Despite the original posters overly extensive post, with certain questionable content, the central point is still quite vaild. We as a nation spend more money on grass than on any other crop. That by itself should be reason enough. Read up on the history of lawns and you'll find that they were orginally created as a means of demonstrating wealth (aka, I have this big area and I can afford to do nothing with it except grow grass I can't eat) Regarding the comments of junegem13 and zachslc, you might want to read up on the legal history of this movement. As it turns out, most weed laws (ones based on hight, not on noxious weeds) are unconstitutional. Nonetheless, if you are in a city or subdivision and decide to do a wildflower meadow where there is not an reasonable ordinance, then you should notify your neighbors and the city about why you are doing and the legal preceedants. The EPA has all this information. Regarding property values, that was the original complaint neighbors made against one landowner when she converted her lawn into meadow. When they were unable to demonstrate an actual decrease in property values, the city ordinance was ruled unconstitutional. Afterwards, the neighbors decided if they couldn't beat her that they'd join her and replace their own yards with meadows. Property values in that one neighborhood are now some of the highest in the city (Specific names and places, are available if you want them). Time and time again, lawn alternatives done correctly have shown to raise values, not lower them. In Charlottesville, VA local government is working on an ammendment to exclude native meadows from our weed ordinance. Other cities are doing the same very quicky, especially since the weed ordinance as written by many localites constitutes a legal liability to local governments.

cjrosaphile, I was looking at OOTN just yesterday--I've been planning to shovel prune it, but of course now it's covered with buds that look like they might open. I'm trying to decide if I should give it just one more year. I hate it when they turn beautiful just when you're ready to give them the axe! If yours looks this bad too, maybe they just don't like the PNW & I should go ahead and make room for someone else. I gave Golden Buddha away, and I haven't been sorry at all. Looking at the pictures on HMF, it looks like it's just an orange rose. There's a photo of a 4-year-old mature plant---lots of blooms, but plain and orange. If that's what you're looking for, great, but it didn't work for me. I am loving Louisa Stone. She was just planted this spring, so she's not even established. She still has blooms--a little haggard looking since she has gotten practically no water in the past 2 months of record high temperatures, but the plant looks healthy and shows no sign of disease. It'll be interesting to see how she gets thru the winter. I've put in a couple other Harkness roses (Jacqueline DuPre & International Herald Tribune) and have more on order--Harkness looks like a breeder whose roses do well in my yard. I have a bunch more roses coming in the next couple of weeks (had to hit that Ashdown final sale), so anybody that's borderline might get the axe when I find out just how much I've over-bought for the space I have! Another reason to buy more roses--it pushes you to get rid of those that don't really work. Maybe I should get just a couple more...

