I water just before the plants faint and fall over. Every season is different. Last two years or was it 3? we had drought. By the time I finished, it was time to start again, usually close to a week to get all around, deep soaking, not a sprinkle. Our soil is sandy with lots of organic material added and I mulch with pine straw. Last week we had 4 inches of rain. I've only watered containers since then, and newly planted bits. I pay attention to water hogs. I put the worst together (cannas and hedychiums and other tropicals) so they can get a little continuous trickle from one hose when it gets really hot. I bought Wax Begonias for shade instead of Impatiens because they can stand being ignored for a day or so. Impatiens faint and fall over when the sun comes up. Alternanthera (Joseph's Coat) instead of Coleus works for me, too. A word about hydrangeas: They will wilt in late afternoon. Wait and see if they are still wilted next morning. If so, water them. If not, it is just their little defense mechanism and it tricks you into giving them a surface drink instead of a deep soaking fewer times a week. Nell

Thanks Laura! You're so sweet; you always make people feel welcome. Thank you for being on the forum! Northbay- Great advice about checking the water. I'm on ag water (aka from the canal system. Great for my horses, not so great for drinking in the house...) so I'm sure it's all messed up. Where did you have your water tested? Did you buy a kit or did you take a sample somewhere? My plumeria have been banned from the house until fall. My Sweetheart found the "house guests" offensive. It may not have been the plants so much as the perlite all over the house, courtesy of two very naughty cats. So, alas, I cannot bring them in. Very strange that the rats chewed on them. I can't imagine all that sap tasted very good. If you every want to borrow bad cats to guard your trees, let me know. (As i type this one of them is scratching the heck out of the couch. Free to good home? just kidding!) valeriev- Bummer about the lack of sun. How big is your tree? Do you know what cultivar it is? I have a bunch of (I think) Dwarf Singapore Pinks that seem to like a afternoon shade, but I imagine the rest of 'em would stagnate completely without sun. You could always become the Crazy Lady with grow lights on your balcony ;) Thankfully the plumeria are kickin' it into high gear. They're finally leafing out with gusto, and my Divine should open its first bloom within a week! I am so excited!!! They've done much better after a foliar spray with seaweed extract, combined with some heat. It's very nice to know there are other people up here growing plumeria successfully. I was talking to a guy at Navalets trying to find Foliage Pro and told him I was trying to grow plumeria and he said "You can't grow those here! Why would you even try?". Then began the discussion of over wintering in the dining room, the fertilizing routine, reading them bedtime stories, etc. Thanks everyone! Rachel

Oh yes, it is red clay. Rock hard, concrete-like red clay to be exact. When I first started the garden 3 years ago, I tilled down about 12 inches into the clay (took several days)and added some pine bark fines (soil conditioner) and a lot of compost to try and fluff up the soil some. But when you consider in planting deep, there was only a couple of inches of "soft soil" under the plants. Believe me when I way it sounds easier than it was. But it was worth it. Now the worms have taken over and helped to aerate the soil and it is not too bad now. One good thing about clay though is that it holds water and nutrients very well. You have to keep a good layer of mulch to keep the top layer from crusting though. On the reverse, compaction can be a big problem, which is why my planting beds are mounded so that I don't walk in them. Maybe one year I can talk the wife into letting me make some good raised beds. jj

Since I have limited space in a bedroom I cannot be too disorganized, but I have had it get quite messy. When I cannot find a pattern, or fabric, I then take a day and get things back into some sort of order again. I do keep my ongoing projects out, and in a closet I have on hangers anything that is large and almost done with what ever it needs hanging together.. this I found is helpful. I am organized in a way, that I do have my fabric and patterns together in one container for my to do projects and other large baggies or what ever with scrap fabric for a certain project as well as the pattern, idea and notes on what I have that fabric for ... for example, all 2 inch long strips are in one large baggie and marked for future log cabin - 2 inch squares for 'what ever' and so on. I find this helpful... at least when I cut fabric the left overs do not end up in a pile and discarded because there is too much stuff to sort out. I have one ongoing project for club charity quilts that is kept in a separate bin with kids fabric and patterns so when the mood hits me to do something different, I can just pull the box and do some work on it.. eventually they get done and donated to my guild. I also have 2 cats and they do things like play with the thimbles (took 2 months to find it) as well as spools of thread - you know the stuff they like to do. Still I enjoy having them around, even if it is 'pet me time' while I am trying to sew something! I am enjoying reading this post and everyone's delima about orgaiziation... and I agree - if my guest think that my room is a mess... they can stay home! I enjoyed reading how everyone is handeling their situations... we all seem to be in the same boat... (or sewing room delima!) Barbara