Pretty petals, I have applied both Milorganite and Liquid Fence around the periphery of the garden. Both of these need to be reapplied after rain. We have had flooding rains through the night, so I'll have to get out later today and reapply. This fall, I just put Milorganite around the pansies to keep them aweay, because deer LOVE pansies and rip them right out of the ground here otherwise. But I have noticed the deer coming up the back bank in a few spots and am going to apply around the edges of the garden too. You are right, I think they get used to about anything. But I have tried everything else out there and have found these two products are the best (outside of installing a 10' deer fence!) Good luck. Deer can be devastating ( at least around here.) We have had former club members to just give up after repeated deer damage.

Posted by Johnliu: "-----Another way of cooking a roast, definitely fun, is buried in rock salt. No, it doesn't get salty. The salt absorbs heat and transfers it to the meat more effectively than air does, and reduces evaporation of the meat's juices. Just buy 2 lb rock salt, put the roast in a Dutch oven with salt under, over, and all around. ----" That is a very good way to make an extraordinary roast. Basically, the salt layer insulates the heat, allowing the "slow & low" method to take place easier. ---------------------------------------------------- Simple facts "Slow & Low" method addresses: 1. Water boils at 212 F. As long as there is water, you can never go above 212 F, regardless how high you set the temperature. (normal pressure) 2. Meat is a poor conductor of heat. 3. Meat shrinks under high heat and toughens (well-done). 4. Heat can only migrate from high to low and it is not reversible. 5. Meat gets tenderized (collagen denaturing) even at low temperature if cooked long enough. 6. Resting means cold meat. The picture shows a typical roast prepared the typical normal way. No matter how you slice it (PUN?), you generally end up in some degree the following (Which, BTW, to many people that's the way it should be for a perfect ribeye) Zone one - Brown layer (Maillard reaction), Many chefs advise not to char the meat. Browning gives the flavor. Charcoal is not tasty. Also, at higher temperatures, more carcinogenic compounds can be produced. Zone two - well done layer (meat is tough and dry). This is the 212 F to 165 F layer. Zone three - Medium. The 212 F layer of heat travels inward to warn up the colder layer to 145 F. Zone four - Medium rare. The layer is about 135 F. Zone five - Rare. The 212 F finally reaches this layer and warms it to 125 F after a long rest. Meanwhile the 212 F layer is get cold to room temperature from losing heat to the air and to heat the inside of the meat. Zone six - raw, uncooked meat. One problem with "Slow & Low". You produce very little juice, because the meat shrinks very little. The reason for "Low" is ridiculously simple. If the final desired temperature is 125 F, why not just cook at that temperature? The reasons for "slow", well I will let the author Nathan Myhrvold of the $500.00 cook book Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking explain to you why 24 hours is recommended for ribeye. If you just Google his name. And I will also let the famous chef Heston Blumenthal show you in this video how he too cooks low and slow: Here is a link that might be useful: Low & Slow

It is my opinion, albeit a very personal point of view, that all perennial plantings be part of a "mixed border" - one that includes both trees and shrubs in addition to herbaceous perennials and any groundcovers/bulbs, etc. And the reason for that is to provide some relief and interest to the picture when the perennials are dormant. Not to mention something that offers some extra height and verticality that most perennials do not achieve. In my garden, that meant adding Japanese maples or other small stature trees as well as shrubs, both evergreen and deciduous. Dwarf conifers are an excellent choice, as are smaller shrubs like Deutzia Nikko or Chardonnay Pearls, Abelia Kaleidoscope, Japanese barberries (if appropriate for your location), Spiraea Magic Carpet and dwarf pieris like Cavatine or Little Heath. For vertical accents, I like Sky Pencil Japanese holly, Rhamnus Fine Line, Berberis Orange Rocket and various columnar yet dwarf conifers. I also like to include vines in my mixed borders and clematis on obelisks or tuteurs are a great choice,

I've never watched Good Bones - the commercials/previews were off-putting enough for me never to want to see it. I do like Sarah Richardson's show, although I do not like the buttons she frequently puts on pillow covers - those are simply not comfortable. I loved Nate & Jeremiah when they were on, but my favorite design show is probably Desert Flippers because it shows houses in Palm Springs that I can relate to, especially now that I have a desert house in adjacent Cathedral City. I've been watching DABL a lot here in the desert because we decided not to have cable here and really do not miss it. Since we have a Samsung TV, we get all the Samsung streaming channels for free, many of which we like. I've been watching Escape to the Country on DABL, which is on a local channel, and while I like the show, I do not like any of the houses but look at them as curiosities. I always laugh when they talk about the "stunning" views of cow pastures - a view I've always hated, having grown up with cow pastures. Parts of England are scenic, but nothing strikes me as "stunning." I have a view of snow capped mountains from my pool patio here, with palm trees in the foreground and around the house. To me, that is more stunning than a cow pasture.