Christin, I grow Broad Beans every year. They are my all-time faves. They produce and produce and produce. My Snow Peas are sprouted, but am not making much head way with clearing my garden of weeds so I can get things planted, darn it!. My legs are so weak and my lower back is killing me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ mandolls I have to get my spring veggie crops in NOW if I am going to have any at all. Here in the Southern Plains, it goes from erratic early spring (cold-hot-cold-hot) to a gorgeous blush of Spring so wonderful that you are glad to live here. But quickly, sometimes virtually overnight, it changes to HOTTEST hell.. Fall gardens might be good, except that the weather, as with our springs, is just too unpredictable to bother.. We might enjoy a long autumn of beautiful, pleasant weather, but often as not, just as my crops are looking great, we get a deep freeze or at least a hefty Hoar frost. I have extended some of my crops with covers and bales of hay as barriers, but it is so much work and I just can't cut the mustard any more. And then, we also have tornadoes - in the spring thru early summer and again in the fall. This is due to the moist Gulf Stream colliding with the drier Arctic Jet Stream over us all the time, but it is worse when the seasons change.. Just as my corn starts to tassel and the tomatoes have grown huge and starting to change colour....SWOOSH! You just have to garden by faith here. Take it or leave it. That's how it is. If I had my way, I'd go HOME to San Diego County in Southern California where I can garden nine months out of the year with beautiful tropicals, herbs, cacti (that I wouldn't have to drag inside every fall), and all manner of flowers, fruit, avocados, and citrus trees....and deal with the dense fog, droughts, the wildfires, the newcomers, and the earthquakes that I am accustomed to dealing with. (LOL) I ao miss the mountains and tall redwood trees, and trips to the Ocean, all just a few miles away in any direction. (dreaming ...) But we have to stay where the work is, so here we are! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My spine has been disintegrating for the past fifteen years and I have arthritis so bad in other areas that excessive walking is just not going to happen anymore I literally collapse. I have worked too hard all my life and it is so difficult to let up and slack off. I have so many things I still WANT to do and many things I NEED to do, but my body has just had ENOUGH. ((grinning)). So, it is probably a good thing that I live where I do with limited pleasant gardening weather or else I would literally work myself to death! Still, it is the fact that I keep working that also keeps me going - crazy, but true. I have to get exercise or my joints lock up and I would get atrophy. Sucks, but them's the breaks! So, I deal with the pain and keep going while I can. I look a lot younger than I am, but I sure don't feel like it. But, I do alright. No complaints. It's just the way things are, I reckon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It turned out to be another HOT day today - those weather men can't deal with the fact that the typical weather patterns no longer exist, so their forecasts are not always accurate anymore because those old weather patterns are changing...all the time. Still, it could turn nasty any time and I have to get with it if I am going to get my Spring veggies in the ground: i.e., cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, lettuces, radishes, carrots,. and onions. Next month - in April, : then the warm weather crops go into the ground, like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, beans, melons, corn, Herbs and etc. ~Annie ...digging in the Red Dirt of Central Oklahoma and dreaming of retiring back home near the coast.....where we will probably fall off into the ocean when the Big One HITS. :) I'm IRISH! Can't win for losing... (p.s - mandolls I didn't mean to sound like I was biting your head off...just 'splainin' the dilemma that we in the Southern Plains have to deal with. The thing is, just be happy with what you have and where you live. That's all any of can do, right? As you said, when the weather is right where you live, you can get out there and get after it! And we will be JEALOUS of your gardens..) This post was edited by sweetannie4u on Fri, Mar 15, 13 at 21:59

On this muggy day it is much nicer to be in your gardens instead of mine! Love all the photos. My planters are looking ratty but I know it's because I haven't kept up with fertilizing. There are annuals planted every year by Blackwater Nursery folks at the junction of Rt 3/4 in Boscawen and it all looks gorgeous. 603, the yellow squash and red kuri look beautiful! nhbabs, that field must be well fertilized. I think that's the tallest corn I've ever seen. I have noticed the small birds seem to be flocking in our yard and going after seeds. I want to cut off the pink tall phlox in the circle bed because it's not supposed to be there, only white, so I don't want any pink seedlings. Of course, now that I'm thinking about it ... maybe the white phlox will have pink seedlings because the pink pollinated it. Rats, didn't think of that before. The pink phlox I planted is about 50 yards away. Usually I have some red peppers by now, at least the Italian kind but nada so far although pepper production has been great. I think cool nights have been a problem. The ones doing best are in the high tunnel with the sides rolled up. With just the plastic roof and back wall (front has a double door that is left open all season) it gets over 100 on a sunny day. Never got any green beans planted except for the ones that didn't germinated (seed too old or maybe not enough water) but the yellow wax were great. Plenty of beets and carrots to pull. Yanked out a cluster of shallots. Planted Moose's Tubers storage potato sampler this year and had a very nice meal of Peter Wilcox/Blue Gold. I did fingerlings last year but only grew one variety this year. A red skinned variety did very well in the high tunnel for some extra early potatoes but I just did two 3' rows. Need more veggie space next year so have added length to a couple of beds, just another three feet using the lasagna method of piling up grass cuttings, old pea vines, kitchen scraps, etc. We don't use a rototiller. Put three mums in planters this week. Alas, fall is coming.