Hi Lynn: Thank you for the info. on superphosphate. I prefer that over triple-superphosphate, due to higher % of sulfur: Superphosphate provides 20% calcium, 12% sulfur, and 20% phosphorus, with salt index 7.8. You are right that hard water is tough on skin and hair. My kid has curly hair, and it's tangled up from our hard-well water. My skin is always dry. I like drinking our village's water, it tastes sweet, and won the best-tasting water in the county. Using fish-tank litmus strips sold at Walmart, I tested my water, pH over 8. I tested bottled mineral water, its pH is 7.5. A long time ago I had a landlord that bought tons of those Morton water-softener (and drink it too). Her son died young of a stroke at 50 years old. She had 2 strokes, then died right after her son. My husband bought the wrong stuff, Muriate of Potash or potassium chloride, rather than sulfate of potash. Potassium chloride is what we use to de-ice our sidewalk in zone 5a winter. It browned my roses' petals, due to chlorine toxicity .. I found a picture of fertilizer burn that matched with the browning, along with this statement, ""Overfertilization - fertilizer burn can occur when excessive chloride fertilizers (e.g. muriate of potash) or high rates of nitrogen fertilizers (espcially ammonium sources) are applied." No wonder the 6 tomatoes plants in front wilted when I watered them with Muriate of Potash or potassium chloride. High potassium or high nitrogen also induces calcium deficiency (Wikipedia info).... it's not surprising that I got blossom end rots on those tomatoes.

Hi Betty, My computer crashed at home AGAIN!!! So I have hardly been here to look, let alone my poor blog. This is not a good time of the year for me to put out big bucks to fix it Again Sigh....... I am posting from work this a.m (which I do not like to do, for the obvious reasons :((((( yes, I thought I'd try to do one more "class", folks had asked about my Christmas tree decorating earlier, but I am not too sure people really need that since it has been discussed before. But at any rate, I can post from the Library or my friends house if needed. Also I am just bringing out my decos now (I don't start Christmas decorating until the day after Thanksgiving, so that may be too late for some of you to see pic and instructions ????

Here are some paths and designs that I like... obviously very large gardens, but I think you can take these ideas and place them in a smaller garden... ..in this photo the shingled path is straight but softened with edging plants, and the path is tapered towards to end, which draws the visitor to it, I think... ..the same view 10 days later..... I like the way the blue Geraniums have now been replaced by the pink ones... but the yellows still draw me to the end of the path... ..another garden, another example of how I like to be drawn forward.... the very straight path narrowing in the distance to what appears to be a pair of dark green pillars.. ..but it is in fact a Hop covered archway, the path softened and the gazebo enticing the visitor forward... I like this one very much... and I think could be replicated in a small garden... ..with a grass path, I like to see curves with plantings that hide the view ahead... and absolutely no spillage onto the paths... I don't like to see that with grass... preferring a nice clean sharp edge.. ..with high straight walls, I think it's important to bring the borders outwards towards the centre... but I don't like these island beds here... although they serve a purpose in this particular garden... ..finally, I rather like the way the hedges here have been shaped to invite the visitor to take a turn right or left... it flows and I find it relaxing... and I wouldn't like it if it was sharp... ...hope you found something of interest in those...

I've added more detail, listed flowers and layout.