd street east of Elwood Dr; 5th street west of Grand Ave.). Garden is on the east side of street. Multiple water features and flower gardens are in this yard. A front yard 'spring' flows into a stream that crosses a path on its way to a larger pool. Bill Boon, landscape designer, designed this area, Jamie Beyer designed the installation of the water feature & Rob Pritchard, Liquid Landscape Designers, installed the hardscaping. Pavers, Mexican beach pebbles, stones from Iowa fields and limestone are used. Stone retaining walls with rock garden plants outline gardens. A cedar fence, arbor with seating, climbing roses & a front gate under an arch, make it a private front yard. A back yard path & drainage system leads to an in-ground rubber lined pond (ca. 1000 gal.) & a tiny bog. An above ground water feature by a swing in an arbor masks noise from the alley. A back yard cedar fence with arches over gates, climbing roses & clematis surrounds gardens. A small bump out greenhouse is at one end of a garden shed, topped by a Welsh dragon weather vane brought back from a trip to Wales. No smoking, please. 2. Chris and LuAnn Ewan, 822 Burnett, Ames East on Lincoln Way to Grand Ave; north on Grand Ave to 9th St (2nd stop light); east on 9th St 3 blocks to Burnett Ave; south on Burnett (parking allowed on west side of Burnett only on Saturdays). Garden is on the east side of street. The house is the second one on the east side of the street. Outside of the house is gray with white trim. Before adding the pond and landscaping, this backyard consisted of a large cement and rock parking area, a small square of grass and brick patio and a few shrubs and flowers. The extra parking in back was great when we had friends over but we wanted a place that would attract nature and give us a place to relax and entertain. The design and installation was done by Country Landscapes in fall of 2003. Some of the existing shrubs and perennials were saved and used in the current landscape. Most of the trees and perennials were planted before winter of that same year. The pond is approximately 3500 gallons and includes one waterfall and two plant pockets for shallow water plants. The entire rubber liner is covered with river rock. The deepest part of the pond is three feet and the dimensions are approximately 16' x 8'. A cedar deck and arbor along with a paver sidewalk and patio area complete the design. Trees included in the design are: 2 - Ash 'Autumn Purple', 1 - Black Alder, 2 - Crabapple ' Prairifire', 2 - White Pine. Shrubs and vines included in the design are: Serviceberry 'Autumn Brilliance, Dogwood 'Ivory Halo', Viburnum 'Bailey Compact American', Viburnum 'Judd', Spirea 'Snowmound', Ninebark 'Diabolo', Juniper ' Sea Green', Weigella 'Wine & Roses', Honeysuckle 'Dropmore Scarlet', Cotoneaster 'Cranberry', Butterfly Bush 'Black Knight', Spirea 'Gold Mound', Lilac 'Dwarf Korean', Rose 'Nearly Wild'. Perennials included in the design are: Catmint 'Blue Wonder', Sedum 'Matrona' and 'Autumn Joy', Purple Cone Flower, Toad Lily, Zebra Grass, Peony, Bearded Iris, Hen and Chicks, Lemon Thyme, Wooly Thyme, Candytuft, Baby's Breath, Creeping Baby's Breath, Salvia, Russian Sage, Poppy, Coreopsis, Phlox, Creeping Phlox, Liatris, Coral Bells, Hosta, Daylily, Dianthus, Columbine, Campanula, Brunnera, Astilbe, Northern Sea Oats. 3. Tom and Karen Smith, 3109 Balsam Circle, Ames Directions: South to 8th St; west 3 blocks to Grand Ave; north on Grand Ave to 24th St; west on 24th St, (turns into George W. Carver and curves north) to Aspen Rd (2nd left after curve); west on Aspen Rd to Ridgetop Rd (T intersection); north on Ridgetop Rd to Balsam Circle (2nd circle on left). Garden is at the end of circle. This is a series of 5 ponds set on a hillside in a shade garden setting. It is a 'race', the upper pond flowing into the next downhill pond. There is a recirculation pump from the lowest to the highest pond with a lift of about 15 feet. In years past, horses were raised on this property. There is a natural spring entering the upper pond which served as a watering site for the horses. When we bought the property it was a nasty mess. Digging it out, to clean it up, resulted in these ponds which are mud bottomed except for the lowest which is lined. Happily, the spring means that filtering is unnecessary. We have tried fish, but the critters get them. 4. Carolyn Blattel-Britton and Ben Britton, 508 W. North St., P.O. Box 257, Zearing Directions: North on Ridgetop Rd. to Valley View Rd; north on Valley View 1 block to Bloomington Rd; east on Bloomington Rd to Grand Ave/US Hwy 69; north on Hwy 69 approx. 