Butterflyman's list made me think of a couple things that could be helpful for other school gardens; we created a signupgenius and had parent volunteers sign up for helping out with watering. We collected fall seeds and then made "seed balls," reworded from seed bombs, for children to take home. They loved getting something from the garden. An idea I have for some of the summer months when caterpillars are (hopefully) around is to get some kind of a sign up list for those who want to be contacted about what gets found and then possibly having families raise a caterpillar or two (like an American Lady or Black Swallowtail). Might have some kind of a workshop well ahead of time so that families can learn what goes into rearing them. I think when families experience the full spectrum of butterfly rearing and releasing, they will become evenmore invested in the garden. We still have children stomping through the garden even with things marked (got that together the past week), but I guess that's to be expected. Perhaps as the plants get larger they will be less likely to do so. Thanks all.

Outsmarting the tree rats (squirrels) around my house is a full time job. This past spring I hit on a new idea. When I plant a container I invert an empty wire hanging basket over the container and the plant gets sun and can be watered but the squirrels can't dig in it. Another idea: I bring in a lot of plants to "over winter" under lights in my garage. I have so many that it is hard to reach my hand under the lights (4 shop lights) to the middle for watering. So I bought a pump sprayer with a long wand and it works great! In late winter I add a little liquid Dawn detergent, few drops, to each gallon of water and not only does the soil get wet easier but the worms that are waiting to hatch into distructive pets just don't hatch. Don't know what it costs me to run those four shop lights all winter but I don't care. It is a small price to pay to be able to "garden" every weekend in the garage. Many people have mentioned that they mark their outdoor plants with a "permanent Sharpie". In my experience there isn't a "permanent Sharpie", they all fade and quickly too. A grease pencil/china marker or expensive "no fade" garden center marker are the only markers I have found that won't disappoint you by fading. Eight years ago I decided to learn about gardening so I tapped into my local library. I checked out nearly every book they had on gardening and learned so much. The Gardenweb forums are also a wealth of information and entertainment. There is always something new to learn and I appreciate all of you who take the time to write in your ideas. One last idea from me...I keep a small notebook on my computer table and jot down any idea I find that's new and I will want to try. Little pieces of paper get lost but I always know where my notebook is and also use it when I order "on line" so I will remember the name of the company and the order date. Tina or Trowelgal

Nothing died other than the few things that I decided to take out; mostly some big agaves and two huge Mangave 'macho mocha' that had overgrown their pots . Everything that's left is leafing out and getting a fresh start with my new simplified garden plan. So with the 'simplified plan' in mind I went to Rainbow Gardens yesterday and bought a few things; blackfoot daisies, red pentas, globe mallows, and angelonia to brighten things up. Bob said, "I thought you were cutting back". "Uh huh, I am. You can't tell?" I was happy with the inch and a half rain we got this morning since it helped wash the fertilizer in. The little turtle has been doing well. He was so happy to be released back into 'the wild' of our yard this morning that he took off running.

In my no-spray garden the Austins get blackspot and defoliate. Olivia Rose Austin gets less blackspot than many others. It has a lovely medium fragrance like rosewater. Jubilee Celebration has strong sweet fragrance, beautiful pink and cream blend. Princess Alexandra of Kent is also very fragrant, large sumptuous blooms. Mortimer Sackler is highly fragrant with an Old Rose fragrance, one of the taller Austins, good repeat bloom with an elegant arching habit. The Generous Gardener is another tall Austin with lovely fragrance. Olivia Rose Austin Jubilee Celebration Princess Alexandra of Kent on left Munstead Wood Mortimer Sackler The Generous Gardener