for me and my gardens, roto-tilling makes all kinds of sense. I live in Brampton and we have about a 2" layer of top soil and the rest is clay. I have spent many years turning the soil by hand and burying in compost and peat in order to breakdown the clay. I know some people say that you disturb the natural soil fauna but I say they don't deal with the same situation I am dealing with. I bought a light weight tiller that is great for established beds. I picked it up from Canadian Tire. It reminds me of a Mantis but cheaper. It has done a fantastic job. It even grabs small tree roots that try to creep in to my garden. The only done fall is that the roots have to be removed by hand. I love this thing and wonder why I waited so long. It makes soil preparation a dream. :)

Thank you all so much. GG, You flatterer you. Thanks sweetie. Yes that is Phlox paniculata Davidii (David). Such a big name for such a little Garden Phlox. Well, the plants are not as tall as my other garden phlox, but the blooms are a bit bigger. It is a fabulous garden phlox. I bought one plant several years ago, but it just kinda sat there where I planted. It bloomed and all every year, but did not multiply much at all. This year I decided it needed a new residence - it was in the wrong place, so I divided it and planted the divisions in four locations. Two really took off in their new spots. One is doing okay but not growing as much as it's two siblings just across the pathway. The fourth one is stunted. It is blooming but is only half as big as the other three. I am going to move it. It does not like that area. I think I will move it down to the Patio Garden. It seems to like more moisture, so that will be a good place for it and the beautiful white blooms will be like a white diamond among the other flowers. It is a lovely addition to any garden. A very elegant phlox. I can send you a slip of it in September, if you want one. The Hydrangea is an Oakleaf Hydrangea. It is my favorite. They get really big and bloom on and on and on. The blooms are humongous! They start out small and get bigger and longer. As the white blooms age, they turn pink, then get rusty speckles or freckles on them and the pink gets deeper. Red freckles get bigger and bigger as the bloom ages and then the red freckles fade until it has a cream color. like a pale amber. Some lighter shades and some more towards browns. It has super fragrance like you wouldn't believe. Yummy, semi-strong old-fashioned fragrance. The blooms come on at different times, so they are all in different stages of size and colors. Just a fantastic plant. I have not been successful at rooting any cuttings yet, but I keep trying. I would love to have a couple more in other shady areas. It gets full sun in the morning and shade all afternoon. Likes moist, but well drained soil. Oh! I wanted to tell you that I used your stepladder idea for growing tomatoes this year. It is working great and looks so cute. The only problem with it is that my half-Siamese cat, Mai Ling, uses it as her lookout point. She sits up there on top every day while I am working in the garden. She likes to watch me - see where I am at. She accidentally broke off a limb. I hope that is the only one that gets snapped off. Cindy, I didn't feel hijacked! Pish posh. You were just showing us visually what you had stated earlier about your apartment garden (which btw was gorgeous). Not to worry. freezengirl, I hope you aren't "freezen" right now! I am happy you came on my topic and looked at my humble garden pics. It isn't fancy, but it's home. It's a great place to play Hide and Seek with my grandkids. Lots of places to hide! (hehehe) This year I have more varieties of butterflies and dragonflies then I ever did before. I keep trying to capture them on camera, but they are too elusive. Very camera shy. I have had several Dragonflies lite on my shoulder and a few butterflies have landed on my hand and head. It is a real trip when they do that. It is supposed to be good luck. I think the good luck part of it is that they actually land on me in the first place. Awesome! Good night all! ~Annie

jfacendola, I have a potted one in my cold greenhouse that I've thought about bringing in for Christmas, but I don't have any little kids or cats that I need to keep away. Besides, THE BOSS wouldn't allow it!

My devilled egg filling is much stiffer than icing and holds nice star creases. I too think it might have been too wet. It's not the consistency that matters so much as the body. Icing gets body from sugar and fat, but the egg filling just has the fat from the yolks and a little glue from the mayo. It can be a thick paste and still pipe fine. The tip looks fine.