7 miles to E18/130th St (just north of RR crossing); east on E18/130th approx. 16 miles to US Hwy 65; continue east approx ¼ mile to N. Elm (1st street on right); south on N. Elm to W. North (T intersection); west on W. North ½ block. Garden is on the north side of street. In 1994, we started building a rock garden on a vacant lot we purchased in 1991 across from our home. We have hauled in several hundred tons of rocks of various sizes and planted a variety of bushes, trees and perennials. It will probably always be a work in process. In 1994 we started having an art show in our rock garden, ÂArt in our Yard which attracts hundreds of people. Art in the Yard was held from 1994-1998 and again in 2001. We will be making plans for hosting it again sometime and when we do, we will post all pertinent information here on our website. Bus tours and garden clubs have visited the rock garden. In a series of articles on gardens by the Des Moines Register in 1996, Eliot Nusbaum featured our rock garden as a Âyear round gardenÂ. Our garden has been featured with numerous television and newspaper articles. It provides a natural display for BenÂs metal sculptures. Since the Rock Garden is our private property, it is closed to the General Public, open only to this tour or by request 5. Greg and Sue Olson, 202 Duea Circle, Roland Directions: East ½ block on W. North to N. Elm; north to E18/130th (T intersection); west on E18/130th approx. 10 miles to Duea Circle (approx 5 blocks west of 4 way stop in Roland); south on Duea Circle. Garden is at the south end of circle on the east side. Greg and Sue have built four water gardens that are surrounded by numerous perennials, a lilac bush hedge and dwarf conifers. The largest pond (3000 gallons) features a limestone waterfall with aquatic plants, koi fish and sprinkler. A formal circular pond is in a shady area of the yard among hundreds of hostas. This three-tier fountain includes plants, fish and under water lighting that accent the fountain and trees above at night. The third water garden greets visitors at the front entrance with plants, fish, sprinkler, fog mister and colorful under water lighting at night. The last project was a ceramic vase fountain by the back yard deck. The OlsonÂs are also hosta and garden conifer collectors. They have over 400 varieties of hostas and built an octagon shaped four-tier planter that display over 50 miniature and small hostas. Their new display of pendulous and weeping conifers offer both unique and unusual form, texture and color to their landscaping. So if youÂve been pining for a different look in your yard or just want to spruce up the place, the water garden tour will be full of ideas! 6. Blaine and Maricarol Hansen, 56703 135th Lane, Story City Directions: North on Duea Circle to E18/130th/W Maple; west on E 18/130th/W Maple approx. 3 miles to 570th Ave; south on 570th approx. ½ mile to 135th Lane; west on 135th Lane. Garden is at the end of lane on south side. Our pond is truly a healing water garden for all of us. We all love to sit on the deck and listen to the sound of the water as it cascades over the rocks and waterfalls. There is a bedroom downstairs next to the pond and we enjoy a better nights sleep because of the peaceful lulling of the water and the cool breeze that comes across the stream. Even our dogs jump into the ponds a few times a day to cool off and swim. The pond/stream started as a project for Curtis, our son. He had the vision and desire to transform our yard into a water feature. We are fortunate to have many large rocks on our property. When he dug out the ponds and stream we realized that we didnÂt have nearly the amount of rocks that we would ultimately need so we started harvesting rock from the neighboring fields and from ditches along the road. It does not surprise me that Curtis would enjoy working with rocks and streams because he started collecting rocks when he was about two years old and built many streams in our yards over the years. There are two ponds and four waterfalls in our water feature. The water garden has added greatly to our lives. We now enjoy watching the Koi and tad poles swim around in the large pond and love listening to the frogs throughout the day. We get beautiful butterflies, hummingbirds, hummingbird moths and our birds that light on the plants around the pond. We have lighting in the evening and enjoy many fires down at the firepit on the other side of the retaining wall which borders the large pond. 7. Gary and Deb Scott, 12641 Oakview Hgts. Drive, Story City Directions: East on 135th Lane to 570th Ave; north on 570th Ave to E 18/130th; west on E 18/130th 1 block to Oakview Heights Dr. Garden is at the northeast end. Gary and Deb Scott have a kidney shaped pond with a boardwalk going over it to the front entry. The pond has a natural dry creek bed which runs around the home for the for the run off of the pond overflow. Their pond is stocked with Koi and gold fish and has waterlilies and cattail, and is surround by many different varieties of hosta which lends itself to the naturalized surroundings of the woodlands. The whole area is surrounded by 200 year old oak trees. 8. Pete and Elaine Tekippe, 12939 Royal Orchard, Story City Directions: South on Oakview Heights Dr to E 18/130th; west on E 18/130th to Royal Orchard (across Interstate 35); north on Royal Orchard. Garden is 2nd house on the west. Pete & Elaine have a 5 year old pond with a stream, waterfall and footbridge. The pond is stocked with Koi and goldfish. Their wooded lot also featues a long stairway winding down a steep hill. At the bottom of the hill is a 60' footbridge leading to the river. The front yard has an area with many varieties of ornamental grasses. 9. Kenn Outzen and Dean Koob, 548 East Ln, Jewell Directions: South on Royal Orchard to E 18/130th; east on E 18/130th to I-35; north on I-35 approx. 9 miles to Jewel/Ellsworth/Radcliff Exit; west on Hwy 175 approx. 4 miles to Jewel. Garden is on the south side of street. Please park on East Lane Rainbow Botanical Gardens was established in 2001. The gardens consist of a large Hosta collection of between 550 and 600 varieties, a dwarf conifer collection of about 50 and the most unusual collection of Colocasia and Alocasia, s Xanthosoma, Remusatia (Elephant Ears). There are 12 varieties of Bananas planted in the garden which will get well over 12 feet tall by the time frost hits. These are the plants the make the garden so unusual. We have been growing these unusual plants for six years, well before the tropical craze started. Now you have come to see the ponds of which we have two of them. The large one holds about 3200 gallons and has two streams running into it. We have three pumps in this pond -- one for a Bio filter (1000 gph), one for a UV light (500 gph) and the other for the large stream (3200 gph) which has no filter. The other pond is about 100 gallons with one waterfall and has a 1200 gph pump. This pond is in shade for most of the day but we are still able to get some blooms on our lilies. Dean and Kenn welcome visitors at any time, just give them a call. 10. Nila and Clayton Zanker, 860 School St, Stanhope Directions: West 1 block to US Hwy 69/175/Main St; south on Hwy 69/175 approx. 2 miles to Hwy 175 West; west on Hwy 175 approx. 8 miles to Hwy 17; north on Hwy 17 to Center St (7th street to east); east on Center St to School St (first street to north); north on School St. Garden is on the east side. Gardening On A Shoestring. After a long interest in gardening, 8 years ago, my husband I decided to put some landscaped ponds in our yard. We started with a smaller pond that was connected to a larger pond with a series of waterfalls and a small stream. We stocked it with fish and built up the surrounding areas with rocks and various plants and flowers. Two years later we decided to build another larger set of ponds on the South side of our house. A friend came over and donated his time and equipment for only a couple of cases of beer! These ponds were also built up with different rocks that we found. All of the rocks came from our farm. Most of the plants that we have were given to us from friends and family. The time to build was donated from our 4 sons during a lot of summer weekends. Through a lot of trial and error, we still continue to work and add to our ponds, but have always loved the time that we get to spend together working on them. An additional reward is having our friends and family over to relax and enjoy all the sounds of the water and the beautiful yard that we have created. This event is co-sponsored by the Story County Master Gardeners Assoc. and the Central Iowa Water Garden Association. For more information contact Judy Anderson, 515-278-0939, email: andrsnjudy@mchsi.com or Jamie Beyer, 515-433-0194.

Oh, it is, chemocurl. I ntoiced that, too--that it is good, and that it is posted all over. If you like it, spread it, i guess (um--don't take that the wrong way